Archive for Procurement Solutions
Killer Electronics
Posted by: | CommentsCounterfeit parts that are put into electronics are on the rise, especially ones that come from China and Mexico. These products are dangerous to the economy but are extremely dangerous to you; they can kill you. By placing false safety seals on the electronics, customers are unaware that the discrete parts located within the products can cause overheating or a short circuit, causing a house fire or electrocution. Some fakes are easy to spot; misspelled names, wrong addresses, or no UPC codes. An easier way is to shop at reliable stores and vendors that you can trust.
Semiconductor Production Unaffected by Japan Disaster
Posted by: | CommentsThe effect of the earthquakes and resulting disasters recently in Japan hasn’t proven to have a huge impact on semiconductor production. The biggest impact seen so far is in the supply chain, which has the potential to linger through this year and into 2012. As of last year Japan held a little over 20 percent of the worldwide semiconductor production, and held the same share of the revenue of the microchip market.
Big Changes coming to EMS Industry
Posted by: | CommentsAs the market rebounds from this historic economic downturn, expect to see some major changes in the EMS industry as companies and their shareholders try to recoup serious losses and position themselves for the future.
Look for smaller companies that focus on narrow niche specialties like medical, industrial or aerospace. By specializing, they can concentrate all their time and resources more efficiently, keeping margins down and profits up. Larger EMS providers, which dominated the market in the past, will be left to fight over the less specialized consumer, computer and communications business. Those areas make up a large core of the market, but also have lower margins.
Some larger OEMs may turn to insourcing more of their manufacturing, taking a page out of playbooks that have been very successful for both Nokia and Intel. Keeping more manufacturing in-house puts the OEM in control and reduces the costs and headaches that can come from dealing with an EMS provider.
Finally, expect the explosive growth of Original Design Manufacturers to slow as OEMs respond to concerns over design innovation and product differentiation – the driving factor in many industries, especially consumer electronics. Outsourcing the design of specific components helped cut costs. Outsourcing the design of entire products has made some OEM’s fear they are losing their competitive edge. Now more of them are talking about recapturing control of conceptualization and master design from their ODMs.
Experts predict the next five to ten years will bring big changes to the EMS industry – specialization, insourcing, and a return to in-house product design. Will you be ready?
Smartphones Getting Pico-Projectors
Posted by: | CommentsTiny pico-projectors set for huge growth
Smartphones are getting smarter with new embedded projectors capable of showing up to 50-inch bright, diagonal images on any wall or surface. The first one – the Show Phone by Samsung – was unveiled earlier at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and is currently available only in Korea. But the tiny pico-projectors are expected to take off quickly in the international corporate market allowing business travelers to leave bulky laptops and full-size projection systems behind and make presentations directly from their mobile phone or PDA. And you can be sure consumers won’t be far behind, attracted by the ability to share their personal slide shows or YouTube favorites and even movies anywhere there’s a flat surface and a cell phone.
In fact, the sale and shipment of embedded pico projectors is expected to leap from less than 50,000 units this year to more than 3 million units in 2013, says market research firm iSupply. That’s a staggering 60-fold increase in just four years.
There are still some challenges that manufacturers need to work out before embedded pico-projectors can realize their full potential – like power consumption and size. But their ability to overcome screen-size limitations and project a large image from a small device makes embedded pico projectors a perfect fit for the smaller-is-better smartphone market. Expect projector-capable smartphones to start popping up everywhere soon, and get ready for the market to take off.
Exploding iStuff
Posted by: | CommentsiExplosives?
Have you heard that European authorities are investigating “The Case of the Exploding iPhones?” Apparently a number of iPhones and iPods have exploded or caught fire over the past month in Britain, France, Holland and Sweden.
In June, an iPod was blamed for a car fire in Sweden that nearly incinerated a dog. In July, a man in Holland said he left his iPhone in the car and returned 15 minutes later to find it had caught fire, causing severe damage to the passenger seat. In early August, the father of an 11-year-old girl in Liverpool reported that he was holding his daughters iPod Touch when he felt it get really hot, heard a hissing noise and saw vapor. He said he threw it out the back door and “within 30 seconds there was a pop, a big puff of smoke and it went 10 feet in the air.” The father claims that he contacted Apple and the Cupertino-based company offered him a full refund – on the condition that the family sign an agreement not tell anyone about the iPod that went boom. A few weeks later, a French teenager’s eye was injured by flying glass when the screen of the iPhone 3G he was holding suddenly exploded. The phone, which belonged to his girlfriend, was only two months old. Then, just last Tuesday (August 25) a security guard in southeastern France told authorities that the iPhone he bought three months ago for 600 Euros ($850) exploded in his face while he was typing a text message.
Apple reportedly called the exploding screens “isolated incidents.” But France’s consumer watchdog agency opened an investigation after the teenage boy was injured. Now, the EU is also asking questions about the 200 million iPods and 26 million iPhones that have been sold across Europe.
Hmmmmm . . . I wonder where Apple gets their components?
How to Avoid Component Shortage Nightmares
Posted by: | CommentsShortages happen, and there’s nothing more stressful than tracking down the right component with a gun to your head. You need it now. You need it to be right – not a fake, a refurb, or something that’s ‘almost’ right. And you need to know you’re not paying way too much because the supplier or broker knows you need it now.
The key to avoiding the pitfalls of component shortage nightmares is to do your homework before the shortage hits the fan.
Start by researching your suppliers to find out who you can trust and who can deliver – not just for routine purchases, but in shortage situations. Knowing who has been reliable in the past can give you a go-to list for future shortages.
Next, do some research on the secondary market to speed up your search when components get scarce. Often, a shortage means a frantic website search which reveals plenty of people advertising the part you need. But most want you to call for pricing and availability. They may tell you it’s in another time zone, or in an overseas warehouse, while they buy time to track it down. Before you know it, you’ve lost a day or more and still don’t have full and accurate information. You can call on brokers to find the part, hoping to get it faster. But the more desperate you are, the more likely the broker will open with a high price and negotiate up from there.
Finally, make sure you – and the suppliers you’re researching – know all the angles, from alternate parts options and packaging requirements to customs fees and regulations. There’s nothing worse than thinking you’ve solved a shortage problem only to find out that the shipment has been held up at port.
With today’s tight requirement windows and high-speed global supply chains, it’s important to prepare ahead. Finding out NOW who you can trust to locate the part you need quickly and accurately, then follow through from warehouse to delivery, can take a whole lot of stress out of your shortage situations.
Welcome to the Bluefin Blog!
Posted by: | CommentsThis is the site for the latest industry news, timely technology component updates, and valuable tips from our experts on sourcing, procurement, and business strategy. But it’s more than that. We want the Bluefin Blog to be an interactive forum where people from across the industry can post comments, share insights and get fast, reliable and relevant information. When we have news you can use, we’ll share it here. And we’ll let you contribute to the conversation, too.
We’ve got a lot of folks at Bluefin ready to share their thoughts, discoveries, and some really creative solutions. Here are some of the people you’ll be hearing from, starting with myself:
David Scribner: Chief of Quality and Operations
David has been in the Supply Chain Management arena for more than a decade. His service within the U.S Army’s Intelligence Branch helped develop an attention to detail, a positive attitude and an ability to build systems with superior accuracy and efficiency that has earned him a national reputation. Over the years, he has given multiple TV and radio interviews, sharing his insights on Global Business Strategy. David heads up our quality systems and oversees the entire AS9120 SAE ISO 9001:2000 certified process.
Travis Thoman: VP Aerospace/Military Supply
Travis’ expertise stems from his service in the U.S. Navy aboard the USS Nebraska 739, a Trident Submarine. During multiple tours, Travis performed duties in supply, quality assurance, and maintenance for the ship’s mechanical systems. It takes team work and a critical sense of urgency to keep a naval vessel humming at operational perfection, and Travis carries those skills into his work as the lead of all Military and Aerospace material fulfillment at Bluefin. After his military service he worked in technical sales and purchasing for the Allegheny York Company, a manufacturer, and Parker Hannifin distributor, where he traveled around the United States and South Africa helping clients solve technical issues. In 2001, he launched his own consulting firm, which he sold when he joined Bluefin. As a member of our team, he has helped take the entire Military/Aerospace materials campaign within our company to a whole new level. His goals are simple: “to establish and grow a successful client and vendor base that becomes the premier source for attaining hard to find hardware and components in the industry.”
Jeff Smith: Senior Procurement Specialist
Jeff comes to Bluefin with over 10 years of sales and customer service experience across several industries including corporate payroll and pharmaceuticals. His favorite part of working at Bluefin is “the opportunity to work so closely with my clients.” In his spare time, Jeff enjoys spending time with his 4 year old daughter.
Christine Lutheran: VP Procurement
Christine is second to none when it comes to tracking down hard-to-find and obsolete material. She taught high school for a few years in Cocoa Beach, Fla. before making a career selling milspec/aerospace materials. We’re glad she made the switch! A decade later, she holds a host of Fortune 500 clients, who rely on her to find materials that cannot be sourced elsewhere. When lines go down, Christine has a reputation for saving the day. She currently heads up our purchasing initiative from York , PA.
Tiffany Solano
Tiffany Solano has been on the Bluefin team for the past 6 years. She started in our warehouse and quality department and has consistently moved from position to position within our system. Tiff has worked along side purchasing, data entry, customer service and expediting, before finally landing in OEM Sales where she currently handles 2 dozen active accounts.
