Demand remains high for U.S.- made products even as manufacturers contend with price increases, labor shortages and supply constraints. The Institute for Supply Management’s PMI reached a three-year high in February to 60.8, an increase of 2.1 percentage points from the January reading. Signs for future demand remain strong, but supply chain pressures are unlikely…
As semiconductors become scarce in 2021, companies in the electronics supply chain are seeking better visibility into long-term chip demand. Two research reports shed some light on why visibility, in general, is so hard to achieve. More than half the companies recently surveyed by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) rely on their own data for…
Unsurprisingly, the electronics industry is reacting favorably to President Biden’s executive order to review critical U.S. supply chains. The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the United States’ dependence on foreign supplies including semiconductors and materials used in PPE, medical tests and pharmaceuticals. Reliance on foreign sources is not a new issue in electronics but tariffs, the China-U.S.…
A perfect storm of events have converged to create the semiconductor shortage of 2021. High-level collaboration across the electronics supply chain could make the deficit less painful, experts say. Shortages often prompt less-than-optimum purchasing behaviors. Competitive bidding for inventory drives prices up. Exceptions to approved vendor lists become common. And double-ordering – where purchase orders…
The burgeoning semiconductor shortage of 2021 hit chipmakers “like a ton of bricks,” according to one distributor. Of course, that’s not the phrase semiconductor suppliers would use. But the supply chain is in the midst of a perfect storm. A convergence of events is creating what’s expected to be a shortage of CPUs, MPUs, memory,…
U.S. manufacturing activity remained robust at the start of the year although pandemic-related supply and worker constraints curtailed production and drove prices up. The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index, the PMI, decreased by 1.8 percent in January to 58.7 from the December level of 60.5. The index remains well above 50, the line of…
Technology has been the leading weapon in brand owners’ arsenal for fighting counterfeit components and products. Big data and analytics, automated monitoring and removal services, blockchain, modular customization and intra-component communication are currently generating interest among industry leaders and their supply-chain partners, according to the Alliance for Gray Market and Counterfeit Abatement (AGMA). Counterfeit components…
U.S. manufacturing activity in December surged to its highest level in more than two years despite supply chain disruptions and Covid-19-related employment constraints. The Institute for Supply Management’s purchasing index, the PMI, reached 60.7 last month, an increase of 3.2 percent from its November reading. Any reading above 50 indicates manufacturing expansion. The tech industry…
On December 31, Texas Instruments Inc. and Avnet Inc. formally end their 40-year distribution relationship. Avnet’s success in replacing that business – estimated at 10 percent of Avnet’s sales — will be evident in the future, said Phil Gallagher, who was named Avnet’s CEO on November 23. Avnet’s fiscal 2020 sales reached $17.6 billion. TI…
KMC Systems Inc. isn’t just surviving the Covid-19 pandemic — it’s thriving. The medical equipment it manufactures is, of course, in critical demand. But the proximity of KMC’s suppliers – 90 percent are within 200 miles of the Merrimack, NH, electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider — enables it to fulfill surging orders. The supply chain’s…