The last two years have touched almost every supply chain imaginable. Even before the pandemic started in earnest, American manufacturers were already interested in reshoring. Back in 2019, manufacturers wanted to reduce their dependence on foreign markets and cut their carbon footprints. But now as demand for components continues to outpace supply — some analysts…
Supply chain disruptions have widespread ripple effects in many industries, but in healthcare they can be critical. Shortages, delays, and other unforeseen events in medical supply chains can result in patients not having the medication they need or insufficiently equipped hospitals. Such disruptions are a problem in any sector, but in medicine, it can be…
For 16 months the U.S. manufacturing sector has expanded in spite of – rather than thanks to – the global supply chain. The U.S. PMI in September increased by 1.2 percent to 61.1, according to the Institute for Supply Management. However, concern regarding the semiconductor shortage reached its highest level so far this year, said…
Industrial, medical, and military demand for high quality, high-voltage multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) has been hit hard by a shift in production by the world’s largest MLCC manufacturers who are focusing on a seemingly insatiable demand for smaller, lower voltage – and in some way – lower performance MLCCs. This demand has been fueled by…
While manufacturing has rebounded from the long Covid quarantine, the supply chain has not. Logistics operations – already short-handed – are dealing with a seemingly unending series of disruptions. And there’s no relief in sight, experts say. Shipping operations at the Port of Yantian, which were scaled back due to a Covid outbreak, have improved,…
The quarterly total revenue of the NAND Flash industry came to US$14.1 billion in 4Q20, showing a quarter over quarter (QoQ) drop of 2.9 percent, according to TrendForce’s latest investigations. The total bit shipments of the NAND Flash industry in 4Q20 registered a QoQ increase of nearly 9 percent. This gain for the most part…
Whereas e-commerce companies are digital natives — that is, they were built from the ground up for the digital economy — traditional manufacturing and consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies are hamstrung by the legacy systems, processes and tools that they’ve used for years. These systems prevent them from competing on the same level as digitally…
U.S. manufacturing activity cooled in September but remained well within expansion territory for the fourth straight month. The Institute for Supply Management’s PMI slipped to 55.4, or 0.6 percent, from 56 in August as the forward-looking new orders index declined. Any reading above 50 indicates growth. New orders decreased to 60.2 from a reading of…
The first quarter of 2020 has represented a historic low for the smartphone industry. While some technology sectors, like cloud services, have excelled amid the coronavirus pandemic, the mobile industry has not. As Covid-19 continues to spread throughout the globe, it’s causing substantial economic effects on smartphone companies. Counterpoint Research reports a 13% year-over-year loss…
The Covid-19 pandemic and oil-market volatility drove the U.S. manufacturing index back into contraction territory in March, as the Institute for Supply Management’s PMI fell to 49.1 from 50.1 the prior month. With 50.0 as the line of demarcation between contraction and growth, new orders at 42.2 percent and employment, at 43.8, are at the…