Written by Duncan Nicol, Sale & Marketing Manager- Device Connections

Our predictions for device connectivity trends in 2019

In the world of device connections 2018 was a very busy year and we expect 2019 to continue this trend. Here are our top predictions for 2019 and we invite you to watch this space for new and exciting product developments throughout the year.

• Power is always a big topic for us given our extensive portfolio of power connector solutions. In 2019 we see greater steps towards a decentralised electricity grid with solar, battery storage and vehicle-to-grid technology helping make homes and larger buildings into micro power stations.
• It will be a big year for battery electric vehicle launches as more OEMs bring new platforms and models to market. This in turn will accelerate the roll-out of the charging infrastructure which is necessary to provide consumers with the confidence to make the switch to electric mobility.
• Buildings are getting smarter and increasingly using technology to monitor and control their environments. This is leading to an increasing number of connected systems both centralised and de-centralised working together to control everything from lighting and heating to security.
• Thanks to the rapid rise in affordable high performance single board computers, embedded systems will continue to find new and exciting applications from home automation projects to remote monitoring and data collection of production lines and processes.
• Electronic devices will continue to get more complex and pack more functionality into an ever decreasing footprint. As a result, board-to-board applications will become ever more demanding with the requirements for robust connectivity and increased data rates.
• Customised solutions are coming into their own with the advances in 3D printing for rapid prototyping and fully automated flexible production lines capable of producing small quantities of variants for customers. From a device manufacturer’s point of view, the ability to offer customised solutions greatly enhances their competitiveness, and to aid this we are making it very easy to take a standard product and customise it in some way via our on-line configurators.
• LED lighting for domestic, public and commercial applications is still in its infancy, but with the trend towards de-centralised green energy production and storage, LED lighting will be an absolute necessity to reduce consumption and enable more locally produced energy to be sold back to the grid.
• And finally we expect 2019 to be a very challenging year in the UK electronics sector with the uncertainties of BREXIT continuing to unsettle the market. As a manufacturer we remain committed to the UK and will monitor the situation and work closely with our distribution partners and customers to minimise any disruption to supply.

For more information, contact Duncan on 07799 072059 or email dnicol@phoenixcontact.com