A gauge of U.S. factory activity topped estimates in March, rebounding from a two-year low on strength in employment, new orders and manufacturing production. The Institute for Supply Management’s PMI reached 55.3 percent in March, a 1.1 percent increase from the prior month. Any number above 50 indicates manufacturing expansion. March made up for ground…
Even as the electronics industry roared through 2017 and 2018, manufacturers bemoaned a lack of skilled labor. It’s been a recurrent theme in the Institute for Supply Management’s monthly factory index, and now the European Union (EU) fears its workforce will be stressed as electronics employment grows. A shortage of skilled workers is the industry’s…
This article by our global managing editor Rich Quinnell is part of AspenCore Media’s Special Project on ‘Agriculture Tech,’ in which we look at how IoT, analytics, and sensor technologies are bringing fundamental change to farming and food production. Two powerful trends – the Internet of Things (IoT) and data analytics – are generating lots…
Component shortages always prompt OEMs and EMS providers to seek alternative sources. Periods of scarcity also exacerbate the flow of counterfeit devices into the electronics supply chain. The extent of this problem remains an unknown as incidents of counterfeits are under-reported. But there are estimates: The counterfeit semiconductor market has reached $75 billion according to Industry…
U.S. manufacturers may be facing a bumpy ride in Q1 as the nation’s factory activity cooled in February. New orders, production and employment all declined from January levels, according to the Institute for Supply Management (ISM), and the PMI dropped 2.4 percentage points to 54.2 percent. As long as the PMI remains above 50, the manufacturing industry continues to expand. “We are still in the…
Editor’s Note: This is the first of two articles examining the impact of tariffs — positive and negative–on the electronics industry. It feels like the U.S.-China tariff-and-trade war has been waging so long we’ve forgotten how it started, but its goals remain the same. The Trump administration is pressuring China to change its behavior toward…
Editor’s Note: In this Special Project, we tear down Nokia, examining its past and future. We explore what 5G and yet-to-be-defined 6G network infrastcure would look like. And more to the point, what does it mean to the industry and Nokia. Can Nokia redeem itself? Watch Nokia Corp. The communications and networking equipment manufacturer…
The nation’s manufacturing sector regained some lost ground in January as demand, production and consumption all increased from December, the Institute for Supply Management reported. At the close of 2018, the ISM’s factory index, the PMI, dropped by a precipitous 5.4 percent to 54.3. January’s PMI inched up 2.3 percentage points to 56.6. Any number…
In a mature market such as electronics distribution, start-ups are rare. Would-be distributors face an abundance of OEM and EMS customers demanding a unique value proposition from their channel partners. Sourceability has spent the last several years investing in a network of global distribution centers Singapore, Hong Kong, and Miami. The company doesn’t call itself an…
U.S. purchasing and supply executives are entering 2019 with a bit less enthusiasm than 2018, although optimism remains strong for the next calendar year. Sixty-four percent of U.S. manufacturers polled by the Institute for Supply Management expect their revenue will grow by 5.7 percent in 2019, compared with the 5.1 percent increase predicted for 2018.…