U.S. purchasing and supply executives are entering 2019 with a bit less enthusiasm than 2018, although optimism remains strong for the next calendar year. Sixty-four percent of U.S. manufacturers polled by the Institute for Supply Management expect their revenue will grow by 5.7 percent in 2019, compared with the 5.1 percent increase predicted for 2018.…
The electronics supply chain, for the past year, has been marked by component shortages, lead-time extensions and tariff uncertainties. Nevertheless, it’s been a good year for component manufacturers and distributors—many of which have reported record quarterly sales during 2018. In 2019, IDC projects, the supply chain writ large is poised to transition from a cost…
After a significant cool down last month, the U.S. manufacturing industry bounced back in November with growth in new orders, production and employment. Overall, U.S. production has been expanding for 27 consecutive months, although manufacturers tapped the brakes in October. The nation’s leading production index, the Institute for Supply Management’s PMI, increased 1.6 percentage points…
Elon Musk has proven to be one of the investment community’s most controversial CEOs. But since the days of Lee Iacocca, no automaker has garnered as much adulation as Tesla, not only from car owners and car buyers, but also from engineers in the automotive industry. Unequivocally, rival carmakers envy Tesla’s foresight in bringing over-the-air…
The National Geographic channel’s “Mars” series has entered its second season and has inspired AspenCore’s Special Projects team to delve into the future of space exploration. Our “Road to Mars” report covers the designs, technologies and imagination that drive space research, and the electronics and sourcing infrastructure that support aerospace hardware development. The world’s fascination with Mars continues to fuel space…
As the electronics industry plows through calendar Q4, murmurs of uncertainty around 2019 are surfacing. Analysts say there’s a possibility that demand for electronic components will cool in 2019, and tariffs continue to fuel uncertainty throughout the electronics supply chain. “Semiconductor memory ASPs are going to fall. Semiconductor sales are going to decline. The U.S…
The nation’s leading factory index dropped to its lowest level in six months as manufacturers try to manage through trade tensions, transportation shortages and a slowdown in orders. The Institute for Supply Management’s PMI decreased 2.1 percentage points to 57.7 percent in October, its lowest level since April. The PMI has declined for two consecutive…
Even amid continuing strong demand, the electronics industry is struggling with tariffs and the price and availability of components, according to the Institute for Supply Management. One OEM described a supply chain in disarray on the ISM’s monthly survey. “The market is in a state of chaos with the latest round of tariffs,” a computer and…
Editor’s note: The most ubiquitous components in any electronics design – interconnects, passives and electromechanical (IP&E) devices – are in the midst of an unprecedented supply shortage. What distinguishes this scarcity from others is the broad base of markets that are desperate for IP&E. OEMs are facing idle production lines while they wait for devices…
Editor’s note: The IoT and the industrial IoT (IIoT) provide the capability for all stakeholders in the electronics supply chain to seamlessly connect and share critical data. Visibility from the moment a component begins production through its end-of-life is possible through these leading-edge applications. But there are also real dangers to the networks that link supply…