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It's January again, time to bring out OIDA's unscientifically gathered list of what's hot, what's not, and what's just "meh."
OIDA's early estimate is that the global photonics market declined again in 2015 from the previous year, but the decline will be temporary. The market was bumpy for major sectors like displays and solar cells. It's understandable that the market must tread water for a while, with economic challenges reaching China and continuing in Europe and Japan, and low oil prices hurting oil producing states. The U.S. dollar strengthened against several major currencies, and even against gold. Since OIDA's estimate is denominated in U.S. dollars, this means that values in foreign currencies are discounted when converted to dollars for our metric. The strong dollar also impacts the sales of U.S. vendors. Products priced in dollars become less competitive compared to products priced in declining currencies. U.S. companies can remain competitive if they price in the local currencies, but then the revenues are discounted when converted to dollars, such as for covering expenses and reporting quarterly income. The good news is that 2016 is almost certainly going to be a better year. The market declines are cyclic and will recover with the recovering global economy, and the dollar will stabilize. A return to 2013 levels would be 9% growth over 2015, with potential for longer term growth going forward. More information will appear in this month’s OIDA Market Update available to OIDA members.
OIDA recently characterized the U.S. optics and photonics industry. We counted establishments with U.S. locations and employment, regardless where the company's headquarters or operations are. It amounts to about 3,300 companies and 385,000 jobs, including both components and the products that they enable. "Enabled" products include such things as cameras for machine vision, using the definition that OIDA has used for many years. Counting the downstream jobs would add far more firms and jobs.
Northern California is home to the largest local cluster of optics and photonics in the U.S., but it lacks a formal organization aimed at promoting its photonics companies. Other states like Pennsylvania and New Jersey are also home to large clusters of employment without any formal organization. The personalities of the various U.S. clusters vary widely, serving diverse roles in their respective localities. The Tucson-based Arizona Optics Industry Association was the first cluster of its kind in our industry, thanks to Bob Breault, our industry's cluster evangelist, whereas Arkansas, Michigan, and Montana are home to the most recent clusters. Rochester, New York, has the distinction of having the oldest cluster of optics companies in the U.S., dating to the mid-1800s. The Rochester OSA section just turned 100 years old, and the local cluster organization, the Rochester Regional Photonics Cluster, was founded in 1998. The most active clusters include the Colorado Photonics Industry Association, the Rochester cluster, and the Florida Photonics Cluster. For questions on the OIDA study and the upcoming report, contact Tom Hausken. Top OIDA is committed to fostering the development and commercialization of new optics and photonics technologies that will expand the industry's product pipeline. To accelerate productization we are bringing together start-up companies with top equity investors through our new Start-Up Series events. For the pilot event, we partnered with Plug and Play, a business accelerator, who has helped the startup community raise over $3.5 billion in venture funding. A dedicated hour was secured at Plug and Play's IoT EXPO for optics and photonics start-ups to pitch and promote their products to their network of 300 tech startups, 180 investors and a community of leading Universities and Corporate partners. This all-day EXPO was held at the Plug and Play headquarters in Sunnyvale, CA on 10 December. 600 people registered for the event. The program materialized through the year-long efforts of the OSA Industry Development Associates Start-Up Series Planning Committee which included John Dexheimer, Lightwave Advisors, Inc., Alex Fong, Gooch & Housego, Mike Mielke, TRUMPF, Inc.,and Jean-Michel Pelaprat, Figulus. We were fortunate to have Mike Mielke, TRUMPF, Inc. serve as the MC for OSA, and Waguih Ishak, Division Vice President & Director of Corning West Technology Center Science & Technology, as our keynote speaker. 27 start-ups applied to present, and all were reviewed and vetted by the planning committee members, Matthew B. Hemington, Partner at Cooley and Dennis Pape, Founder and Managing Director of AlphaLaunch to ensure all requirements were met. Of the 27, the group selected 5 start-ups to each give a 3-minute pitch at the Expo. The five presenters were:
Thanks to everyone who contributed to and participated in this first Start-Up Series event. OIDA is planning more of these events in the future.
Industry leaders worldwide are planning their strategy for 2016 and beyond. A winning strategy is driven by intelligence. Have you downloaded our newest industry reports? All OSA Industry Development Associates members have free access to all reports. We encourage you to browse the Publication Library to see everything available to you. Recent reports include the 1st Annual European Commission Report on Key Enabling Technologies, a Market Update on optical communications, disposable optical biosensors and civilian and military surveillance imaging; a second Market Update on optical communications, early-stage companies and an EPIC-Tematys executive summary; and a report on photonics technologies for ADAS in the automotive industry. Top 21 Mar 2016 at OFC in Anaheim, CA, USA
See the Lineup of Industry Leaders Who Will be Speaking. Exclusive discounts—and free registration for a colleague—are available to OIDA members through 22 February. Join more than 150 senior-level executives as they convene to discuss key themes, opportunities, and challenges facing the next generation in optical networking and communications. Space is limited for this event. Register now. Top 20 Mar 2016 at OFC in Anaheim, CA, USA
View the Program. See the Lineup of Industry Leaders Who Will be Speaking. Register Now (Special Discounts are Available until 22 February) Top New in 2016, The Optical Fiber Communication Conference and Exhibition (OFC) will recognize innovative technology startups who are positioned to make a future impact on the industry. The OFC START UP Pavilion will showcase cutting-edge optics and photonics entrepreneurs to the industry's most iconic companies and its most prestigious audience of over 13,000 professionals from around the globe. Submit your application by 15 January. Learn more. Top The Optical Society's (OSA) online job board, WORKinOPTICS.com connects leading employers, qualified job and internship seekers and consultants within the optics and photonics community. Whether you're searching for a job, someone to fill a job, or exploring career options, WORKinOPTICS.com is a reliable global resource that can help you to make valuable connections in industry and academia. OSA Industry Development Associates member companies get 20 free job postings! Learn more and join other OIDA members who have found new hires on WiO. "Optonicus has connected with highly qualified candidates with strong skill sets through the Work-in-Optics website, and we look forward to connecting with future team members as our business grows" Tom Tumolillo, Jr., COO of Optonicus Top Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) submitted a statement for the Congressional Record recognizing the International Year of Light, which 2015 was designated by the United Nations General Assembly. The statement appeared in the 17 December 2015 Congressional Record and reaffirms the crucial role optics and photonics play in the U.S. economy and everyday life. It also recognizes the importance of continued investment in fundamental optics and photonics research and applauds the people of the United States for participating in the International Year of Light through local programs, activities, and ceremonies. Top If you have significant professional experience in the optics and photonics industry, you are encouraged to request the OSA Senior Member designation in recognition of your accomplishments. Request forms are due no later than 29 February 2016. Find out more. Top The Optical Society kicked off its 100th anniversary year on 1 January 2016. The osa.org/100 website features iconic moments in optics history, OSA member videos and stories, student chapter tools and a calendar of events. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn for updates. Share your favorite memory with OSA by emailing osa100@osa.org, writing on our Facebook page or tweeting using #OSA100. Top We are inviting your company to be part of our 100th Anniversary festivities. Choose one of our three Centennial Sponsorship options and your company will be highlighted in a year-long calendar of special events and programs that will provide you with high visibility in the optics and photonics market. To learn more contact Centennial Sponsorships at +1 (202) 416.1957. A sponsorship opportunity like this happens only once every 100 years! Top Join 3,000 of your colleagues in our Optics & Photonics Industry Network LinkedIn Group. This one-of-a-kind Forum for Industry lets you participate in discussions about cutting-edge issues. Extend your professional network. Exchange information about problems, ideas and solutions. Collaborate with experts in your field. Now is the perfect time to build a relationship with fellow optics and photonics professionals!
We are committed to ensuring the value of your OSA Industry Development Associates Membership, so please email OSA if you have any suggestions for new programs or comments on your membership. Forward this message to your colleagues. Not yet a member? Learn more about the benefits of membership. Top
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