Electronics industry expects to hit $50-B export level by 2030

By Janina C. Lim
Reporter
THE Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI) said its industry road map sets a 6% annual export growth target which will help it achieve its $50 billion target for export sales by 2030.
The plan, known as the Products and Technology Holistic Strategy (PATHS), copies of which were provided to reporters, identified products and technologies to focus on to ensure the industry’s competitiveness in the coming years.
SEIPI said it is pinning its hopes on “sunrise” products in the semiconductor, consumer electronics, office equipment, instrumentation and control, automotive electronics, telecommunication, medical, electronic data processing, and solar and renewable segments.
In semiconductors, SEIPI will be focusing on smart sensors with photonic and navigation applications, as well as memory chips for use in the so-called Internet of things (IoT).
In the telecommunications sector, the industry will emphasize gateways and enabling technologies like IoT hardware, specifically devices for smart agriculture.
SEIPI also noted that the medical sector is investing more in clinical care and remote health monitoring systems and cancer-detecting lasers.
In the consumer electronics segment, SEIPI will be banking on expected massive demand for wearable devices, smartphones and smart home devices.
In office equipment, the group will look into opportunities in the manufacture of 3D printers.
SEIPI’s road map also took note of a global shift towards robotics and increased automation, manifested in the auto sector’s increasing adoption of visual sensors and smart battery sensors. The auto industry is also expected to generate strong growth in the use of lithium batteries.
In renewables, the industry is counting on growth from smart inverters and high-density storage batteries.
SEIPI is projecting annual investment in the sector to rise to $1.5 billion by 2020; $3 billion by 2025; and $5 billion by 2030. By 2020, the industry is also expected to employ a total of 5.5 million directly and indirectly, up from estimated current levels of 3.2 million.
Electronics exports in 2017 rose 11% to $32.7 billion.