As 2019 rolls into view, component shortages continue to wreak supply chain havoc on a variety of components from multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) and relays to metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). Lead times continue to stretch as component makers scramble to keep up with demands from growing and emerging markets. MLCC makers are shifting their strategies…
Once called makers, product developers are getting more sophisticated and creative—and are realizing they may need help getting their ideas from design to manufacturing, especially in the Internet of Things space. These were the findings of a survey recently conducted by distribution giant Avnet. “We have seen a shift from concept of maker to product…
Consumers increasingly are asking retailers to give them their ideal shopping experience. Retailers, meanwhile, are scrambling to put technology in place to make sure customer expectations are met and exceeded. “The biggest shift we’ve seen is the eovluiton of expectations that shoppers have about fulfillment, and the rising expectations of technology and solutions that retailers…
Black Friday, which falls on the Friday after American Thanksgiving, promises electronics retailers and OEMs a rich boon in sales to close out the year and make the holidays merry. It’s a season for food, friends, family…and smart shopping (including online research). “Americans continue to engage in holiday traditions like spending time with family and…
OEMs, once limited to managing after-service for their equipment to a break fix model, are hopeful that artificial intelligence (AI) Manufacturers are moving in a new direction, throwing away the reactive model in favor of one that is proactive and focuses on maximizing machinery uptime. “Maximizing product uptime is a critical milestone in a manufacturers’ journey to servitization,”…
Counterfeited products account for a lot of losses for legitimate manufacturers, as well as a lucrative opportunity for criminals. “In the high-tech sector, not only do manufacturers and OEMs face the possibility of end products being faked, they run the risk of counterfeit components entering into – and infecting – the supply chain,” said the…
As the supply chain, with its global reach, increasing complexity, and clear interdependence throughout the organization, has evolved as a strategic differentiator for electronics OEMs, the importance of planning excellence has also come into focus. Meanwhile, more and more disruptions that impact that critical supply chain have been traced to climate change. A climate-related event…
People spend more waking hours at work than anywhere else. This Monday, the first Monday of September, is set aside to laud the social and economic achievements of American workers—and so there’s no better time of year to hear how American employees feel about the jobs they do. “[Labor Day] constitutes a yearly national tribute…
Officially, Manufacturing Day falls on Friday, October 5. Thousands of North American Manufacturers are throwing open their doors to give the general public a sense of just how cool today’s manufacturing really is. The Founding Partner Fabricators and Manufacturers Association, which started the idea of Manufacturing Day, list a variety of benefits for OEMs who…
As India continues to evolve as a bastion of electronics manufacturing, the country is scrambling to train its engineers for the evolving challenges. It will likely be a challenge going forward. The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) recently tried to quantify the current status and the challenges going forward. By the end of year…