Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS) and waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) regulations have created awareness about the hazardous materials used in electronics products and the end-of-life recycling issues associated with electronics products. It's also creating a huge recycling market that may create new sourcing opportunities for the electronics supply chain. Depending on which…
Talk about bringing back manufacturing to the US has been on the lips of many people for some time now. But, the buzz is contagious and has traveled overseas to European shores. In an effort to keep Europe competitive, discussions about shifting manufacturing and supply chain operations back to the continent is gaining momentum. Just…
THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minn. — Global electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, the industry leader in electronic component selection, availability and delivery, today announced the recent expansion of its European sales team. Five new hires in customer-facing roles will strengthen Digi-Key's position across all of Europe including Central and Southern Europe, the Nordic Region, the Baltics…
PHOENIX — Avnet Abacus, one of Europe’s leading interconnect, passive, electro-mechanical and power distributors and a business unit of Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA, a business region of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), has signed a pan-European distribution deal with Measurement Specialties (MEAS), a global designer and manufacturer of sensors and sensor-based systems. The new franchise agreement…
The successful reverse logistics process that works domestically may not translate if you try to take it international. When you cross borders, especially international borders, there are a host of issues and risks, which you need to consider and mitigate. Imagine the scenario: You have done a fantastic job servicing the domestic reverse logistics needs…
As Europe's recession drifts into its record sixth consecutive quarter, the electronics industry must continue to negotiate a bumpy economic road. The euro zone economy contracted during the first quarter of the year, making the slump the region's longest in the postwar era and longer than the 2008 downturn that dragged down much of the…
There are lots of challenges in the technology supply chain ranging from sourcing decisions to global supplier selection and from management to distribution planning, but one challenge we haven't talked about before in this column is international shipping. With 96 percent of consumers worldwide living outside of the US representing two-thirds of the world's purchasing…
Even though I have been covering the electronics supply chain for years, there are some dots I'm slow at connecting. For instance, I just assumed that most parts coming and going from China to Europe moved by plane and boat. However, looking at the €500 million (about $645 million in US dollars) investment a Chinese…
The idea of connecting Europe and Asia with a uniform freight railway system recently took another step forward. Representatives of 37 countries signed a joint declaration on rail transport a few weeks ago. The declaration “could pave the way towards negotiation of a unified railway law (URL) making rail freight transport first between Asia and…
If you're in electronics, you're in luck. A global skills gap is driving demand for your expertise. The demand is not as great in developed regions such as North America, Japan, and Europe, but if you're willing to export your skills to a BRIC country (Brazil, Russian, India, China), you could find yourself very well…