I was talking to a distribution center manager recently and he shared a recent story of a strange and unique event in his 25-year career. He got a call from the mother of one of his temp hires questioning why the temp hire's performance feedback was “not outstanding, instead it was just very good.” He…
Smith & Associates, the largest independent distributor of electronic components, today announces the certification of its Asian hub’s inspectors to the CCCI-102 standard. The CCCI-102 program – developed by Components Technology Institute, Inc. (CTI), the creators of the strenuous Counterfeit Components Avoidance Program (CCAP-101) – was created in order to provide inspectors formal training and…
Vendor relationships are critical to an organization's supply chain both upstream and downstream, but how can an astute executive management team understand how their partners are equipped to protect their proprietary economic knowledge? A fundamental tenet of the new supply chain is that information is as highly valued as raw materials or finished goods across…
While mid-market companies are focused on ensuring the financial health of their organizations, they must also simultaneously put resources into expanding market footprint. According to a recent American Express survey of mid-market companies, the single most important priority for more than half was growing their business. Those surveyed believed that the number one driver of…
HOUSTON — Smith & Associates, the largest independent distributor of electronic components, today announces the start of its Global Supply Chain Survey. This annual survey is designed to gather electronics industry professionals’ insights into key issues affecting the semiconductor and electronics supply chain, and to gauge trends and evolution over time. The survey consists of…
There's an app for that. That's long been the joke amongst smartphone toting consumers. More and more, the same can be said for supply chain management and logistics tasks. Embracing mobility promises to increase visibility and responsiveness in the supply chain when properly leveraged. For these reasons, businesses are more and more interested in embracing…
Managing risk in the supply chain can be a daunting task. Supply chain managers increasingly realize that protecting their supply chains from serious and costly disruptions. But often they don't take action, because they are paralyzed by not really knowing how to start. Zurich's 2014 Supply Chain Resilience Survey puts some figures on the problem:…
Moving closer to the end of 2014 raises the question of what 2015 may hold for the industry. At the same time, we can also look back at the major themes and demand trends that shaped this past year. From the perspective of global distributors, we have seen a steady increase in demand for supporting…
HOUSTON — Smith & Associates, the largest independent distributor of electronic components, today announces the opening of its newest hub housing warehouse and operational facilities and a state-of-the-art quality testing laboratory. The new, 57,199-square-foot hub extends the capabilities and services that Smith offers global clients and allows room for growth. The facility is ISO 17025-accredited…
NEWBURYPORT, Mass. — Rochester Electronics, a fully-authorized manufacturer and distributor of semiconductors, offers replication of processors versus a less reliable device emulation through its Semiconductor Replication Process™ (SRP™). There are several companies within the semiconductor industry selling their emulated versions of popular processors originally produced by Freescale and Intel. Because Rochester Electronics receives processor intellectual…