SMT Software Market To Capitalize On Potential Opportunities

A recent study conducted by Frost and Sullivan, found that complete integration and ease of communication down the surface mount technologies (SMT) line have driven the growth of the software market.

Additionally, the dynamic and competitive electronics industry is creating a relentless drive to innovate, cut costs, and assure unfailing quality and faster time to market. The study claims that customers are now also more concerned with pricing and quality of the machine and not with the software that accompanies it. These combined factors boost demand for the SMT software markets.

“The SMT software market has been rejuvenated not only due to increase in equipment sales but also due to increasing automation and technology of the software itself,” says Frost & Sullivan, Senior Research Analyst, Lavanya Ram Mohan.

As the demands for increased integration, communication, quality and factory level optimization rise, these markets are likely to accrue significant revenues in the future, moreover, the perception of the industry in general towards SMT software has also undergone a tremendous transformation.

Another finding of the report is that the increasing demand for miniaturization of components and compact products has favoured the growth of the software market. The demand for quality, throughput, accuracy, and integration has witnessed a new surge of demand owing to the need to reduce repair and rework down the line. This has elevated the technology and investment for software. As manufacturing processes undergo a revamping facelift resulting in leaner, faster and optimized production lines, the demand for SMT software is likely to grow stronger.

However, the hardware platforms of the machines vary, and are not equipped to handle the latest versions of the software. From the customer’s perspective, their legacy systems lack the requisite provisions to upgrade along with the new-fangled software. Some machines still run using binary and basic XML structure. Hence, there are hardware limitations, which prevent the integration of new software into existing machines.

The previously existing SMT machines within the market are getting obsolete. As a result, the cost of ownership becomes high for customers.

Alternatively, Frost and Sullivan believes that manufacturers will need to display proactive strategies to be able to anticipate future needs of the industry and create hardware platforms that have the capability to integrate the latest technology to the maximum extent possible.