I just wanted to get the views of you, the people we deal with.
From my point of view things are very different to how they were in 2008. I don't even work for the same company, but I can tell the UK electronic components industry has taken a fair hammering. Anecdotes from my colleagues now talk of how very large orders were commonplace, the likes of which we rarely see now.
The distributors seem to be doing OK, some better than others, but is that because manufacturers have stopped buying direct (because they can't) and turned to distis instead?
Or am I just being pessimistic?
Will we stay like this for a while? Will we stay like this forever? Are some of the trends (e.g. moving production to the Far East) irreversible? Is the market just adjusting itself for good?
As an economist, I find this all quite interesting, though I would rather watch a speedy recovery.
