If you spilled your morning coffee last week when you read that the Chinese army is behind the cyberattacks on US businesses, then we need to talk. It may have raised eyebrows that the Chinese military was called out so publicly — so much so that they quickly denied any involvement. But that the Chinese…
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During the year-long Drive for Innovation project, in which we circled the United States interviewing engineers, we stopped at perhaps two- or three-dozen contract manufacturers. Because this was 2011 through 2012, we were privy to some fresh insight as the CMS/EMS industry was pulling out of the depths of the recession. I thought it was…
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It would not surprise me if high-tech supply chain executives tasked with protecting valuable supply chain data said they are on pins and needles as they evaluate news reports that technology companies, including Apple Inc., have suffered cyberattacks. In a rare disclosure explaining the widest known attack of its computers, Apple officials said Tuesday that…
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Having the world's largest independent database of current electronic component pricing gives me a unique perspective on pricing. Having developed the prediction algorithms used in Freebenchmarking.com and Component Cost Estimator — applications that accurately predict what individual companies should be paying for components — I am happy to see my customers saving millions of dollars…
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PHOENIX–Sequestration cuts in the US federal budget are set to take effect Friday, March 1, and the doomsday scenarios are everywhere. Transportation officials predict massive airport delays; and Congressional Budget Office estimates cuts will put 750,000 people out of work. One fear is that the cuts in the military budgets will severely damage demand for…
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The financial stats alone make it abundantly clear electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers are among the most endangered species in the electronics industry. They are also among the industry's most adaptive enterprises, constantly tacking on new services and forever restructuring and readjusting operations to fit equally fast-changing revenue models. EMS providers started out as junior…
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Anything that slows down the supply chain is not good unless it is a planned delay to give the next link in the chain lead or preparation time to accommodate its own internal processes. Most delays are unplanned and therefore the contingency planning for unhappy surprises is a key factor in supply-chain management. Conversely, anything…
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A jarring recent post in The Atlantic raises that very question. Charles Davi, a New York-based capital- and derivatives-markets lawyer, crunches sets of numbers and comes to this conclusion: “People are becoming less valuable to companies.” Part of his analysis examines the wage-growth differential in various income brackets (the rich are getting richer scenario) but…
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Supply-chain resiliency is something companies in the high-tech sector and other industries have been talking about for years. Even with all the talk, it still remains a relatively vague concept mentioned in the same dreamy way people discuss supply-chain flexibility and agility. As elusive and ever-changing as resilience may be (mostly because changing world circumstances…
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You and your company consider a variety of factors in deciding whether to offshore: market location, skilled worker pool, regional risk, etc. Apparently, innovation opportunity is not high on that list. That was an early takeaway from our most recent Velocity webinar, which we held Tuesday, Feb. 19, and which is now archived. We asked…
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