The market for microcontrollers (MCUs) —the IC industry’s original system-on-chip (SoC) product category—is expected to continue hitting record-high annual revenues through 2022 after worldwide sales dropped 6 percent in 2016 because of a slowdown in MCU unit shipments. After drawing down MCU inventories in 2016, systems manufacturers stepped up purchases of microcontrollers in 2017 with unit…
Following a slight cool-down period in July, the nation’s factory activity is running hot. The Institute for Supply Management’s domestic production index, the PMI, grew by 3.2 percentage points to reach 61.3 in August. Any number above 50 indicates expansion. Moreover, the ISM’s leading sub-indexes, new orders and production, surged. New orders registered 65.1 percent, an…
Electronics executives and industry experts are all over the map regarding the impact of U.S. and China tariffs on component supplies, OCMs, distributors and their customers. One thing is crystal clear – tariffs, or “taxes,” in one form or another are going to be passed on to buyers. Research and investment firm Morgan Stanley projects…
DRAM supply and demand is so volatile that memory production, prices and availability are often measured separately from other semiconductor products. The electronics industry is currently in the midst of shortages of many critical components. An injunction, which has halted U.S.memory manufacturer Micron Technology from producing certain DRAM and SSD products in China, may press an…
U.S. manufacturers that rely on access to electronic components are on the brink of not being able to fulfill their customers’ orders. But manufacturing is still humming: The Institute for Supply Management’s leading factory index, the PMI, increased by 1.4 percent in May to 58.7. However, comments from the computer and electronics sector indicate OEMs…
Purchasing managers for the manufacturing industries in the U.S. expect growth will continue throughout the remainder of 2018. Sixty-two percent of the respondents to the Institute For Supply Management’s Semiannual Economic Forecast expect their revenue in 2018 will be 11.6 percent higher than in 2017; the industry will average 6.6 percent growth. In fact, every…
U.S. electronics companies are feeling the pressure of widespread component shortages, according to the Institute for Supply Management’s latest report. Although the overall U.S. manufacturing index — the PMI — remains robust, supply constraints and extended lead times have caused some computer and electronic companies to delay or even miss sales opportunities. “Supply constraints, extended lead…
U.S.-based supply executives are receiving the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) of 2017 favorably. The tax reform, signed into law by President Donald Trump in December, will have a positive impact on U.S. manufacturers’ organizational, strategic and tactical considerations, managers said. The Institute for Supply Management conducted a special survey to gauge members’ familiarity…
The pace of U.S. manufacturing growth cooled off a bit in January although overall, domestic production remains solidly in expansion mode. The Institute for Supply Management’s leading indicator, the PMI, reached 59.1 percent in January – one of the highest numbers since December of 2004. Although the PMI slipped 0.2 percentage points from December, any number…
Two weeks into the new year, Gartner Inc. has doubled its 2018 semiconductor revenue forecast to 7.5 percent, propelling the global chip market to $451 billion. This might only be a preview of what’s in store for the components industry as other devices, such as interconnect, passive and electromechanical components, are “pulled” through the supply…