Electronics programmes are entering 2026 with a very different playbook. Cost and speed still matter, but original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are now balancing them against availability risk, compliance pressure and customer expectations around repairability and footprint.

In this blog, we look at three electronics trends that will shape how you specify, source, industrialise and scale products over the next 12 to 24 months — trends that will show up directly in design for manufacturability/design for testability (DFM/DFT) decisions, factory data strategies and supplier selection.

1. Advanced automation and AI move to the end-to-end process

The big change for 2026 isn’t that factories are adopting more automation; it’s that automation is being stitched together with AI into closed-loop control. That means more decisions are made automatically (and earlier), using data from inspection, test and process equipment.

What’s driving it?

• AI-assisted inspection becomes mainstream, not experimental. IPC has been pushing guidance on AI in automated optical inspection (AOI), reflecting the industry’s shift from rules-based defect calls toward computer vision models trained on real manufacturing variation.
• Digital twins move into practical production engineering. Digital twins are increasingly used to de-risk line changes, improve changeovers and optimise flow, especially when the cost of downtime is high and product mixes are volatile.
• Data utilisation becomes a competitive tool. Many manufacturers still leave large portions of machine/process data unused; 2026 leaders will treat data utilisation as part of their quality system, not a side project.

What it means for OEMs

If you want to benefit from this wave in electronics manufacturing, the work starts with your new product introduction (NPI) assumptions:

• Design for inspectability, not just manufacturability. AI-based AOI and AXI (X-ray inspection) are powerful, but they still need consistent visual access, stable fiducials and sensible component spacing to reduce false calls and rework loops.
• Treat test strategy as a dataset strategy. Boundary scan, functional test, programming and traceability events are labelled data points, as well as pass/fail gates. The better the structure (clear failure modes, consistent logging, linked serialisation), the more value you can extract later.
• Shorter feedback loops in printed circuit board production. When inspection and test results are fed back into stencil, placement and reflow settings (and engineering change control), you reduce drift and stabilise yields faster — especially on dense PCB builds and fine-pitch assemblies.

Key takeaway: the most valuable automation projects aren’t the ones that replace people — they’re the ones that reduce engineering latency between a defect signal and a corrective action.

2. Regionalisation becomes a design constraint, not just a sourcing preference

After years of disruption, OEMs are moving from reactive firefighting to structural supply chain decisions. Regionalisation is an approach that aligns dual sourcing, manufacturing footprint changes, inventory strategy and qualification planning to geopolitics and regulation.

What’s changing in 2026?

• Footprint decisions are moving up the agenda. McKinsey’s recent work on reshaping manufacturing footprints highlights how leaders are rethinking networks and buffers as they confront persistent volatility.
• The ‘cost calculus’ is being rewritten. BCG notes the way executives are reassessing what ‘lowest cost’ means when risk, lead time, duties and resilience are included.
• Industrial policy is pushing capability closer to home. The UK’s advanced manufacturing agenda explicitly links automation and competitiveness, with policy momentum behind scaling modern manufacturing capability.

What OEMs should do differently in 2026

To make regionalisation real, build it into your engineering and procurement workflows:

• Engineer alternate parts early. Second-source approved vendor list (AVL) work is easiest before you freeze the bill of materials (BOM) and layout. This matters especially for constrained semiconductors, passives with long allocation tails and mechanically critical connectors.
• Design for substitution without requalification pain. Where regulations allow, use footprints that support multiple manufacturer options, standard package sizes and fewer custom-only mechanicals.
• Use a risk-tiered approach to inventory. Not every component deserves the same buffering strategy; align buffers to lead-time volatility, switching cost and test/qualification burden.
• Be realistic about what ‘local’ means in printed circuit board production. Even if final assembly is regional, upstream materials (laminates, chemicals, substrates, certain integrated circuits) may still be global.

Key takeaway: the best resilience programmes combine regional capability with engineering choices that make supplier switching faster and less disruptive.

3. Sustainability moves upstream into design and manufacturing

In 2026, sustainability is less about marketing claims and more about measurable product and process choices — particularly in Europe. OEMs will feel rising pressure to design for durability, repair, reuse and verified material/impact data.

The regulatory direction of sustainability

• The EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR) is designed to improve product circularity, durability and recyclability, and it’s explicitly aimed at making sustainability requirements more enforceable across product categories.
• The European Commission continues to advance circular economy measures, including ‘right to repair’ direction and broader circular frameworks.
• Repairability scoring and consumer-facing signals are also emerging in the EU ecosystem, increasing pressure on design choices that previously stayed inside engineering.

What this means for OEM engineering and supplier selection

To build sustainable electronics credibly, you need to connect circular goals to technical requirements:

• Design for disassembly and service. Choices like fasteners over permanent bonds, modular subassemblies, accessible batteries and replaceable connectors change lifecycle outcomes without compromising performance — especially important for long-lived industrial systems.
• Material and process choices inside electronics manufacturing Fluxes, cleaning, conformal coating, potting and encapsulation all affect repairability and end-of-life processing. Circular design isn’t only about plastics and packaging; it can start right at the assembly and protection strategy level.
• Documentation becomes part of the product. As digital product passport concepts mature under ESPR direction, being able to supply consistent product data (materials, compliance declarations, traceability) becomes a competitive advantage.

For many OEMs, the hardest step is translating intent into specs and supplier requirements. If you’re targeting sustainable electronics, treat circularity as a design input alongside cost, reliability and manufacturability. It forces earlier decisions, but it also prevents late-stage redesigns triggered by customer questionnaires or regulatory deadlines.

Key takeaway: the winners will operationalise circular requirements in drawings, BOM rules and test/quality records so that sustainability is auditable.

What these shifts mean with EC Electronics

At EC Electronics, these electronics trends align closely with how we support OEMs today: strong process control, quality discipline and the ability to take products from design support through build and integration.

• Our quality approach is built around recognised standards, including IPC-A-610 Class 3, IPC/WHMA-A-620 Class 3 and multi-site ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 management systems.
• We support OEMs across the build lifecycle — covering PCB assembly, cable assemblies and box build — so you can keep the manufacturing coherent from subassembly through finished product.
• Our teams include cross-disciplined NPI capability and a large specialist workforce, helping customers move from order receipt to a controlled, quality-assured delivery process.

If you’re navigating these electronics trends in 2026, the common requirement is a manufacturing partner that can translate strategy into repeatable execution on the line.

This year is about building products and programmes that can absorb change — without sacrificing reliability, compliance or time-to-market — across electronics manufacturing, printed circuit board production and the growing demand for sustainable electronics.

Have a question, a project idea or need a reliable electronics manufacturing partner to help you implement these electronics trends in 2026? We’re ready when you are. Speak to our team today to see how we can help you.