Automotive OEMs Reset Relationship With Chipmakers
How will automotive OEMs will move from an arm’s length relationship to long-term agreements?
Talking With KATEK CEO Rainer Koppitz – Part One – The Genesis of a Plan
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…
DFARS and Testing as the Quality Litmus Test, Part 2
Recently EPS and Verical.Connect have focused on the issues of counterfeit mitigation and the recent (9/21/2015) proposed amendments to the 2012 Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). Among the amendments is a proposal to extend DoD sourcing practices from the traditional military/aerospace specification standards to include COTS components. To consider the impact of these issues…
DFARS and Testing as the Quality Litmus Test, Part 1
Recently EPS and Verical.Connect have focused on the issues of counterfeit mitigation and the recent (9/21/2015) proposed amendments to the 2012 Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS). A common theme is the continual raising of the quality bar. The proposed amendments to DFARS this year mirrors this raising of the bar and clearly lays forth…
America II: From Independent to Blended to Global Distributor
Over the past two years, America II has evolved into what it calls a “blended distribution” model, combining the strategies of both franchised and independent distribution. The St. Petersburg, Fla.- based company started out 25 years ago as an independent distributor focusing on component shortages and now has more than 50 franchises as it works…
Lindsley Ruth: From Now it’s ‘Customer First’ at Electrocomponents
Lindsley Ruth is recruiting at Electrocomponents Plc but only visionary executives prepared to do whatever it will take to exceed customer expectations should apply. Several months into his tenure as Group CEO of the British components distributor, Ruth is casting his eyes over the industry landscape, searching for inspired leaders who can help re-energize the…
Arrow’s Bird on Supplier Consolidation and Design
In his role as president of Arrow Electronics Inc.’s Americas components business, Alan Bird is responsible for all customer and supplier relationships, sales and the management of employees. During his 25 years in the electronics industry he has seen tremendous change, including the growth of outsourcing to China and other parts of Asia; economic recessions; the…
Larson Reflects on Digi-Key’s Evolution
It’s nearly impossible to sum up an executive’s legacy in a single article. There are, of course, executives that will be associated with a single event – such as Dennis Kozlowski – both good and bad. Mark Larson’s career can best be described as steady and consistent. The company he managed for nearly 40 years,…
Surging Technology Adoption Driving Electronics Growth
Rising adoption of electronics across all sections of the global economy is one of the primary drivers of growth in the electronics market and this pace is likely to accelerate in the near future, according to industry executives. This realization is forcing players in the entire supply chain to keep a tab on emerging technologies…
Digi-Key’s Doherty on Amazon.com vs. Distribution
Digi-Key Corp., one of the largest low-volume high-mix electronics distributors in the world, analyzes everything. Over the years it has tracked its customers’ buying behavior and adjusted its business model accordingly. Digi-Key launched a low-volume supply chain business in response to customers’ demand for support beyond engineering orders. It was an early adopter of digital content…