Along with avoiding counterfeit components, the electronics supply chain can now add cybersecurity concerns to its “To Do” list. Electronics suppliers and distributors already must worry about cyber-threats such as malicious code being inserted or activated in components that are already in the supply chain. Adding to that is the recent DFARS Clause 252.204-7012 requirement…
The pace of manufacturing growth in the U.S. cooled somewhat in April, even though the segment continues to expand. New orders and factory employment decelerated from March levels while the nation’s leading production index, the Institute for Supply Management’s PMI, declined by 2.4 percent to 54.8. Any number above 50 indicates growth, and most of the…
Engineers should be thrilled by all the attention they’re getting these days. Component makers, manufacturer’s reps and now distributors have all pledged to be the designer’s best friend. The industry’s’ two largest distributors, Avnet Inc. and Arrow Electronics Inc., have invested heavily in field applications engineers (FAEs) and in the maker movement — Arrow has…
Portions of the electronics industry are applauding a policy shift toward the so-called “conflict minerals” rule that requires publicly traded U.S. companies to disclose the use of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (3TG) sourced from war-torn regions of Africa. Acting Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Chair Michael Piwowar has directed agency staff to reconsider how companies…
With 17 out of 18 U.S. manufacturing industries expanding in March, domestic producers closed the first quarter of 2017 on a high note. Although the Institute for Supply Management’s leading index, the PMI, cooled a bit from February – a decrease of 0.5 percent to 57.2 — the industry expanded in March for the seventh consecutive…
The EU this week voted to adopt regulations pertaining to the sourcing of tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold (3TG) from conflicted regions of the world. The regulations, which require supply chain due diligence self-certification of tin, tantalum and tungsten, their ores, and gold originating in conflict-affected and high-risk areas, are mandatory for smelters and importers of raw materials and…
The U.S. manufacturing industry in February expanded at its fastest pace since 2014, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM). The ISM’s leading businesses index, the PMI, increased 1.7 percent in February to 57.7 — its sixth consecutive month of growth. New orders played a significant role for the period, increasing by 4.7 percentage…
The distribution channel is beginning to feel the fallout from rampant merger and acquisition (M&A) activity in the semiconductor industry. Analog Devices Inc., which is acquiring Linear Technology, announced it is naming Arrow Electronics Inc. as its sole global distributor and is cutting Avnet Inc., except for Avnet’s Premier Farnell unit. Both Arrow and Avnet…
By most accounts, 2017 is shaping up as a good year for component sales. Data from the ECIA, gathered from its distributor members; and the world’s largest global distributor, Arrow Electronics Inc., point to an uptick in demand for the first quarter of 2017. The ECIA reported its Q4 book-to-bill (btb) ratio was 1.05; Arrow…
The electronics distribution industry is at an inflection point. Not since the 1990s has there been so much change within both the channel and its supplier base. During that decade, globalization, the internet and M&A changed the face of the supply chain. The same forces are at play now, but the results have been very…