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.
Unravelling global supply chains, a catalyst for smart factories
John Denslinger explores the idea that the cost savings offered by smart factories, Industry 4.0 and AI lay the foundations for a new generation of localized supply chains. Since the early 1980s, global supply chains were developed with cost minimization as the driving force. Given that as the prime metric, success was commonplace and adoption flourished. In the decades that followed, combined advancements in systems, communication technology and transportation modes helped spearhead more complex multinational…
Smart-home: it’s a matter of time
Using his own experience planning and integrating a Smart-home, John Denslinger, is looking forward to new device compatibility technology due in 2022. Forty years in the electronics industry and still fascinated by innovative technology: how great is that? So, when I decided to build a new house in 2021, I knew it had to be Smart. Typically, I wouldn’t expound on a personal activity, but the experience produced some real eye-openers worthy of honest, technical…
Quest for sustainable electronics
As consumers escalate environmental, social and governance expectations for publicly traded companies, John Denslinger argues there is only one downside: failure to act. ESG, carbon neutral, zero emissions, e-waste, sustainability and similar environmental stewardship labels are more than just talking points in company boardrooms and investment communities. Maybe it was the pandemic that elevated consciousness and the social value of safeguarding the health/safety of employees, workplace, consumer and environment. To be that socially responsible is…
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.
DRAM price increases will ease
There should be ample supply of DRAM through the rest of the year as memory IC manufacturers continue to increase capacity. Memory IC buyers can expect a 2-5 per cent increase in prices for DRAM this year as the market grows 25 per cent to $118 billion because of continued strong demand from the computer segment especially from servers used in data centers. It will mark the second straight year of 20 per cent or…
Specialist distributors expect another strong year for sales
Component demand remains healthy, prices are increasing and some component lead times are still long. Specialist electronics distributors are cautiously optimistic that strong component demand will continue through the year and sales growth will rise to high single-digit or double-digit levels this year. Some specialist distributors express concern that electronics buyers scheduled orders last year for 2022 because of long lead times for crucial semiconductors and other components and that purchase orders would weaken this…
Lead times will remain long for discretes through 2022
Prices for MOSFETS, IGBTs and rectifiers increased in 2021 and there could be more price hikes in 2022. Buyers can expect continued tight supply for discrete semiconductors through most of 2022 but supply could loosen towards the end of the year and lead times for some discretes could shrink a bit. However, lead times will still remain long with some chip manufacturers saying that MOSFETs, rectifiers and transient voltage suppressors (TVS) will have lead times…
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…