Electronics Weekly puts its questions to an industry figure: Mike Lloyd is managing director of Wiltshire-based design services company ML Electronics.

Describe the role of a design house operating in the UK in 2008?

Design is a service not a technology industry. We offer a managed process of innovation that starts with an exploration of requirements, a return on investment analysis and a risk assessment, and ends with an approved product.

Do you see a threat from lower cost centres for design in China and India and how can you meet the challenge?

Design houses whose value-add is no more than delivering a piece of technology to a specification are under real threat. We should be looking at the problem customer is trying to address, which then gives scope for the creativity and lateral thinking for which the UK is highly regarded around the world.

What are the most important skills you and your staff have?

We're not afraid of putting our engineers in front of the customer. Their willingness to be open and direct creates an atmosphere of trust and openness in our relationships. We provide training to support them - but we look for people that are willing to grow and extend their skill base, and enjoy customer interaction.

If you had to pick one technology which you believe will have a big impact on the business what would it be?

Mixed-signal arrays are one to watch, I'd say. You can now implement a great many digital systems on a single chip if you want to badly enough, but the same isn't true of analog. This combination of a digital processor with a configurable array of analog elements looks like it has the potential to change that.

Which market sectors are the most active at present?

Medical and healthcare - including not only devices to support treatment, but also the whole range of solutions to improve the quality of life for the elderly and disabled. It is a market where quality of implementation (especially in the user interface) is crucial, volumes tend to be relatively small and demand is stable and rising.

See also: Q5 - Interviews with electronics industry leaders
Read all the Electronics Weekly Q5 interviews. From ARM's chairman, Sir Robin Saxby, to touchscreen technology firm Zytronic's MD, Mark Cambridge, the business leaders share their particular insights on the UK electronics industry.