2025 Engineering Insights Report

The engineering landscape has fundamentally transformed—AI tools are now embedded in over half of all workflows, budget pressures are forcing unprecedented trade-offs, and the sources engineers trust for critical technical information continue to shift toward community-driven, peer-validated resources that prioritize real-world experience over marketing materials

This comprehensive report, provided courtesy of EETech and ECIA, reveals the hidden patterns behind how today's control and electronics engineering professionals—from industrial automation to embedded systems to power design—actually research, evaluate, and specify components. Based on an extensive survey of over 1,700 practicing engineers globally across multiple disciplines, validated to 95% +/-3.0% statistical confidence, these insights expose significant gaps between how companies think engineers make decisions and how they actually behave.

The results will surprise you. While manufacturer websites remain critical, engineering forums and communities are now the #1 most trusted source, with over 60% of engineers turning to peer discussions before making specification decisions. More striking: 56% of engineers now actively use AI in their workflows, 47% struggle to keep pace with rapidly evolving technology, and 66% directly make or heavily influence final purchasing decisions—meaning your content must address decision-makers, not just influencers.

Key Statistics from 1,700+ Engineers Surveyed:

60% use engineering forums and communities as primary information source

85% rely on datasheets and specification sheets during design

56% currently use AI at some point in their workflow

66% make final decisions or strongly influence component purchases

Manufacturing, Electronics, Automotive, Energy, and Control engineers studied across 6 continents

Uncover Critical Engineering Trends

Control Engineers

Discover how 738 control engineers prioritize automation, with 57% working on control system design and 53% using PLCs/PACs as their primary platform.

Electronics Engineers

Learn why electronics engineers rely most heavily on analog design expertise (35%), embedded systems (34%), and PCB layout (31%) as their core competencies.

Decision-Makers Across Industries

Understand how 66% of surveyed engineers directly make or strongly influence purchasing decisions, with performance/reliability ranking as the #1 factor beyond product specifications.

What You'll Learn Inside:

Top challenges engineers face in 2025 and how they're adapting their workflows

Critical differences in how control engineers and electronics engineers consume technical content

The surprising truth about how engineers actually discover and evaluate new products

Emerging trends in AI adoption, supply chain visibility, and peer-driven decision making

Content gaps your competitors are missing—and opportunities to stand out

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The Future of Engineering Information is Here

This isn't just data—it's your competitive advantage. Understanding how engineers actually research, evaluate, and specify components in an AI-enabled, budget-constrained, rapidly evolving technology landscape gives you unprecedented insight into reaching, influencing, and serving the engineering community more effectively.

Download now and discover how leading engineering organizations are already adapting their product development, content strategies, and go-to-market approaches based on these insights. Your engineering advantage starts with understanding how engineers actually work.