ABSTRACT
Despite its tag of ‘Britain’s Silicon Valley’, the M4 corridor includes only a small proportion of Britain’s electronics jobs–between 7 and 10 per cent. Computer firms, including software houses, account for over 30 percent of electronics employment in the corridor. As a vertically integrated company extending back into microelectronics production, it has the advantage of being able to capitalize on technological synergies. As in South Wales, there are marked internal contrasts in the electronics industry between old British firms such as British Aerospace or GEC, usually having a strong military involvement, and new foreign, mostly American, firms plus a sprinkling of small new British firms. In many cases, perhaps the majority, improving product performance was a more successful way of competing than improving manufacturing efficiency so as to lower price. The range of products and services covered is wide and diverse, many firms supplying niche markets.
