Apple is believed to have phenomenal product momentum (iPhone 4S, iOS 5), expanding distribution and a solid product pipeline.
Read more
Outsourcing & Offshoring
Will iPad 3 get killed by Android and Windows 8?
2012 Forecast spells decline for EMS and ODM as profitability concerns weigh in
Both the electronic manufacturing services (EMS) and original design manufacturing (ODM) segments of the industry are not projected to perform well this year. Revenue in the EMS sector will be practically flat and the ODM sector is likely to shrink.
Read more
VIDEO – Foxconn Chengdu factory, worker conditions and employee interview
In a Foxconn factory located in Chengdu, China, Foxconn employees assemble Apple iPads, iPhones and other products. Apple has recently taken very public steps to better manage working conditions in Asian factories that comprise part of its global supply chain but there remains more work to do.
Read more
VIDEO – Foxconn Fear Factory: How American manufacturing can compete with China
VIDEO – The Daily Show host Jon Stewart adding his usual schtick to labor and working conditions inside factories at Chinese EMS provider Foxconn.
Read more
VIDEO – Apple supply chain transparency and supplier responsibility must also influence public opinion
VIDEO – Apple’s first fiscal quarter earnings, which were just released, more than doubled (+118%) from the same period one year ago. One could easily say things are under control. Apple takes a seat at the table of public opinion with both hands visible and palms facing upward – its body language clearly indicating a willingness to cooperate – while citing numerous violations and areas of concern.
Read more
Interpreting the four phases of the EMS economic cycle
The problem is we are back to phase one and the fundamentals across the EMS industry will not stabilize until the sector reaches the third phase of the EMS economic cycle.
Read more
5 steps for better electronics supply chain AVLs
These 5 steps help you get important info to better analyze your suppliers to improve your electronics AVL and supply chain performance.
Read more
A broken bicycle in Zhangjiagang helps break a language barrier
My new home would be in Zhangjiagang, 张家港, a city of about 1 million people (small for Chinese standards). It was 90 miles northwest of Shanghai and more than 10,000 miles from what I had always known as home in Springville, Iowa (a town of about 1,200).
Read more
Full report: EMS / ODM worry about profitability as fall 2011 survey reveals pessimism in electronics supply chain
471 survey respondents from EMS/ODM, Component Manufacturers, Distributors, Electronic Equipment Manufacturers, OEMs and Semiconductor Manufacturers answer questions on the economic situation; employment, inventory levels, business volume, and prices providing insight into the levels of …
Read more
Closer look at Compal-Lenovo joint venture raises questions
First joint venture between a notebook OEM and an ODM. Previously, ODMs only set up vertical integration joint ventures. Compal could make less profit from the deal than others think. What impact will the joint venture have on other ODMs?
Read more