The most trusted source of electronic component market intelligence
The most trusted source of electronic component market intelligence
I find one reality TV show interesting because it actually represents reality. …At least, it’s the reality that I see through the supply chain and procurement lens of Freebenchmarking.com and Component Cost Estimator as it mirrors typical purchasing negotiations. The…
I find myself confused between what I read in the press and my personal experience. One example is the exodus of manufacturing from China to North America. While this widely espoused turn of events may play well to nationalism and…
Maybe I’m fixated on cost and competitiveness, but over Christmas, two things happened that drove me to ponder these themes. The first is that I was given a Boxee Box as a gift; the second is a technology, entertainment, and…
There are times when I wonder why companies have purchasing departments. Wouldn’t it be a great cost reduction to get rid of the overhead for this group and just let designers pick suppliers and set component pricing? A demand planner…
I have just figured out what my company does! It may sound strange that a CEO of seven years has this epiphany, but it’s true. Lytica Inc. makes knowledge power tools for supply management. Freebenchmarking.comwas our first tool and Component…
Out of capacity, lead times at 44 weeks, and price increases: Sounds familiar? Since my blog on volume vs. price last month, there’s been a continuing discussion of what sets the pricing of electronic components, starting with the question: “If…
Now that the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2012 is over and the flurry of Freebenchmarking.com activity resulting from it is under control, I have had time to reflect on the various participants at the exhibition and the issue of vertical…
Exactly what knowledge do market-leading companies gain from vertical integration? My thought process here considers a very high-level product design process. Though I will portray that process as linear and sequential, the reality is messier, iterative, and probably chaotic. For…
I am in the business of price benchmarking and cost reduction, but even so, I am amazed at what supply chain professionals have achieved. With specials and deals of all kinds during the holiday season, it is astounding the value…
As chief procurement officer for Nortel Networks Ltd. during the downturn in the optical business in 2000, I had to preside over the management of billions of dollars of excess material. This is not something I ever want to have…