Electronic Business articles from December 2004

Electronic Business archives from December 2004

The next big thing: nothing: let's start making everything we already have work together.(Editorial)
December 1, 2004... In Silicon Valley and around the world, everyone wants to know what the next big thing is. There is no next big thing. Not if you're talking about a brand-new use for computers such as desktop publishing or e-mail. No, the next big thing is to...

Is R&D DOA?(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... I read Bill Roberts' October cover story ("The End of Innovation," page 42) with great interest. And I came away with two reactions: R&D issues are worse than Roberts says they are, and R&D issues aren't nearly as bad as Roberts says they are....

Follow the money.(Letters)(Letter to the Editor)
December 1, 2004... Regarding "Shared Fabs Catching On" (November 2004, page 34), it would be very interesting to get some idea of what kind of financial/operational arrangements are utilized in these shared facilities. I found that the article stimulated thoughts...

Strengthening the innovation chain: for the electronics industry to thrive, each link in the chain must focus on the future.(Commentary)
December 1, 2004... Conventional wisdom advises employees and companies to focus on their "core competency," but I am often surprised to see professionals in the electronics industry focus themselves into technical stagnation. Having a core competency is key, but...

EMS prepares for its next phase: and now for something completely different.(Contract Manufacturing)(Electronics Manufacturing Services)
December 1, 2004... As the electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry tries to shake off the last effects of the recent downturn, its leaders are preparing for the next phase of growth. Two disparate strategies are beginning to emerge--both vaguely...

Getting a foot in the door: interoperability standards could kick-start the home networking market.(Digital Living)
December 1, 2004... When it comes to home networking, there's no shortage of standards. "The good news is that we have lots of standards. The bad news is that we have lots of standards," says Pat Griffis, senior director of worldwide media standards at Microsoft...

Selling out: entrepreneurs must manage for all exit strategies.(Finance)
December 1, 2004... All electronics entrepreneurs believe that the companies they start are destined to go public and become the next great thing. "All the entrepreneurs I've ever met are eternal optimists who think they could be among the few who make it big...

Is top-management hiring on the upswing? Here's what companies are looking for in CEOs and other new hires.(Management)
December 1, 2004... After a two-year slump, executive hiring in the technology sector is on the rise. But C-level managers aren't exactly storming the corner offices. Although some tech sectors are hot, demand is far from increasing across the board. And, with...

Trim the inventories but not the sales: component and telecom manufacturers will be hardest hit by inventory shift.(Economic Outlook)
December 1, 2004... Will the electronics industry ever mature? If it follows the same patterns as other maturing industries, it's got some rough sailing ahead. Electronics manufacturers, with the exception of high-volume PC and peripheral suppliers, operate with...

Searching for stability.(Business Barometer)(Illustration)
December 1, 2004... With the election behind us and the economy reaching some level of stability, purchasing managers are not expecting many changes for the next 30 days. Roughly two-thirds of respondents are expecting no change in business conditions. Most...

Semiconductor shakeout? Gartner sparks controversy with forecast predicting 40 percent industry consolidation.(Semiconductors)
December 1, 2004... Semiconductor industry conditions clearly are challenging these days. But they re perhaps not quite as dismal as in the portrayal by Gartner analyst Jim Tully, who recently sparked howls of protest by predicting that 40 percent of today's chip...

Processors gets hardened: security concerns are mandating the enhancement of on-chip protection.(Security)
December 1, 2004... Wells Fargo is currently living through a corporate nightmare. Four of its laptops were stolen in October from an Atlanta company that prints loan statements for the bank, and those machines contained the names, addresses and Social Security...

Preparing for the future of chip design: are EDA firms ready for the next transformation?(Electronic Design Automation)
December 1, 2004... Every decade, EDA goes through a fundamental transformation marked new companies emerging seemingly out of nowhere to dominate the market. The beneficiaries of the last transformation were Cadence and Synopsys, so you'd think they'd both be...

Look before you leap: improving your operations at home can make offshoring easier.(Supply Chain Management)
December 1, 2004... Rob Coats is feeling the pressure. The CEO of $30 million SMC, a Lexington, Ky.-based electronic manufacturing services (EMS) company, says that a few years ago, his customers were merely musing about offshore manufacturing. Now, those musings...

Don't cut the R&D budget: 45-nm tech likely to be difficult and expensive.(Capital Equipment)
December 1, 2004... As the industry gears up for the 65-nanometer node over the next few years, researchers are already focusing on the 45-nm node's process technology. Even while the industry grapples with what seems to be an inventory correction, it appears more...

Street smart: a competitive New Yorker, Jerry Fishman moves Analog Devices from staid to standout.(CEO Of The Year)
December 1, 2004... When Jerald Fishman became president and chief operating officer of Analog Devices Inc., in 1991, he and CEO Ray Stata had a special conference room built at ADI's corporate headquarters, in Norwood, Mass. The room has soundproof walls and one...

Shooting at a moving target: electronics companies struggle to meet the vague requirements of the EU's lead-free law.(Environmental Issues)
December 1, 2004... Solectron has spent six years preparing for July 1, 2006. That's the date when the European Union's legislation mandating a reduction in lead and other hazardous chemicals in electronic equipment goes into effect. The $11.4 billion electronic...

In search of processor profit: ARM's acquisition of Artisan reflects new dynamics in the SoC market.(Embedded Processors)(ARM Holdings)
December 1, 2004... At first glance, it appears to be an overpriced acquisition that will give the acquirer incremental revenue and not much else in the relatively small--$1 billion--chip IP market. Why would ARM Holdings, developer of widely used embedded...