Unfortunately, market indexes for August reveal more than a 20% decline in volume compared to the same month last year. Only larger, industry-leading manufacturers are seeing …
Read more
Trends & Observations
Cautiously optimistic: Taiwan printed circuit board business trends
How to select EMS providers: Factory tours, smoke, mirrors
Parking lots reveal a lot about EMS company management execution. EMS performance metrics don’t mean a thing but understanding geographic value added revenue (VAR) models can help OEMs get the best price.
Read more
Bumping along the bottom: Electronics supply chain summer / fall ‘09 survey results
While some pundits have announced the recession is over, the electronics supply chain has a different view. We asked our readers to comment on the current economic situation, from their perspective in the electronics supply chain. According to those surveyed, the near-term future outlook is …
Read more
Review and projections for Japanese printed circuit board business
n the short term, the single-sided flexible circuits segment will perform adequately relative to sales; however, all signs point to a down turn next year. Performance for the rigid module substrates segment is dependant on positive trends from the global semiconductor market as well as fluctuations in exchange rates against the Japanese yen.
Read more
6 REACH compliance steps for aerospace, defense foreign military sale
U.S. Department of Defense has no program in place for completing substance registrations. Hundreds of substances are at risk in the supply chain. If your supplier has not pre-registered a non-exempt substance then you are currently putting an illegal product on the EU market. Your choices are to either get the supply chain to register the substance immediately or register it yourself via an EU affiliate or representative.
Read more
Recent electronics book-to-bills suggest improving demand
Trends in the U.S. PCB and global connector markets suggest stabilizing PCB demand, and growing connector demand.
Read more
Choosing providers: EMS or ODM?
The landscape for outsourcing electronics has changed significantly in the recent decade resulting from a combination of the emergence of the Taiwanese original design manufacturers (ODM) as well as the consolidation of traditional EMS providers. Companies such as Compal, Quanta, Wistron and Inventec …
Read more
Labor disputes and recessions: Who has your back?
Japanese politicians are publicly voicing their concerns, but solutions to address unemployment and the growing homeless problem have not surfaced. Meanwhile, China’s increase in …
Read more
Value propositions and differentiation for contract electronics services
For EMS firms, this means a continuation on their march toward bankruptcy and eventual replacement by emerging service providers. For OEMs, their ability to fully outsource production and focus on their core competencies will remain limited. Collectively, stagnancy in the EMS-OEM relationship will …
Read more
Korean electronics sector: Bright spot in the world economy?
Most sales for consumer electronics products have shifted to Korean electronics companies, and they switched from Japanese vendors to Korean since costs are lower and …
Read more
