Unsafe drinking water is a serious global problem, especially in developing countries where it is estimated that 9,000 people die every day as a result of unsanitary drinking water. New Life International had to redesign its water purifier due to supply chain disruption. For more than two decades, New Life Intl. has been on a…
Counterfeits in the supply chain is a universal problem, but it is particularly acute in the electronics industry. Counterfeit electronics cost manufacturers an estimated $250 billion each year, and that doesn’t include the cost of faulty consumer electronics or catastrophes such as fires and failed equipment due to phony electronic components. Counterfeit computer chips alone…
As the Christmas holiday approaches, consumer awareness of the supply chain has heightened. Global supply networks have actually been struggling for 18 months. Continual disruptions have elevated the rates of ocean shipments and air-cargo costs are now on the rise. Additionally, delays at U.S. seaports have not abated. Transatlantic air cargo rates climbed this week,…
The use of predictive maintenance in manufacturing is not new, but it’s evolving. Staying abreast of the trends is an excellent way to maximize returns on investment. Here are five things that’ll likely shape predictive maintenance in the coming year. Improved efforts to pinpoint problems Some of the earliest predictive maintenance solutions primarily alerted people…
In this series of short excerpts from an interview conducted by industry journalist Philip Spagnoli Stoten, KATEK CEO Rainer Koppitz explore the strategy, vision and ambition behind the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider. In the last 30 months Munich-based KATEK has risen from a concept within private equity firm Primepulse to one of the five…
While the global electronics supply chain experienced a chip shortage, the corresponding shortage of foundry capacities also led various foundries to raise their quotes, resulting in an over 20 percent YoY increase in the total annual revenues of the top 10 foundries for both 2020 and 2021, according to TrendForce’s latest investigations. The top 10…
A year after the deadly Covid-19 pandemic began in 2020, causing lockdowns worldwide and a deep global economic recession, sales of sensors, actuators, and discrete semiconductors are sharply higher in 2021 due to a resurgence in demand across many rebounding end-use markets and significant price increases for parts in short supply. However, optoelectronics sales growth…
The last two years have touched almost every supply chain imaginable. Even before the pandemic started in earnest, American manufacturers were already interested in reshoring. Back in 2019, manufacturers wanted to reduce their dependence on foreign markets and cut their carbon footprints. But now as demand for components continues to outpace supply — some analysts…
Supply chain disruptions have widespread ripple effects in many industries, but in healthcare they can be critical. Shortages, delays, and other unforeseen events in medical supply chains can result in patients not having the medication they need or insufficiently equipped hospitals. Such disruptions are a problem in any sector, but in medicine, it can be…
As artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities mature, an increasing number of businesses are investing in AI initiatives and leveraging automation in their daily business operations. This once leading-edge technology is becoming more ubiquitous and is quickly becoming an imperative to long-term success. In fact, analysts project the global AI market to grow from $47.5 billion in…