Semicon distribution in Europe dips 24 p.c. in 2009

LONDON, UK: The year 2009 was one of the worst years for semiconductor distribution in Europe since the 1980s, with a total drop of 24 per cent.

The latest figures from the Distributors and Manufacturers Association of Semiconductor Specialists (DMASS) show that though the fall in sales narrowed over the second half of the year, by a quarterly comparison, the distribution market in Europe lost about 40 per cent of its value since the first quarter of 2007. 

In the fourth quarter of 2009, the decline narrowed to 10.7 per cent, compared to the fourth quarter of 2008, and the quarter ended with a combined sales worth €960 million.

According to Georg Steinberger, chairman of DMASS, the worst effects of the crisis appear to be over, for the time being, and the industry is returning to its “normal, cyclical behaviour” from a buying freeze directly to allocation.

The growth rates in the fourth quarter ranged from +0.4 per cent in Iberia to -17.7 per cent in the United Kingdom and rest of Europe, compared to the fourth quarter of 2008. 

Germany, the biggest market, declined by 9.6 per cent to €314 million; Italy by 11.2 per cent to €104 million; the United Kingdom by 17.7 per cent to €83 million; and France by 15.8 per cent to €78 million. 

Eastern Europe, in total, ended at €111 million, down by 6.1 per cent, and the Nordic region (Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark) ended at €87 million, down by 11.5 per cent. 

Benelux, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Iberia finished positively over the fourth quarter of 2008.