Purchasing articles from October 2003

Purchasing archives from October 2003

Expect relative stability in transaction prices.(tip sheet: KEY METRICS AND SUPPLY ALERT)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Expect relative stability in transaction prices over the next six months even though the economy will warm slightly and producers will aggressively post higher list prices. Reasons: 1) There's still a lot of slack in manufacturing capacity and...

Successful strategic sourcing programs.(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Successful strategic sourcing programs will keep some companies well ahead of the pack. Those companies that understand their spend, leverage it, and attack it with written plans will accrue significant benefits.

Purchasing's Business Activity Index is at its highest level.(economic indexes)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... PURCHASING'S Business Activity Index is at its highest level in 15 months--58.4. That's up from 52.6 in mid-summer. A reading above 50 indicates growth in manufacturing.

Fears about widespread shortages.(natural gas prices and supply forecast)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Fears about widespread shortages and skyrocketing prices of natural gas eased late last month. Prices fell to $4.47 per million Btu, down from $6 in early summer. Historical levels are $2.50 to $3. The federal Department of Energy said...

How did Brunswick cut $2.7 million.(tip sheet: KEY METRICS AND SUPPLY ALERT)
October 9, 2003... How did Brunswick cut $2.7 million from its information technology buy? How did State Street Corp. manage to standardize its personal computer buy? Best Practices in IT Procurement tells these stories and many more. To order, go the bookstore...

The FBI continues to investigate fraud at now-defunct PurchasingPro.(Federal Bureau of Investigation)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... The FBI continues to investigate fraud at now-defunct PurchasingPro. Dow Jones reports that two executives at the software provider pleaded guilt to federal charges related to a wire fraud. PurchasePro filed for banruptcy protection in...

Manufacturing rally starts taking shape.(economic indexes)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
October 9, 2003... Manufacturing rally starts taking shape Up Down Same Index Trend Business Activity Indexes * National 39% 22% 39% 58.4 [up arrow] Northeast 46% 20% ...

"Commodity nonferrous metals prices in general have been slightly lower.(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... "Commodity nonferrous metals prices in general have been slightly lower than last year," says analyst Greg Barnes at Canaccord Capital in Toronto. However, looking ahead to 2004, he forecasts "improving economic sentiment will lead to...

Copper cathode will sell in world markets in a range of 80-85 cents/lb next year.(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Copper cathode will sell in world markets in a range of 80-85 cents/lb next year, forecast the chief executives of the world's two biggest suppliers. The year-to-date price average is 76 cents/lb and the consensus 2004 forecast of PURCHASING'S...

Truckload carriers "are just entering a high-performance curve.(trucking industry forecasting)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Truckload carriers "are just entering a high-performance curve, driven by stronger operations, reduced industry capacity and a better economy in 2004," says analyst Andrew Meister at brokerage Stifel Nicolaus & Co., St. Louis. He says remaining...

Downward pricing pressures have continued.(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Downward pricing pressures have continued because business conditions have weakened for self-adhesive labels used on packaging and mailers and other office products. John Roberts, an analyst with Buckingham Research, believes customers of Avery...

Timken Latrobe Steel is attempting a 3% price increase.(specialty steel alloy mill products)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Timken Latrobe Steel is attempting a 3% price increase on its high-purity aerospace and tool steel remelted alloy mill products, known as VIM-VAR, AOD-VAR and AOD-ESR. The price increase is designed "to help offset higher energy, health care...

London Metal Exchange executives continue working toward the establishment of a North American futures.(prices: FACTORS AFFECTING PRODUCT COST)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... London Metal Exchange executives continue working toward the establishment of a North American futures contract for hot-rolled steel sheet sometime in the second half of 2004. That's despite the fact that steelmakers oppose the idea and...

Price expectations, 90-days.(commodity prices forecast and trends)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
October 9, 2003... Price expectations, 90-days COMMODITY DIFFUSION CATEGORY PERIOD UP DOWN SAME INDEX Energy Sept 67% 11% 22% 77.9...

Expect the U.S. dollar to head into a steady decline.(economic forecasting)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Expect the U.S. dollar to head into a steady decline now that G-7 finance ministers have agreed that "... more flexibility in exchange rates is desirable for major countries or economic areas... " The idea is to wean the global economy off its...

When economic news turns positive, the "I" word is never far behind.(economy: HOW SUPPLY MANAGERS SEE BUSINESS)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... When economic news turns positive, the "I" word is never far behind. Example, the Economic Cycle Research Institute (ECRI) notes that its forward-looking U.S. Future Inflation Gauge rose to 117.6 in August from 115.6 in July on increases in...

The nation's business economists have "upgraded significantly" their forecasts for both 2003 and 2004.(economic forecasting)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... The nation's business economists have "upgraded significantly" their forecasts for both 2003 and 2004, according to the latest Outlook Survey from the National Association of Business Economists (NABE). Consensus for 2003 GDP growth has risen...

Tracking the economy.(economic indicators)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
October 9, 2003... Tracking the economy LATEST PREVIOUS INDICATOR PERIOD PERIOD PERIOD Industrial production ('92=100) August 110.2 110.1...

Analyst Mark Wilde at Deutsche Bank Securities sees no immediate change in "very low spot prices".(containerboard price forecast)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Analyst Mark Wilde at Deutsche Bank Securities sees no immediate change in "very low spot prices" for containerboard--$360/ton for 42-lb kraft in East Coast/Midwest markets in September. The downturn in industrial production in key end-use...

Tire suppliers are projecting a solid rebound in light vehicle and commercial trucking production.(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Tire suppliers are projecting a solid rebound in light vehicle and commercial trucking production in 2004. The outlook is contained in a Rubber Manufacturers Association forecast of a 3% recovery in tire shipments next year from a 1.5% decline...

High-technology capital spending this year will likely be flat or decline slightly.(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... High-technology capital spending this year will likely be flat or decline slightly from 2002 levels, says Goldman Sachs analyst Laura Conigliaro. She adds the "early read" from her survey of information technology managers "suggests modest...

Analyst Mark Edelstone at Morgan Stanley believes semiconductor market.(industry sales forecast)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Analyst Mark Edelstone at Morgan Stanley believes semiconductor market fundamentals have improved enough that industry revenue will grow 4% in the third quarter and 7% in the fourth quarter.

Motorola, Engelhard and the University of Michigan are developing a miniature catalytic fuel processor.(supply: WHAT'S HAPPENING IN MARKETS)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Motorola, Engelhard and the University of Michigan are developing a miniature catalytic fuel processor that will provide power for a wide range of fuel cell-based portable electronic devices. The partners are working on a fuel cell power source...

Market analysts at J.P. Morgan Securities have raised personal computer sales growth forecasts.(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Market analysts at J.P. Morgan Securities have raised personal computer sales growth forecasts to 8.5% this year, compared with a 6% forecast by high-tech research companies, citing "continued strength in notebook shipments and improvements in...

Aluminum producer Alcan is spending $32 million.(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Aluminum producer Alcan is spending $32 million to move downstream into North American automotive parts manufacturing. The Montreal-based firm plans to open an aluminum bumper beams plant in Novi, Mich., and an aluminum structural assemblies...

Forward demand, 30-days.(Brief Article)(Illustration)
October 9, 2003... Forward demand, 30-days COMMODITY DIFFUSION CATEGORY PERIOD UP DOWN SAME INDEX Aluminum Sept 37% 20% 43% 58.6 Transportation...

Lessons learned from the great buyers.(inside purchasing)(Tom Stallkamp of MSX International)
October 9, 2003... In this issue we revisit one of the greatest buyers of all time--Tom Stallkamp. As a purchasing executive at Chrysler in the 1980s, Tom helped engineer one of the greatest corporate turnarounds off all time. He pioneered the idea of supply...

Purchasing involves suppliers who help develop new products.(MRO SOURCING STRATEGY)
October 9, 2003... Applying supply chain management practices to an annual MRO buy of $291 million has helped the U.S. Postal Service reduce its purchasing costs. In August, 2001, the USPS entered into national agreements with two suppliers of custodial...

Cautious buyers report more signs of manufacturing rally.(business conditions forecast)
October 9, 2003... Business conditions improved for 39% of respondents to PURCHASING's September Business Survey, pushing the magazine's Business Activity Index up to its highest level in 15 months. Of the remaining buyers responding to the monthly survey, 39%...

Purchasing turns to services to keep cost savings coming.(THE SERVICES BUY)
October 9, 2003... After squeezing just about all the cost savings they can from the production materials they purchase, sourcing operations are taking a new look at the services buy. Some purchasing operations became interested in the services buy about...

Stewart joins Tyco International.(Shelley Stewart, Jr.)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Shelley Stewart, Jr., has left Invensys, Foxboro, Mass., to join Tyco International as vice president, supply chain. In his new position, he will work closely with Tyco's senior management team to establish savings goals and promote best...

Berryman moves to Applied Materials.(Garry Berryman)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Garry Berryman will soon take the top buying spot at Applied Materials Inc., the largest supplier to the global semiconductor industry. Berryman leaves Harley-Davidson, where he engineered a purchasing turnaround that has been cited many times...

Time is what it takes to ensure terms will be binding.(murray's law)(breach of contract)
October 9, 2003... When one party to a lawsuit claims the other party breached a contract, the court is confronted with determining whether any contract existed and, if so, what are its terms? The first question will require the court to determine whether one...

MSX International.(professional profile of Tom Stallkamp )
October 9, 2003... Title: Vice Chairman and CEO, MSX International. Activities: Teaches part-time at MIT's Sloan School and Babson College. Professional background: Tom Stallkamp began his career in 1969 as a procurement officer in the Coast Guard. After...

10 tech trends: purchasing's editors pick 10 technology developments sure to affect your strategic sourcing decisions.(innovation)(Editorial)
October 9, 2003... Make sure you are not locking your company into technology that will be obsolete in the not-to-distant future. First step: check the next few pages for what we think will be the hottest technologies that will affect purchasing. They range from...

You can get a lot of what you want ... and save money, too: a decade after discarding communism, the transitioning economies of Central Europe want to expand their role as suppliers to the West.(what's hot in eastern europe)
October 9, 2003... Numerous multinational companies--ranging from U.S. Steel Corp. to Toyota Motor Corp.--are expanding production into Eastern and Central Europe, where operating costs are cheaper. These countries--working with various United Nations...

Textron eyes next IPOs: a companywide make/buy analysis is one driving force behind the globalization trend.(global sourcing)(international procurement office)
October 9, 2003... Toward the end of last month, Joseph C. Sponholz, Textron's director of globalization, traveled to India for a two-week industrial reconnaissance mission with Textron's newly named vice-president of sourcing for India, MR Sathya. While various...

Reliability, efficiency trump price in good pump strategy.(PUMPS)
October 9, 2003... The number of companies manufacturing pumps has been exploding in recent years. According to a report on the pump market published by The McIlvaine Co., Northfield, Ill., there are over 10,000 pump manufacturers worldwide. Five of them hold 22%...

What's hot.(logistics)(teachnology in logistics services )(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... It was a long hot summer for technology and logistics alike in 2003. The rash of computer worms and viruses attacking our computer networks did not spare the logistics industry. A virus disrupted rail carrier CSX's telecommunications network,...

Ocean shipping industry weathers a sea of change.(MARITIME LOGISTICS)
October 9, 2003... Most ocean shippers thought they had seen as much change as one industry can handle when the Ocean Shipping Reform Act went into effect in 1999. But in the past two years, another swell of changes has swept across the ocean shipping industry,...

Trouble in light structurals.(leadtime report)(steel structurals)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Restrained production is gradually tightening supplies of light structural steel shapes. Leadtimes averaged five weeks in September compared to 2-3 weeks last spring. Prices for steel structurals slipped in first quarter 2003, then held steady...

Switch polycarbonate suppliers.(leadtime report)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Buyers report that leadtimes for polycarbonate remain extended at 14.8 days, compared to 11.1 days a year ago. Buyers facing long leadtimes, however, should probably be shopping around for new suppliers. The markets are awash in polycarbonate...

Try polyacetal compounders.(supply and demand, leadtimes)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Polyacetal remains on the tight side because of monomer supply problems earlier this year. Polyacetal leadtimes should begin moving closer to normal in coming months. Leadtimes are averaging close to 13 days, more than double the normal level....

leadtime report.(metals)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
October 9, 2003... Biggest gains (12-month rate of change) 1. LLDPE 83.4% 2. LDPE 73.3% 3. HDPE extrusion/blow molding 61.7% 4. Acetal 55.4% 5. HDPE...

Copper could tighten fast.(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... A late-summer rally in copper sheet and strip shipments has been described as "fragile" because it was tied to inventory rebuilding by distributors and not a surge in end-use demand. With residential construction slipping lately, flat-rolled...

Corrugated boxes are everywhere.(prices, supply and demand)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... The containerboard market is relatively balanced, packaging buyers report. Demand remains sluggish and prices for corrugated containers appear to be sliding again. Only 2% of buyers expect corrugated prices to rise in the coming month compared...

No one wants electrogalvanized.(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Leadtimes for electrogalvanized sheet are now running down in the 3-4 week range compared to an average 6-7 weeks at this time last year. Reason: Demand has declined from fickle automakers who are re-embracing hot-dipped galvanized. Domestic...

PS leadtimes pass peak.(polystyrene)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... While still averaging longer than year ago, leadtimes for polystyrene delivery are now running at 8.9 days, down from 10.2 days in August. Reason: Softening demand. Year to date, PS sales and captive use is down 7.5%, according to the most...

What's hot.(metals)(American infrastructure)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... America's infrastructure is full of cracks, leaks and holes--in effect, coming apart at the seams--and is getting worse, An analysis by the American Society of Civil Engineers says the condition of a dozen key infrastructure categories showed...

Demand has collapsed and no rally is expected now until 2005.(superalloys)
October 9, 2003... Purchasing of superalloys has fallen dramatically since 2001, and probably won't really improve until quite some time in the future when manufacturing by the aerospace and power generation industries recovers. Producers, distributors and...

U.S.-Russian supplier eyes nontraditional markets.(Uniti)
October 9, 2003... Uniti, a new Russian-American joint venture, now plans to produce up to 40% of the world's high-grade "pure" titanium products for applications outside the aerospace industry. Most titanium (about 50,000 tons/year) is made as an alloy of some...

AISI: CITAC charges are totally baseless.(metals)(Letter to the Editor)
October 9, 2003... In a story that begs for balance, your Sept. 4 article, "U.S. Appeal Stretches Out Section 201 Tariffs," reads like a press release from the Consuming Industries Trade Action Coalition (CITAC) lobby group. It is particularly disappointing...

Kobe Steel and Alcoa refocus onto automotive.(partnership)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Kobe Steel Ltd. of Japan and Alcoa of the U.S. have agreed to refocus an alliance onto aluminum products for the auto industry and away from can-use aluminum. The Japanese steelmaker and the world's largest maker of aluminum will expand their...

Alcan-Pechiney merger may cut LME volumes.(London Metal Exchange)
October 9, 2003... The planned $4.5-billion merger between French aluminum producer Pechiney and Canadian rival Alcan may reduce volumes of metal traded on the London Metal Exchange (LME), suggest market analysts, but bring with it price stability. "My initial...

Inco paints gloomy supply picture to prop future prices.
October 9, 2003... Peter Jones, president and chief operating of Inco Ltd., the western world's biggest nickel producer, has started a saber-rattling campaign to support futures prices that have stayed high even after a lengthy strike ended at the firm's massive...

Goldman Sachs adjusts 2004 forecast.(BASE METALS)(Brief Article)
October 9, 2003... Goldman Sachs analysts who prepare file New York brokerage's Global Commodity Research recently adjusted their 2004 average price forecast for London Metal Exchange (LME) aluminum to 68 cents, compared with the consensus forecast of 66 cents....

ITC: tariffs dented economic growth.(TRADE)(International Trade Commission)
October 9, 2003... Hefty steel tariffs imposed by President George W. Bush some 18 months ago have had a slightly negative impact on the U.S. economy, the U.S. International Trade Commission says. In a pair of reports sent to the White House and key committees in...

Metalworking is back from holiday.(EXCLUSIVE BUSINESS DATA)
October 9, 2003... The metalworking economy is back from vacation and busy. Various revised reports now show that U.S. manufacturing's new-order bookings have continued to expand. That's why PURCHASING magazine's latest survey of metals buyers shows the September...

Buying revival is coming. Honest! Purchasing's Blue Ribbon Panel of Metals Mavens says demand--and prices--will improve, but it will happen "in fits and starts.".(Cover Story)
October 9, 2003... Since most indicators now point to a moderate manufacturing recovery, corresponding growth in demand for metals "will start to gain traction soon on both sides of the Atlantic," says metals analyst Frederick R. Demler, senior vice president at...

Purchasingdata.com's electronics business indicator.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Illustration)
October 23, 2003... [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Business os picking up as OEMs build for the holiday selling season. Look for the Electronics Business Indicator to stay strong through the rest of the year. Electronics outlook improves ...

Closely watch air freight costs. Fuel surcharges are slowly dropping.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Closely watch air freight costs. Fuel surcharges are slowly dropping. Brian Whitlock, manager of worldwide air-freight services procurement at Hewlett-Packard, believes that DHL's acquisition of Airborne Express will create more aggressive...

Use of procurement cards is still exploding because they drive fast profits to the bottom line.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Use of procurement cards is still exploding because they drive fast profits to the bottom line without big investment in new technology or training. According to a new Procurement Card Benchmark Survey, use of procurement cars doubled in the...

Expect prices for 16 and 64 megabit (Mb) synchronous DRAMs to rise in the fourth quarter.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Expect prices for 16 and 64 megabit (Mb) synchronous DRAMs to rise in the fourth quarter. Reason: Suppliers are cutting back production of the parts in favor of higher density double data rate parts. Tags could rise as much as 10%. The spot...

Dell is the latest computer company to jump into the consumer electronics fray.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Dell is the latest computer company to jump into the consumer electronics fray. Dell has announced it will sell a line of televisions, MP3 players and digital still cameras. Dell is following the lead of Hewlett-Packard, Gateway and Apple,...

Look for tantalum capacitor tags to fall.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Look for tantalum capacitor tags to fall. The average price fell from $0.094 in the first quarter to about $0.837 in the third quarter. The price will bump up early next year but then fall again in the second half. By the fourth quarter the...

Expect the DRAM market to recover next year.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Expect the DRAM market to recover next year. DRAM revenue in 2003 will increase a modest 8.3% in 2003 when sales will grow to $16.7 billion. However, in 2004 the market will grow a hefty 27% to $21.2 billion, according to iSuppli. An increase...

Purchasingdata.com's 30-day flash-32Mb price expectations.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Strong demand for flash memory will mean prices will rise over the next 30 days. Buyers expect tags to increase the most for 32Mb devices which are widely used in cell phones. New 3G phones will require more memory and...

Discount pricing is unsettling the software market.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Discount pricing is unsettling the software market, complains German software giant SAP. Chief Executive Henning Kagermann blames the intense pricing pressure on the ongoing takeover battle between U.S. rivals PeopleSoft and Oracle. "The...

Hidden disposal costs for high-tech equipment, especially personal computers, must be considered as a line item.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Hidden disposal costs for high-tech equipment, especially personal computers, must be considered as a line item when estimating total cost of ownership, according to a new report by Gartner. On average, firms selling PCs after three years of...

Downward pricing pressures have continued.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Downward pricing pressures have continued--because business conditions have weakened--for self-adhesive labels used on packaging and mailers and other office products. John Roberts, an analyst with Buckingham Research, believes customers of...

The shortage of domestic sources of natural gas.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * The shortage of domestic sources of natural gas will send prices trending higher for some time, says a poll of 400 oil and gas executives at a RBC Capital Markets industry conference held recently in Houston. Energy executives forecast...

Teck Cominco Ltd., the Vancouver-based zinc miner, is forecasting mildly higher prices.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Teck Cominco Ltd., the Vancouver-based zinc miner, is forecasting mildly higher prices for the metal. Zinc traded around 35 cents in 2001-2002, but is around 38 cents/lb this year as hefty surpluses have dissipated. The consensus forecast for...

Uranium producers are gaining pricing power.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Uranium producers are gaining pricing power. Market researchers have increased long-term price forecasts based upon the recent surge in spot prices caused by supply tightness. Analysts are looking for an average uranium price of $13.50/lb in...

Purchasingdata.com's electronics forward demand indicator.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Illustration)
October 23, 2003... [GRAPHIC OMITTED] The Electronics Forward Demand Indicator decreased 0.4 in September, but remains very strong at 70.3. Over 50 means buyers plan to increase their orders over the next 30 days. Increasing orders is one sign...

Get ready for more manufacturing growth.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Get ready for more manufacturing growth. Preliminary results for October show the percentage of industrial buyers reporting new order growth at their companies rose seven points from September. That's a ten-point increase since July. Still,...

The jobless recovery in the U.S. became a bit less jobless in September.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * The jobless recovery in the U.S. became a bit less jobless in September. The service sector added 74K jobs while U.S. factories cut only 29K, a marked reduction from the 54K monthly average of the past 12 months. Still, some analysts believe...

Don't count on inventory restocking.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Don't count on inventory restocking to fuel growth in the manufacturing economy this business cycle. PURCHASING's diffusion index tracking buyers' inventory strategies for materials has been creeping up in recent months, but the gains are...

How sustainable is the current U.S. economic recovery?(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * How sustainable is the current U.S. economic recovery? To answer, keep a close eye on Eurozone and Asian economic policy moves. Economists here say U.S. officials are rapidly running out of stimulus options. Europe needs to step up its fiscal...

Coming soon: Purchasing is digitizing its price data collection process.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Coming soon: PURCHASING is digitizing its price data collection process. Incentive to participate in the new online survey is free access to PURCHASING'S monthly Transaction Price data. To find out if you're eligible to be included on...

NEC Corp. has created a prototype transistor constructed from carbon nanotubes.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * NEC Corp. has created a prototype transistor constructed from carbon nanotubes that can operate at more than 10 times the speed of current silicon-based transistors. The Japanese company plans to increase the prototype transistor's speed to...

World demand for electronics components hasn't disappeared, "it's just been pushed back.".(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * World demand for electronics components hasn't disappeared, "it's just been pushed back," says Yasuo Nishiguchi, chief executive of Japanese maker Kyocera Corp. He hopes purchasing will recover in the second half of the business year, which...

Global positioning system (GPS) equipment for the automotive and asset tracking segments.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Global positioning system (GPS) equipment for the automotive and asset tracking segments will account for nearly 50% of the global market by year-end 2003 and will continue to gain share through 2008. Tech market research firm ABI says that,...

Corporate purchasing of personal computers.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Corporate purchasing of personal computers, which represents the largest portion of PC demand, is only slowly recovering in 2003. Market analysts are taking a cautious stance toward 2004 but do suggest demand will be robust because corporate...

Boom time for online travel may be over.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
October 23, 2003... * Boom time for online travel may be over. Through September, consumers spent $28 billion booking air travel, hotel and car reservations on the Internet. That's a 37% jump over 2002, reports Forrester Research. However, industry sales next year...