ECIA's Chief Analyst Dale Ford interviews economist Cliff Waldman CEO of New World Economics and host of “Manufacturing Matters” podcast. The two discuss the broader economy and global trends that will impact growth in the electronic components industry. Cliff will be presenting at the ECIA Executive Conference in October.

“Manufacturing output plummeted in the second quarter of 2020,” Waldman explained. “Then we had a surge in the last couple of quarters of that year due to massive government spending. We saw manufacturing output falter in the first quarter of 2021, which isn’t surprising because all that spending was not sustainable. The question is whether output will continue to falter because of the severe supply shortages and disruptions, or whether we will see stabilization and a resumption of growth as the demand evens out.”

The fascinating discussion ranged from technology’s role as a solution to the challenges of changing global demographics, the impact of the pandemic, his recommendations for where research funding needs to be invested, and much more.