Can you have a superb supply chain and yet be a company that has poor sales of its products and declining revenues? I don't think so, but others may disagree, and now here's the story of Dell Inc., which has for the past three years consistently been selected as one of the top 5 companies…
Details
As the semiconductor industry has consolidated in the past 10 years, entrepreneurs have been forced to think differently about how to fund a great new idea. Venture capitalists, as we know, have cooled on the industry's ROI, to say the least! But, not surprisingly, at that end of the design and supply chain, novel approaches…
Details
Just a few years ago, you may remember that the market-leading companies — the powerhouses — in high-tech markets, such as smartphones and PCs, were household names. Now, the tables have turned for a number of them. Some of these leaders are now followers, while some followers are now leaders. This change has pivoted on…
Details
When you think about supply chain risks, what's often mentioned is not something related to the physical supply chain. Rather, it's the growing number of IT-related cyberthreats that could do serious damage. A recent report from the Georgia Institute of Technology on emerging cyberthreats, for instance, includes information around exactly this theme. Give the report…
Details
The majority of new part and assembly introductions happen during research and development. Because the components are new, very few particulars are known, other than the information documented on datasheets or in trade press announcements. An engineer may have read a magazine or journal article featuring a new design with application notes that highlight a…
Details
Electronics contract manufacturers will see revenues grow about 4.5 percent in 2013 to $404.5 billion, according to the latest data from market researcher IHS. The good news is that's growth, the fourth straight year of it since the depths of the recession in 2009, when the number nestled into the trough was $260.5 billion. But…
Details
In the complex and often lopsided engagement between OEMs and electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers, it's easy to forget that the relationship is not unidirectional and heavily tilted towards the equipment vendor. While OEMs may seem to have the upper hand in the transaction and initial negotiations, EMS companies are also constantly evaluating their customers…
Details
The supply chain has always been an aspect of living on planet Earth. The food chain, from prey to predator, is a supply chain of sorts. If and when we colonize distant worlds, we will bring the supply chain dynamic with us. The large grocery chains are putting the corner stores out to pasture. The…
Details
Sometimes, you want to pull your hair out. Government investigators in both the United States and Japan have been furiously trying to figure out what caused a fire aboard a JAL Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Early in the investigation, officials focused on the charred battery and then on the battery's auxiliary power unit (APU). The APU,…
Details
It's a given in the high-tech world — prices fall. They might fall slower or faster depending on the device, the components, and the product segment, but they generally drop as the devices move into the “commodity” category. As industry watchers, we all know this trend, and any number of companies forecast this trend every…
Details