Innovate to Survive and Thrive
Aaron Hand, Editor-in-Chief -- Semiconductor International, 11/1/2009
In this month's cover story on nanoscale developments (p. 8), Alain Kaloyeros, senior vice president, CEO and professor at the University at Albany's College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, brings the semiconductor industry's current situation into perspective with one simple statement: "Innovate or die." It's a theme that we are seeing in so many aspects of our business lives in particular, and certainly the semiconductor — and publishing — industries are far from exceptions.
The past year has seen the world suffering from one of the worst economic downturns ever. Businesses are closing left and right, and few people have been left untouched in one way or another. The semiconductor and publishing industries have been hit even harder for their own reasons — semiconductor because of its usual calamitous cycles of ups and downs, and publishing because of its long-term decline in print ad pages. But as Kaloyeros notes, it is those that are most adaptable to change that will survive.
We are all dealing with dwindling resources, and it's far too easy to blame failures on a lack of funds or manpower. As we try to meet escalating demands, we miss our families, and we miss the downy softness of our pillows and our sweet dreams. But succeeding in this climate does not mean simply running faster and taking fewer breaks. To truly survive — and in fact thrive — we must embrace innovative thinking, and be willing to rethink everything that's come before.
It's easy enough to look at nanotechnology and see how much that has to do with changing and adapting, rethinking an entire semiconductor architecture and developing new manufacturing paradigms. But this innovation needs to happen within every realm — even those that may often be overlooked. Two other articles in this month's issue illustrate that point well. In one feature, researchers from Entegris detail the new ways they're having to reevaluate the materials used for containers or microenvironments, finding problems in FOUPs that wouldn't have been issues at past technology nodes (p. 16). And in this month's Expert Perspective, Applied Seals' Dalia Vernikovsky argues that even seals and O-rings should not be overlooked (p. 33).
At last month's Solar Power International show in Anaheim, Calif., there was plenty of discussion about the need to rethink the way businesses and organizations are operating in the solar industry. In an industry that still depends so much on government policy, the game is constantly changing — new presidents and parliaments, new regulations and incentives.
Over the past year, for example, the world has been dealing with a greatly reduced Spanish solar market, brought about by new caps in feed-in tariffs. Spain's PV manufacturers, accustomed to a robust domestic market, have had to learn how to think more globally, reaching out to new markets and becoming stronger and more competitive as a result. And the rest of the world, which had relied so heavily on Spain, has had to do some adapting of its own. PV markets in Italy and Greece have rallied in this climate.
Much of the focus during the week was on the U.S. market and U.S. policy development. Several people I spoke with expressed concern about how the government is helping the industry to develop, the fear being that it is in many cases throwing its money away as it doles out stimulus funds in many different directions in hopes that something might stick. Instead, the government may need to form a united entity to focus on just a few ideas that are more likely to bear fruit. But such a solution would require a pretty fundamental change in how the federal government operates.
As I ramp up in my new role as Editor-in-Chief of Semiconductor International and PV Society, we are rethinking the way we cover our industries. Look for us in the months ahead to rethink and innovate the way we are bringing must-have information to ever-changing industries. But also look for us to return to some of the roots that made us a must-have in the first place — namely, more content written directly by the staff of editors that you have come to trust for information.
I don't mean to fool you into thinking we have all the answers. We would be thrilled to hear your ideas about how we need to rethink our approach; how we can better help you do your job. Please don't hesitate to contact me at ahand@reedbusiness.com, and together we'll not only survive, but thrive as well.
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I agree with you completely. We do need to rethink how we do business and consider supposedly "crazy" alternatives to get market advantages. I disagree with the previous comments, I believe it is necessary to point out the obvious because some people just can't understand the big picture aspect that drive their daily work.
Sumontro - 12/11/2009 9:03:50 PM CST -
I agree with Arenz. We want tech info, not complaining about ad pages and a sophomoric perspective on the economy.
Jim Bronsveld - 12/4/2009 9:35:57 AM CST -
In this fast-paced world of technology, my time is too valuable to be reading about your take on the economy as it relates to our industries. Furthermore, I am not concerned about "ad pages" I'm interested in what is happening right now in the semiconductor industry.
Tim Arenz - 11/27/2009 12:12:20 PM CST
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