The complexity of global supply chains depends largely on what and how much you’re sourcing. With some materials — like paper — you’ll find a suitable supplier almost anywhere in the world. However, in the electronics industry, things are not so straightforward. Multiple commodities from multiple suppliers across various geographic locations mean global electronics supply…
Editor’s note: Bolaji Ojo, one of three founders of EPSNews, has left our parent company, AspenCore Media. Junko Yoshida, our new global editor-in-chief, bids him farewell on our behalf. Bolaji Ojo, our fearless group publisher at AspenCore Media (of which EE Times is part), has decided to resign. I won’t lie. I am profoundly sad to see…
No one would have imagined that the year 2020 would completely reshape how nearly every industry operates. From public transportation to food service and hospitality sectors, the social and economic impact of Covid-19, also known as the coronavirus, has been swift and unapologetic. Organizations that have felt the adverse side effects of coronavirus more than…
For the moment, at least, it seems as though the course of the Covid-19 contagion is winding down. Even where its spread seems to be contained, the prospect of a second wave is very much on the minds of both public officials and private business leaders. So how does an organization plan ahead and position…
The global pandemic and shift to remote work continues to make its impact around the world. According to the Institute for Supply Management®, 75 percent of companies report supply chain disruptions and more than 80 percent believe that their organization will experience impact because of COVID-19 disruptions. However, there are ways procurement teams can mitigate…
It’s common knowledge that the markets for industrial-grade technology – military/aerospace, factory automation and infrastructure, to name a few examples — differ dramatically from those for consumer and enterprise devices. That’s been the norm since the dawn of the digital age and it’s safe to assume it will continue to be the case well into…
For the last 10 years, e-commerce has been increasing worldwide by approximately 20 percent each year. While it’s too early to forecast e-commerce growth for 2020, with Covid-19 restrictions prohibiting brick-and-mortar retail, online shopping is experiencing significant growth and could be poised to exceed the 20 percent figure. In fact, retail platforms globally experienced a…
It seems the only person who could beat Jeff Bezos to becoming the world’s first trillionaire would be someone with a crystal ball that can accurately predict the supply chain for the rest of 2020. The global crisis has everyone running, as demand forecasts, production schedules, and distribution planning have all gone out the window.…
The first quarter of 2020 has represented a historic low for the smartphone industry. While some technology sectors, like cloud services, have excelled amid the coronavirus pandemic, the mobile industry has not. As Covid-19 continues to spread throughout the globe, it’s causing substantial economic effects on smartphone companies. Counterpoint Research reports a 13% year-over-year loss…
Overall equipment effectiveness is a concept you’ve likely run into before. How can you make the most of it? Here’s a quick guide to OEE-based quality assurance in the electronics manufacturing industry. How to calculate overall equipment effectiveness You need three data points to help you calculate the OEE score for a particular piece of…