Hardware manufacturing

 UK high tech young firms appear to be more international inscope selling more of their total production to a wider compass of customers in foreign markets.  They have a stronger presence in most international markets including their traditional partners in the British Commonwealth countries.  Importantly, UK firms have a significantly higher penetration of the critical technology market of the US.  A higher proportion of British firms undertakes R & D activities.  However, German firms that undertake R & D do so more intensively than their UK counterparts.  There is a stronger focus on marketing and management skills in the British firms, however the initial weaknesses in R & D labor supply are less well corrected in the UK firms.  The stronger entrepreneurial management style of the Britons means that the successful UK firms tend to grow faster than their corresponding German firms.

Recently, Time.com Europe came out with a list of Europe’s fifty hottest high tech firms.  Three UK based hardware manufacturers made this impressive list.  They are ARM Holdings, Pace Micro Technology, and Psion.

 ARM Holdings licenses high-performance RISC microprocessors and system chip designs. ARM is the industry's leading provider of 16/32-bit embedded RISC microprocessor solutions. The company licenses its high-performance, low-cost, power-efficient RISC processors, peripherals, and system-chip designs to leading international electronics companies. ARM also provides comprehensive support required in developing a complete system. ARM's microprocessor cores are rapidly becoming the volume RISC standard in such markets as portable communications, hand-held computing, multimedia digital consumer and embedded solutions.[1]   The reason ARM was chosen as one of the top fifty high tech firms in Europe is because ARM’s microprocessor cores are becoming the standard in portable communications.

 Pace Micro Technology, based in Shipley, England makes receivers and decoders for digital satellite, cable and terrestrial TV. Pace was the first company to design and manufacture in volume MPEG-2 DVB digital set-top boxes across all digital platforms and, more recently, Pace was the first company to deploy digital cable set-top boxes with integrated DOCSIS modems.  Pace was chosen because the company is developing a new generation of multimedia set-top boxes to deliver cable-based digital TV, internet data, and telephony.

 The third company chosen is the London based Psion.  Psion designs and develops handheld computing devices. Psion PLC earns revenues in excess of £159m and is valued on the London Stock Exchange at more than £2.5bn. Psion is recognised as one of the few companies worldwide pioneering convergence between computing and communication markets and technologies, with a particular focus on mobile Internet and network access devices and services. Psion's strengths in this area are reflected in its partnerships with the world's leading technology companies, companies such as IBM, Sun, Vodafone Airtouch, Oracle as well as through its Symbian partners Ericsson, Matsushita, Motorola and Nokia.

Psion currently employs more than 1,100 worldwide and comprises four principal operating divisions, all based in the United Kingdom :

-- Psion Computers - a market-leader in consumer and enterprise mobile Internet and computing solutions with products such as the Revo, Series 5mx and Series 7, as well as a wide range of peripherals and software applications;

 -- Psion Dacom - building on its leadership in PC Card modems and its reputation for premium quality, technologically-advanced products such as the Gold Card Global multi-function PC Cards, Psion Dacom is expanding into new communication and connectivity markets such as USB products.

 -- Psion Enterprise Computing - formed in 1996 to focus on the growing worldwide demand for commercial and industrial handheld computing and network access products. Psion Enterprise's product range includes the netBook, Workabout, HC and Organiser products.

-- Psion InfoMedia - established in 2000, this new division targets opportunities emerging from the convergence of digital technologies, such as audio, video and communications with the Internet to bring interactive media direct to the consumer.[2]
 
 

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