Jon Barrett
Editor of Electronics Sourcing UK, North America and Europe
During his publishing career, Jon has continued to develop his mechanical, electronic and software skills ranging from recent qualifications in precision welding to the development of hosted business software.
Plug-and-play comes of age
Thanks to a unique set of circumstances, there is a single day when I judge the accomplishments of the electronics industry over the previous year: Christmas day. On that day, as if by magic, electronic products appear on the living room floor. The time frame to enable them is immediate. The userbase comprises demanding children. Finally, any form of meaningful technical support is non-existent. This year the challenge was an app-controlled toy and this is…
Press go for growth
I always look forward to the December issue of Electronics Sourcing. It’s an opportunity to ask a wide range of manufacturers and distributors for their experience over the past 12-months and their expectations for the coming year. Every year, for the last decade, these Forecast features have typically delivered a diversity of views. Some contributors are bullish, others are bearish. Some see growth in one industry, others in a different sector. Not this year. This…
Think, make or serve
It’s been an interesting 55-years. Like many children of the ‘60s, I was born into a manufacturing economy. As the years ticked by this was subsequently swept away by the knowledge economy, which was looked upon as higher value, cleaner and more environmentally sound. Just as I got to grips with that concept, it too was pushed aside by the service economy, which itself spawned its little brother: the gig economy. Then along comes Covid-19…
John Denslinger
Editorial contributor to Electronics Sourcing
John Denslinger is a former executive VP Murata, president SyChip Wireless, and president/CEO ECIA, the industry’s trade association. His career has spannned up to 40 raw years in electronics.
Semiconductors, reshoring and Fed policy
John Denslinger investigates reshoring for self-sufficiency as a national competitive advantage. A merica was once the hub for semiconductor manufacturing but that leadership shifted to Asia at the turn of the century as many domestic companies embraced the fabless model. Today the Asia Pacific Big 4 (a term coined by Deloitte) consisting of South Korea, Taiwan, China and Japan dominate semiconductor manufacturing. In fact, by 2019 South Korea and Taiwan alone held a commanding 81…
Unmasking workplace and company culture
John Denslinger wonders what post pandemic workplaces will look like given all the data squarely points to hybrid. A careful look at a CDC demographic shows 62 per cent of the US adult population received at least one vaccine dose as of May 2021 and 50 per cent are now fully vaccinated. CDC guidance suggests vaccinated Americans can forego masks and social distancing: the two biggest impediments to everyday person-to-person interaction. As one would expect,…
America – Essential component battleground
John Denslinger investigates EV batteries and how their associated manufacturing and distribution supply chains represent new electronics industry frontier. I n April’s editorial I discussed the ‘small but big impact’ semiconductors were having on the supply chain citing the auto industry’s predicament in particular. Later that week, arguably the largest component, the EV battery, captured US headlines as LG Chem and SK Innovation settled a bitter lawsuit involving trade secrets. The resolution was significant. At…
James Carbone
Editorial contributor to Electronics Sourcing
A veteran journalist, James was a writer and editor for Electronics and Purchasing magazines for 21 years. He covered electronics distribution, semiconductors, passives and connectors for the magazines.
Semiconductor midyear outlook: Chip revenue will rise nearly 20% in 2021
Strong revenue growth and robust demand is compelling chipmakers to add production capacity which should ease tight supply conditions later this year. The worldwide semiconductor market will increase 19.7 per cent to $527 billion in 2021 because of strong demand from multiple customer segments, limited supply and rising prices for some chips. Memory IC revenue, including NAND flash and DRAM, will rise 31.7 per cent, while sensor sales growth increases 22.4 per cent and analog…
Distributors say IoT will drive sales growth opportunities
Growing use of IoT, especially in industrial applications, will result in greater component demand over the next five years. Most electronics distributors can’t pinpoint how much Internet of Things (IoT) applications are impacting component sales but most believe IoT will become a more important driver as more consumer and commercial devices and factory automation equipment become IoT capable. Much of the sales growth of components used in IoT applications will come from companies deploying IoT…
Communications including 5G will drive the components market
While electronics content in cars and trucks is increasing, the auto industry will continue to account for a relatively small percentage of semiconductor sales over the next five years. It’s no secret that electronics buyers in the automotive industry have been scrambling to purchase microcontrollers, power management ICs and other semiconductors because of tight supply after production of many components and finished goods slowed down last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Exacerbating the problem…
Amy Leary
Marketing Manager of eBOM.com
Amy Leary has been working within the electronics industry for over three years. Along with Marketing, Amy also produces unique editorials connected to the industry which have been published in widely recognised publications globally.
The Impact Chinese New Year 2021 Will Have on The Electronics Industry
Chinese New Year usually falls somewhere between the end of January and the middle of February. Next year in 2021, it is set to commence on 12th February and will be the year of the Ox. Chinese New Year is a time for celebration and is known to cause the largest human migration in the world, resulting in many employees taking time off work to be with family and friends. The holiday period often causes…
Let’s Get the Industry Moving Again
This year has seen one of the worst financial crises since 1929, the Wall Street Crash. The economy has seen a rough start to 2020, with thanks to COVID-19 causing mass disruption for manufacturers globally and over 437,000 deaths within seven months. Same as all major industries, the electronics sector has been substantially affected by the virus in all divisions including events, manufacturing, supply chain and staffing. With COVID-19 grinding spending and production to halt,…
Did You Stockpile Because Of BREXIT?
For those who may not be aware, the United Kingdom held a referendum vote on its relationship to the EU back in 2016. With virtual guarantees that the United Kingdom would remain in the EU – it came as a shock that by a slim margin, more of the public had voted ‘leave’ by a majority of 52% to 48%. The impact of the surprise vote caused lots of uncertainty with UK citizens and has…