The nation’s leading factory index in April dropped to its lowest level in two years as trade concerns and softening demand increased headwinds on U.S. manufacturers. Whether it’s a one-month event or the beginning of a trend remains unclear. The Institute for Supply Management’s leading index, the PMI, dropped by 2.5 percent in April to…
It should be no revelation to anyone that the electronics supply chain is prone to rough waters and frequent changes in tides, whether it’s tariffs, trade wars or Brexit. But there are tools that can help you navigate and better prepare for what’s on the horizon—a horizon that is definitively global. While these things are…
Even as the electronics industry roared through 2017 and 2018, manufacturers bemoaned a lack of skilled labor. It’s been a recurrent theme in the Institute for Supply Management’s monthly factory index, and now the European Union (EU) fears its workforce will be stressed as electronics employment grows. A shortage of skilled workers is the industry’s…
Brexit has built a full head of steam as the country enters more unchartered territory. In the last week there’s been complete chaos in government, a harder line from the EU27, and more than a million taking to the streets of London. Despite all the fuming and arguing, all the political wrangling and eleventh-hour negotiations,…
As evidenced by Brexit and the U.S. withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership, economic nationalism is on the rise. Industries such as electronics have spent decades building and finetuning a vast network of global supply chains. If globalization is facing a backlash — and experts attest that it is — longstanding supply relationships are about to get…
Domestic manufacturing activity remained largely flat in July in spite of uncertainty surrounding Brexit and the U.S. presidential election. The nation’s leading manufacturing index, the Institute for Supply Management’s PMI, slipped slightly to 52.6 percent in July from June’s level of 53.2. The data indicates a slow and steady pace of improvement as businesses enter…
The global semiconductor market in 2016 is being dragged down by a weak global economy – in part due to the Brexit vote – and a weak DRAM market, according to IC Insights. As a result, the market researcher lowered its semiconductor forecast for 2016 to negative one percent growth. IC Insights joins other forecasters…
The recent vote by the United Kingdom (UK) to leave the European Union – known as Brexit – has created many risks for global supply chains, particularly in Europe, according to a new report from Resilinc. Risks include currency movement, labor uncertainty, trading rules and regulatory revisions, and global financial impact. But despite the risks,…
Although presidential politics are coloring the perception of domestic manufacturing, U.S. factory production in June increased at the fastest pace in more than a year. The Institute for Supply Management’s leading index, the PMI, increased by 1.9 percent from May to reach 51.3 percent. Any number over 50 indicates the sector is growing. Although the…