by 
Chief Analyst Dale Ford has issued the latest report based on bi-weekly surveys of members’ response to Covid-19.
This most recent survey was conducted between Monday, May 18th and Tuesday, May 26th. Between the most recent survey and the previous survey that ended May 5th the number of state and local governments that have started to ease quarantine orders has expanded.
The survey ended May 26th reflects a mixed trend. While overall concern regarding impact on the supply chain has moderated significantly, the expectation for the duration of the impact has lengthened and anticipated lead times have extended. The number of companies reporting strong confidence in order backlogs evaporated in the most recent survey as large majorities reported “average” confidence. End market demand continues to be the greatest concern regarding supply chain health while electronics systems production disruption declined sharply in reported concerns.
The Automotive and Industrial Electronics markets continue to represent the segments of greatest concern with expectations of a decline in Automotive electronics remaining roughly the same at 71% and Industrial Electronics decline outlook deteriorating significantly to 68%. Despite expectations for weak end-market demand, the confidence in order backlog remains solid in every product segment but not as robust as in the prior survey.
The bright spot in this survey comes from a new question asking about implementation of “Infection Control Best Practices for COVID-19.” A status of “Well Established” or “Advanced” was reported by 78% of respondents. Everybody reports that they have progressed beyond the phase of “Planning and Preparation.”
The full report (available to ECIA member only) provides detailed data by component type for the major categories of: Electro-Mechanical, Passives and Semiconductors. The synopsis report is publicly available on the Coronavirus Resources page of the ECIA website.
The complete report presents data in 15 detailed tables and 27 figures. In addition, this report presents indexes to provide a perspective on how sentiment has shifted over time. Editors: Contact jread@ecianow.org for a sample of figures from the latest synopsis.