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Managing manufacturer lead-times to reduce stock levels is not an exact science. Lead-times are inaccurate. Manufacturers favour one customer over another without considering their respective order creation dates. Many suppliers communicate their lead-times by technology and not by manufacturing part numbers. And of course, lead-time discrepancies exist in the same technology family. Inaccurate lead-times lead […]

You’ll sleep better with supply lead-times updated every week. When I ask supply-chain executives about their action plans to keep stock low or decrease their stock levels, they usually suggest: improve the S&OP process (the #1 action in efficiency); increase VMI or CMI coverage*; negotiate short lead-time programs against weekly forecasts; watch orders which need to be rescheduled or […]

How independent distributors regulate prices during component allocation Brokers or independent distributors play an essential role in the electronic component supply-chain: they buy overstock; they source hard-to-find components; they source better prices (since their prices are not controlled by the manufacturer). But they have another crucial role during component allocation: they regulate prices. Here’s how. […]

What, When & Where to start The digitization of the electronics supply-chain is gathering pace, but what will actually happen in the future isn’t yet obvious to everyone. Here is my view. All the possible outcomes for the future of the supply-chain are frightening to anyone working in the industry today: change will be rapid; disruption will […]

The digitization of the electronic supply-chain promises that it will meet all challenges: an almost infinite volume of data, extreme volatility of supply and demand, continuous price variation, multitude of suppliers and the need for critical information at your fingertips at any given moment. With rigorous competition amongst multiple software vendors, businesses are blessed with […]

Everything you need to master Electronic Data Interchange for electronic component purchase orders… but were afraid to ask! It may sound trivial to some, but I have come to realize that for many professionals working in high-tech manufacturing, the EDI connection can be something of a mystery. So what is the EDI? Actually, it’s not that […]