Like other segments in China, the country's semiconductor distribution industry is today growing more slowly than in previous years. The Chinese semiconductor distribution market has entered “the era of slow growth,” according to an IHS iSuppli report. The firm forecasts that the compound annual growth rate of China's distribution sales between 2012 and 2016 will…
Unlike decades ago when supplier information gathering was limited to phone calls, face-to-face meetings, and some clunky back-end enterprise management tool, procurement managers now have many different ways to keep tabs on suppliers. Today, in addition to Web-based ERP and MRP platforms and email, purchasers can get information from Web search engines like Google or…
Seeing the potential impact of cloud computing on business productivity and economic growth, the European Commission recently unveiled major plans to rev up its use of this fledging technology. Targeted key actions for “Unleashing the potential of cloud computing in Europe,” as it's called, include: Cutting through the jungle of technical standards so that cloud…
Whether you live in Europe or in the United States, bailouts have become a common phenomenon. Banks, countries, pension funds, and auto makers have all gotten cash infusions to keep them afloat. As the economic crisis drags on, high-tech companies are now also seeking public assistance. Just recently, Japan's {complink 4907|Sharp Electronics Corp.} and {complink…
No matter how good the supply chain gets, assessing and managing risks is always something that needs constant attention. As CAPS Research notes in a recent report titled “Value Chain Strategies for the Changing Decade,” today's corporate business models provide tremendous opportunities for growth, innovation, and access to new markets — but the increased amount…
Sourcing parts and negotiating prices may be the most evident functions of supply chains, but the piece between when the parts ship and when they arrive gets a fair amount of attention, too. And it should. Without the seamless art of transporting goods globally, everyone would be unfulfilled. To that end, I thought you would…
Now that the kids are back at school powering up their new laptops and tablets, electronics companies are crossing their fingers and hoping for that bright shopping light to shine at the end of the year. The Christmas countdown has begun, and all sorts of trend counters are trying to figure out how many new…
Last month, Velocity focused on green issues facing the electronics supply chain, and as a quick followup, I wanted to focus on a key topic raised in a report I recently came across. As could be expected, the report — “Greening the Supply Chain: Best Business Practices and Future Trends” from The Initiative for Global…
Electronics companies have long shaped their businesses around the mantra, “Make it faster, better, and cheaper than the next guy.” It shouldn't come as a surprise then that this exact scenario is starting to aggressively play out in the still fledging but already heated tablet market, where everyone and their mothers seem to be diving…
I've never forgotten what a supply chain manager once told me: “When you're number two, the view in front of you is always the same.” The context was a conversation about how supply chain leaders dictate the rules of the game, and how every other company that isn't number one basically has to fall in…