The nation’s leading factory index in August contracted for the first time in three years as new orders, production and employment all fell below 50 — the threshold between growth and contraction. The Institute for Supply Management’s PMI dropped to 49.1 percent last month, its lowest reading since 2016. Business confidence has also declined as…
Three of the industry’s biggest distributors – Arrow Electronics Inc., Avnet Inc. and Electrocomponents plc – have withdrawn from the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA), marking an historic, structural change in the 9-year-old trade organization. A new group, the Global Electronics Distributor Association (GEDA), will be formed within the next 90 days, according to an…
Country-of-origin adjustments can help U.S. high-tech companies minimize geographical risks and mitigate the impact of tariffs. But the strategy can be costly, complicated and risky; and a decision that’s not easily undone. Tariffs are not going to just disappear, market experts say. Even with a delay on certain Chinese-import tariffs, the likelihood of a cease…
SHENZHEN, China — A two-day shut down of Hong Kong International Airport forced the cancellation of hundreds of passenger flights and caused a fair amount of anxiety in the electronics supply chain. However, as of August 15th, passenger flights had returned to normal and supply-chain pressure had eased. The negative impact on imports, exports and…
Editor’s note: This is the second of two articles focusing on strategies that mitigate the impact of tariffs on imported goods. Tax and business advisory firm KPMG identified seven successful tactics in its webinar TradeWatch: Section 301 Tariffs; What we’ve Learned in Year One. This article covers recommendations four through seven. The U.S.-China trade war…
U.S. factory activity declined for the fourth straight month in July as weakening demand and ongoing trade anxiety weighed on manufacturers. The nation’s leading factory index, the PMI, fell to its lowest point since 2016, dropping by 0.5 percent to a level of 51.2. “This is the fourth straight month of PMI decline without any…
Editor’s note: This is one of two articles focusing on strategies that mitigate the impact of tariffs on imported goods. Tax and business advisory firm KPMG identified seven successful tactics in its webinar TradeWatch: Section 301 Tariffs; What we’ve Learned in Year One. This article covers recommendations one through three. Tariffs, according to leading tax…
I’m always amazed how one thing leads to another. As part of documenting our ongoing project to build a 4-bit computer from the ground up, for example, I realized that we would have to address a multitude of design considerations. One of these topics is that of switch bounce, which refers to the fact that…
The tariffs that President Donald Trump has slapped on Chinese imports haven’t sparked the widespread return of manufacturers to the U.S. that Trump envisioned, according to A.T. Kearney’s latest Reshoring Index. The United States has made significant changes to its trade policy with the specific intent of bringing manufacturing home. However, imports from 14 traditional…
Component manufacturers have the ambition to enter foreign markets but may face difficulty establishing their brands. Tapping into an emerging market – especially a largely fragmented region with differences in language, culture and levels of business maturity – can be daunting. Should suppliers establish a direct presence, acquire a local business or partner with a…