By 2050 urban environments will be home to an estimated 70% of humanity. IEC work for cities provides the technical foundation for electricity access and all the hardware that enables modern transportation, water and waste management, lighting, automation, manufacturing, healthcare or administration. Without this foundation, data collection and modern city management would be impossible.
Electronic and electrical goods now represent 17,7% of total trade value. Parts and subassemblies transit through many countries before they are assembled, shipped and consumed. They are generally no longer the industrial manufacture of a single country. They are now “made in the world”. Your work enables global trade and allows countries and companies to efficiently participate in global value chains or to collaborate to deliver integrated solutions for big societal projects.
Many experts and a large number of our stakeholders will again meet in Frankfurt in October to discuss how to keep the IEC relevant now and in the future. In the meantime I hope you will discover new facets about the IEC in this issue of e-tech.
I thank you all for your work and your commitment and wish you a fruitful General Meeting.
Frans Vreeswijk
