For all of the services the electronics supply chain can provide, the key emphasis for suppliers and customers remains cost. “Decreasing cost” is still the top priority for all denizens of the electronics industry. Within the past year, surveys from Gartner, UPS, and SCM World all list cost reduction as one of the top three…
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This goes to the heart of tech content development. An organization doesn't have to be SRI International, MIT, Gartner, or The New York Times to discover and provide the world valuable new information. In fact, as I've said in previous postings here on EBN, being informed is at the core of effective content development. Having…
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Economic weakness in Europe has caused a ripple effect in Asia, with {complink 4185|Panasonic Corp.} being the latest company to feel the pain of the prolonged crisis. Only a few months after announcing that it would sell its Eluga smartphones in Europe, the Japanese electronics giant this week reversed its decision, saying it will stop…
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The 2012 growth outlook for the outsourced manufacturing industry has vacillated since the year began. Earlier in the year, business activity was upbeat and companies were generally optimistic about growth prospects for the second half. While IHS Corp. still forecasts the industry will post modest growth by year-end, the outlook for outsourced manufacturers has changed…
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Supply chains are often divided into make-to-order and make-to-stock segments, each having its own respective drivers; agility or efficiency. Alignment of supply chain strategy to organizational goals is crucial in optimizing benefits. For example, in a make-to-stock supply chain, where the strategic focus is on maximizing productivity by leveraging economies of scale, it would be…
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The rise of the dotcom companies in the late 1990s brought both opportunity and disaster for the electronics supply chain. Suddenly, anyone with a computer and a modem could buy electronics components and sell them online. Companies that were able to procure excess inventory — parts that suppliers didn't need, EMS companies excess orders, and…
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Recently, I attended an all-day supply chain conference at Stanford Graduate School of Business. The topics for the various sessions were centered on shared value and supply chains and the strategies for success. First, let me say how enjoyable the conference was as the speakers were highly qualified in each of their respective fields of…
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The number of electronic component suppliers that pose significant risks to the US government defense supply chain has increased substantially over the last nine years, according to researcher IHS Corp., which says the jump has occurred despite efforts to curb their presence in the system. In a report emailed today to reporters, IHS said the…
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As I sit here in Brooklyn, New York, awaiting the horrific onslaught of Hurricane Sandy as it roars up the Gulf Stream, takes aim at Atlantic City, and veers northward toward the Envy of Western Civilization, I feel a thrill. I know Sandy is already destined to go down in history as the Greatest, Most…
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Let me start by completing the sentence in the headline. When China bites, sales decline, profits sag, and the future of a foreign enterprise in the country becomes fuzzy, its investment runs into significant jeopardy, and all the assumptions about the nation's potentials go haywire. Honda, Nissan, and Toyota are finding out how unpredictable China…
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