Non-profit advocacy group Women in Electronics (WE) was formed in 2017 to empower women through networking opportunities; develop them through a virtual leadership program; and celebrate their successes along the way. The organization recently wrapped up its third annual leadership conference and now has 300 members. Jackie Mattox, founder and president of WE and national…
Supplier realignment always causes stress in the electronics supply chain — but the past six weeks has moved the needle to “anxiety.” In early October, chip maker Texas Instruments announced it was dropping six of its distributors — including Avnet Inc., WPG and WT Microelectronics — by the end of 2020. Within the past week…
Consolidation in the electronics supply chain continued this week as global broadline distributor WPG Holdings Co. announced plans to acquire a 30 percent stake in rival WT Microelectronics Co. Ltd. for US$266.58 million. WT Micro conducts most of its business in Southeast Asia. The announcement came within a day of two key electronics suppliers –…
Global procurement professionals are facing more challenges than ever — tariffs, trade wars, environmental regulations and patent/IP protection. Fortunately, they are up to the task. Worldwide, electronics purchasing managers have an average of 16 years on the job, according to EPSNews’/Aspencore’s first global procurement study. They work more than 40 hours a week; spend a…
U.S. factory activity contracted for the third straight month in October as trade issues, the GM strike and global economic uncertainty plagued the market. The Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index registered 48.3 last month, up slightly from a 10-year low of 47.8 in September. New orders, employment and inventories all rose from September but…
Expectations for an upturn in electronics component demand have been pushed out to the second half of 2020, and the road to recovery passes directly through global trade policy, leading analysts say. The outlook for Q4 is grim as component demand deteriorates further, Morgan Stanley said in its Q3 distribution survey. “The narrative of a…
End-to-end visibility remains elusive across the electronics supply chain as few solutions tick all the boxes for any complex organization. However, AI, IoT, the cloud and other technologies continue to drive advancement toward this goal. Intel Capital and WRVI Capital are among investors in CloudLeaf Inc., which recently launched its Digital Visibility Platform. The solution…
The nation’s leading factory index in August contracted for the first time in three years as new orders, production and employment all fell below 50 — the threshold between growth and contraction. The Institute for Supply Management’s PMI dropped to 49.1 percent last month, its lowest reading since 2016. Business confidence has also declined as…
Three of the industry’s biggest distributors – Arrow Electronics Inc., Avnet Inc. and Electrocomponents plc – have withdrawn from the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA), marking an historic, structural change in the 9-year-old trade organization. A new group, the Global Electronics Distributor Association (GEDA), will be formed within the next 90 days, according to an…
Country-of-origin adjustments can help U.S. high-tech companies minimize geographical risks and mitigate the impact of tariffs. But the strategy can be costly, complicated and risky; and a decision that’s not easily undone. Tariffs are not going to just disappear, market experts say. Even with a delay on certain Chinese-import tariffs, the likelihood of a cease…