Avnet Inc.’s ongoing restructuring actions have ruffled feathers internally and sparked controversy in the industry about the kind of future CEO William Amelio has envisaged for the top-tier components distributor. Perhaps the entire electronics supply chain should contemplate the same question because the structural issues Avnet is trying to resolve are similar to those facing…
The Conflict Minerals Regulation is here to stay. A part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act signed into law in July, 2010 by then President Barack Obama, the conflict minerals regulation has become a global phenomenon. Despised by many industry associations but publicly embraced by all of the major players in…
Is the electronics supply chain diving headlong into one of its infamous component undersupply situations and the associated procurement woes? Some industry veterans are concerned this may be the case as they watch average selling prices inch higher and demand strengthen in an environment marked by low inventories and limited manufacturing capacity. With companies keeping…
Politics will not determine your company’s success or failure in 2017, notwithstanding all the extraordinary events of the last year. As important as the ballot box is, it has significant limitations in the business world. Information about your company, its industry segment, the competitive landscape, market opportunities and challenges and how you harness these will…
Samsung Electronic Inc.’s fix for its Galaxy Note 7 battery problem came too late for many folks. Too late, for those hurt by the phone’s exploding battery. Too late for those who chose competing handsets as replacement once news began spreading about the defective battery. It also came too late for many loyalists disappointed by…
Perhaps Avnet Inc. should not have built a technology system sales and support unit to complement its core electronics components distribution operation but by agreeing to sell the division to Tech Data the company has layered on another level of complexity to an already challenged business, thereby increasing the likelihood of a major misstep that…
Samsung Electronics phones have been my preferred mobile handset for quite a few years. While most people around me raved about Apple Inc.’s iPhone, I stayed as far away as I could from the device. A former employer forced the iPhone on me once but I quickly replaced the device as soon as I left…
Apple Inc. is right to defend itself against the European Commission’s $14.5 billion fine for alleged tax underpayment in Ireland but its defense strategy and explanations should not be adopted by other high-tech companies that may come under regulatory scrutiny. The company is ignoring rising consumer, regulatory and political concerns that many high tech enterprises…
Avnet Inc. will most likely within the next few months approve the appointment of William Amelio as its substantive CEO, dissipating the cloud of uncertainty at the apex of the electronics component distributor and high-tech systems integrator. Amelio was recently named interim CEO of the company following the departure of Rick Hamada, a 30-years-plus employee…
Avnet Inc. only recently named William Amelio interim CEO but the board of directors must move quickly to appoint a substantive leader for the global electronics components distributor. As one of the industry’s biggest players, Avnet cannot afford to be perceived as a rudderless enterprise or one without a proven leader with a clear vision…