Mike Douglas, General Manager, Electronics Manufacturing, PRIDE Industries

Will you be launching new products or services in 2025?
Yes of course ! PROTAVIC INTERNATIONAL will launch in 2025 new products which will answer first to customer specific needs and secondly to a market. The first category is usual as it is the way most adhesive and resin formulators are growing, the second category requires more fundamental work with a longer time to market. Today PROTAVIC is focusing efforts on the electronics for renewable energies.

Is your company using Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools?
No, but using them for R&D development could be an interesting idea ! Beyond R&D tools, AI is also a great opportunity for the electronic industry since more on more electronic circuits are assembled with AI functions/components. The design of new AI containing circuits is driven by the miniaturization and by the calculation speed. These new circuit architectures are developed for imminent mass production and need more adhesives and resins to operate.

Have supply chain shortages been resolved and are you able to hire skilled workers?
Effective January 1st, 2025, Washington's export controls will apply to electronics components or chips to 24 countries, including China. China is also implementing counter export controls. In this context of trade conflict, it is very difficult to predict the supply chain situation but overall the shortages are more scarce. Besides the risk of material shortage, the hiring and the maintaining of skilled workers stays an important issue.

What is the outlook for your business in 2025?
The economies of the world in 2025 are expected to follows specific trend influenced by the local economy situation. Asia is still seen as a growing market despite the threat of the trade conflict between USA and China. The gloominess seems more acute in Europe with the slowdown of the electrical automotive industry and the lack of industrial investment shadowed by too restrictive regulations. USA is expected to be more or less equal to 2024.