IMS Research was founded in 1989 and is now one of the leading suppliers of detailed, quality market research to the global electronics industry. The company publishes over 200 reports annually, and sells to more than 40 countries worldwide. IMS Research’s initial success as a provider of market research was heavily influenced by its close ties to the semiconductor industry.

Over the last ten years, however, the company has broadened its focus and now provides detailed information on a wide range of electronic markets, such as wireless communications, automotive, consumer, power, factory automation and security. The company now has more than 70 analysts, highlighting its continued success in providing the industry's most respected market intelligence.

IMS Research began researching the PV market in 2007 when it produced the industry's first and now leading report on PV inverters. Since then it has been expanding its coverage to many other segments of the PV industry.

The acquisition of Young Market Research by IMS Research in November 2009 has brought together two of the most respected commentators on the PV market - Ross Young and Ash Sharma, and further strengthens IMS Research's expertise in covering the entire PV supply chain.

IMS Research is aggressively pursuing supply chain coverage of the PV industry where it now offers over a dozen reports with 6 dedicated analysts across 3 continents. Three additional analysts are expected to start in early 2010.

Key Analysts

Ash Sharma is the PV Group Research Director at IMS Research, leading a team of analysts based in the UK, US and China. Ash joined IMS Research in 2004 and has been an active commentator on the industry since then, and was responsible for establishing IMS Research's PV Research Group in early 2007, by publishing the industry's first and leading intelligence report on the global PV inverter market.

Aside from covering all aspects of the PV supply chain, Ash has also been responsible for leading IMS Research's Power & Energy Research Group which covers almost every segment of the power electronics industry, including power generation, power conversion, control and management. Ash has in the past been heavily involved in the power supply and power semiconductor areas, having authored several syndicated research reports and is a well known figure within the power electronics sector, regularly publishing articles and editorials. Prior to joining IMS Research, Ash was employed by a London-based research firm, where he spent several years researching state-of-the-art electronics equipment, with clients including many of world's largest multi-national electronics suppliers.

Ash holds an honors degree in physics from the University of Leicester. He is based in the company’s headquarters in Wellingborough and may be contacted at Ash.Sharma@imsresearch.com.

Ross Young is SVP, Displays and PV at IMS Research USA. Prior to joining IMS Research in November 2009, Young co-founded Young Market Research(YMR) with Barry Young in May of 2009 which IMS Research acquired in November.  Prior to forming YMR, Young was VP of New Market Creation at Samsung Electronics' LCD Business, reporting to the LCD CEO, where he tracked, analyzed and assessed the solar market and supported their market intelligence efforts in notebooks and TVs.

Prior to Samsung, Young was the founder and CEO of DisplaySearch, the leading flat panel display market research, consulting and events firm. Young ran DisplaySearch from 1996 to 2007 and launched most of their product areas and many of their most popular reports on such topics as production equipment, supply/demand, large-area displays, notebooks, monitors and TVs. He sold DisplaySearch to The NPD Group in Sept. 2005.

Prior to DisplaySearch, Young served in marketing positions at OWL Displays, Brooks Automation, Fusion Semiconductor and GCA in the driver IC, automation, resist removal and lithography markets respectively for flat panels and semiconductors. Young also authored a book published by the University of Texas on US-Japan competition in the semiconductor and semiconductor equipment industries entitled Silicon Sumo, has appeared as a display analyst on NBC's The Today Show and other news programs and has been quoted in most business publications. Young has spoken at over 40 different conferences around the world and keynoted more than a dozen. He won NPD's prestigious John Byington award for outstanding creativity and innovation in 2006 and made VLSI Research's Executive All-Star Team in 1993. Young was educated at UCSD, Australia’s University of New South Wales, UCSD’s Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies and Japan’s Tohoku University.

Sam Wilkinson is an analyst within the PV group. During his time working within the group, Sam has become a lead analyst in the PV inverter and PV cell and module markets, working closely with leading global suppliers to develop detailed research on these markets. More recently, Sam has been responsible for establishing primary research reports and benchmarking services for global system integrators and EPCs, expanding IMS Research’s extensive coverage of the supply chain further.

Before beginning his career at IMS Research, Sam worked as a structural engineer for one of Europe’s leading engineering firms. During this time he worked with leading companies in the construction industry on designs for some of the country’s most recognised landmarks

Before joining IMS Research’s PV group, Sam graduated from The University of Nottingham with a degree in Engineering. He is based in the company’s headquarters in Wellingborough, UK and may be contacted at Sam.Wilkinson@imsresearch.com

Jackey Wang is a senior analyst based in IMS Research’s China offices and has expertise in a wide range of electronics market. He joined IMS Research in 2005 and has been compiling dedicated studies on the Chinese market since then. His area of expertise includes the PV and LED market with a particular focus on the markets for polysilicion, PV cells & modules, PV inverters and PV system integration. In addition to five years experience in the market research industry, before joining IMS Research China, Jackey was a research analyst for a Telecom consulting company.

Jackey is based in the company’s Shanghai, China office and may be contacted at Jackey.Wang@imsresearch.com.

Matthew Towers is a Senior Vice President at IMS Research. Matthew graduated in 1986 with an MEng. in electrical and electronic engineering from Nottingham University in the UK. He started his career at Texas Instruments where he worked in various semiconductor sales and marketing positions during a three year period.

In 1989, Matthew founded IMS Research and has been with the company for the last 18 years. He retains responsibility for the worldwide operations of IMS Research, but with particular emphasis on Europe and China. During his time with IMS Research, he has worked as a senior analyst in a variety of industries including semiconductors, wireless communications, power electronics, and consumer appliances, providing consultancy services and producing detailed market reports.

In 2003, Matthew was responsible for IMS Research's move into China, establishing a research and sales operation in Shanghai. Since this time, he has managed the growth of the Chinese office, while at the same time overseeing IMS Research's global activities in the automation/mechatronics, security, power/energy and medical sectors.

Matthew is based in the company’s headquarters in Wellingborough, UK and may be contacted at Matthew.Towers@imsresearch.com.

Mark Watson is a senior analyst with IMS Research’s Automation & Control group and is responsible for its extensive coverage of the PV manufacturing equipment market.

Mark is also responsible for coverage of industrial visualization and control, specifically focusing on operator terminals, including text based operator terminals, graphical operator terminals, and touch screen operator terminals, and industrial PCs, including panel PCs, box PCs, and embedded PCs. Mark has also researched the EMEA market for pneumatic components, focusing on pneumatic valves, actuators, and air preparation equipment.

Mark holds a BSc honors degree in management science from The University of Wales, Swansea. He is based in the company’s headquarters in Wellingborough, UK and may be contacted at Mark.Watson@imsresearch.com

Tom Haddon is a Research Analyst with IMS Research's PV Group with a background in economics and business. Tom is currently responsible for researching the PV inverter market to develop this market intelligence further and is also involved in running IMS Research's market trackers.