The Covid-19 pandemic highlighted for all of us just how important the safety and sanitization of a site are to manufacturing. Without the proper safety measures, you put your employees and your business at risk. In electronics manufacturing, a variety of risks make safety considerations even more essential. With chemical, electrical, and material hazards all…
Two leading research firms measure “reshoring” differently, so their analysis rarely agrees. Conclusions for 2020 were no exception, but U.S. manufacturers say they’re committed to reducing their dependence on foreign supplies. The Reshoring Initiative’s index, which tracks jobs and foreign direct investment (FDI), reported a combined total of 160,649 new announcements for 2020. Reshoring exceeded…
Analog ICs remain a critical component in nearly all of today’s digital-centric systems. Consumer, computing, communications, automotive, and industrial/medical systems rely on analog devices to manage power consumption and to help extend battery life in portable devices. IC Insights’ April Update to the 2021 McClean Report ranked the leading analog IC suppliers for 2020. Collectively,…
With Intel Corp. predicting that the chip shortage could last years, foundries — and chip makers — are in a position to increase prices. TrendForce reports various foundries are raising their wafer prices and adjusting their product mixes to ensure profitability. Back in March, Intel announced plans to invest $20 billion in U.S. chip facilities…
The Covid-19 pandemic exposed the risks of a global supply chain heavily dependent on offshore manufacturing. For much of 2020, shocks to the system resulted in months-long shipping delays for essential goods like PPE, electronics and medical supplies. The Biden administration has pledged to rebuild U.S. supply chains in a way that prevents critical equipment…
Total NAND Flash revenue for 1Q21 increased by 5.1 percent QoQ to $14.82 billion, according to TrendForce’s latest investigations. In particular, bit shipments rose by 11 percent QoQ, while the overall ASP dropped by 5 percent QoQ; hence, bit shipment growth offset the decline in the overall ASP. Although NAND Flash demand from notebook computer…
Though container rates have climbed on all major lanes in the last few weeks, those with exposure to the Suez are still feeling the sting more, according to cargo marketplace Freightos. Ocean rates from Asia to the Mediterranean have increased 23 percent in May to nearly $10,000/FEU, and Asia- U.S. East Coast and Mediterranean prices…
IC Insights’ sales ranking of the world’s top-15 worldwide semiconductor (IC and O S D—optoelectronic, sensor, and discrete) companies shows chip makers grew 21 percent in the first quarter of 2021. The group includes eight suppliers headquartered in the U.S., two each in South Korea, Taiwan and Europe, and one in Japan. The ranking includes…
There is no end in sight for global supply delays stemming from trade restrictions and transportation logjams. Demand continues to rise for U.S.-manufactured goods, but raw material and component disruptions are hindering production expansion. “Recent record-long lead times, wide-scale shortages of critical basic materials, rising commodities prices and difficulties in transporting products are continuing to…
Memory IC sales, fueled by economic recovery and the transition to a digital economy, are forecast to reach $180.4 billion in 2022, exceeding the previous record high set in 2018. IC Insights recently updated its forecast for 33 major IC product categories, including DRAM and NAND flash, in its April Update to the 2021 edition…