Purchasing articles from September 2004

Purchasing archives from September 2004

Purchasingdata.com's forward demand indicator 90-day.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
September 2, 2004... [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Purchasing growth may slow; economists suggest the U.S. recovery may be entering a lull. Summer dog days hit NE, West regions Up Down Same Index Trend Business...

It's not too late to respond to Purchasing magazine's annual salary survey.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... It's not too late to respond to PURCHASING magazine's annual Salary Survey. If you haven't done so already, please take a few minutes to complete the survey at www.purchasing.com. Last year, purchasing salaries increased 5%, helped by an 8%...

The manufacturing economy is improving.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... The manufacturing economy is improving, but buyers may not see any windfalls in pay raises this year. Annual average pay raises have been under 4% since 2002, and a survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting finds employers planning to give out...

The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is encouraging financial executives.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... The Sarbanes-Oxley Act is encouraging financial executives in small to mid-size businesses to abandon spreadsheet accounting in favor of automation. A survey of 118 executives by RevenueRecognition.com and international Data Corp. finds 80%...

Economist John Anton, director of Global Insight's steel service is "going nuts".(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Economist John Anton, director of Global Insight's steel service is "going nuts" trying to make sense of current sheet steel prices. He tells PURCHASING that he's "trying to figure out how long customers will continue to be willing to pay these...

State and local governments lost more than $15.4 billion.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... State and local governments lost more than $15.4 billion in revenue last year from electronic commerce, according to Donald Bruce and William E Fox of the University of Tennessee's Center for Business and Economic Research in Knoxville. They...

Purchasingdata.com's fabricated metals price expectations.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
September 2, 2004... [GRAPHIC OMITTED] After a pause, metalworking firms are expected to push prices higher. Price expectations, 90-day COMMODITY DIFFUSION CATEGORY PERIOD UP DOWN SAME INDEX...

The price of gold declined 3.2% in the second quarter.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... The price of gold declined 3.2% in the second quarter to $396/oz from $409, based on Purchasingdata.com surveys. Still, the precious metal's $400 average in July was $40/oz higher than a year earlier. "The gold price is expected to rise in late...

Pulp mills have raised list prices for Northern bleached softwood kraft.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Pulp mills have raised list prices for Northern bleached softwood kraft (NBSK) to $630/metric ton, the highest levels since February 2001, bringing the 2004 annual average up to $614/metric ton from $553 in 2003. Analyst Stephen Atkinson at BMO...

Mexican cement maker Cemex expects domestic prices in 2004.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Mexican cement maker Cemex expects domestic prices in 2004 to be flat in constant peso terms, but sees prices rising steeply in the U.S., its second-largest market. Reason: A surge in demand and limits on imports have led to U.S. cement...

Several mini-mill producers are boosting prices by $20/ton.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Several mini-mill producers are boosting prices by $20/ton on September shipments of merchant steel bars. Current U.S. mill prices on merchant bars are $560 so producers are hoping to put mill list prices up to around $580/ton. However, actual...

Record high prices are expected this autumn for OSB.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Record high prices are expected this autumn for OSB (oriented strand board) panels used mainly as roof, wall and floor sheathing. August sales prices are beginning to creep up to the $340 vicinity, after falling sharply early in the summer to...

Purchasingdata.com's Leadtime Index, all commodities.(Economy: how supply managers see business)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
September 2, 2004... [GRAPHIC OMITTED] For the 12 months ending August 2004, PURCHASING'S Leadtime Index (1992=100) averaged 14.5% higher than the corresponding 12-month period a year earlier. Tracking the economy ...

International Monetary Fund economists say any short-term outlook.(Economy: how supply managers see business)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... International Monetary Fund economists say any short-term outlook for the U.S. economy is "subject to some uncertainty" due to record-high energy prices. Federal Reserve Board policymakers continue to forecast a stronger pace of expansion in...

The International Energy Agency now sees 2004 crude oil demand.(Economy: how supply managers see business)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... The International Energy Agency now sees 2004 crude oil demand at 82.2 million barrels per day, about 700,000 barrels more than previously predicted. Estimate for 2005 usage is up 700,000 barrels to 84 million of barrels a day. "The market is...

Economist Ted Wieseman at Morgan Stanley says the U.S. manufacturing economy weakened over the summer.(Economy: how supply managers see business)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Economist Ted Wieseman at Morgan Stanley says the U.S. manufacturing economy weakened over the summer. And there is some concern that the slowdown in output at U.S. factories, mines, and utilities may continue into the autumn. Factory output...

Recent weak reports on job creation, the service sector.(Economy: how supply managers see business)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Recent weak reports on job creation, the service sector, industrial production and durable goods orders have contributed to a broad weakening of the dollar. "The dollar impact has been overall a little bit negative from the (economic) numbers...

With the Federal Reserve embarking on a gradual cycle to tighten credit; indicators of inflation get magnified in importance.(Economy: how supply managers see business)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... With the Federal Reserve embarking on a gradual cycle to tighten credit, indicators of inflation get magnified in importance. The pace of interest rate increases will depend on what happens in the data over the coming few months, says an...

Purchasingdata.com's 30-day industrial machinery buying plans.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
September 2, 2004... [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Machine tool buying plans are strengthening although buys are just 0.9% ahead of 2003. Forward demand, 30-days COMMODITY DIFFUSION CATEGORY PERIOD UP DOWN...

"Copper fundamentals continue to be positive," says Art Miele.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... "Copper fundamentals continue to be positive," says Art Miele, senior vice president of marketing for Phelps Dodge, who now expects the world copper market to grow 6.5%-7% this year, an increase from an earlier forecast of 6%. Supply still is...

Alcoa Engineered Products is introducing a premium-priced.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Alcoa Engineered Products is introducing a premium-priced, high-performance extruded square and rectangular aluminum bar product. ACC-U-BAR was developed for uses needing tight tolerances during machining, superior straightness, and reduced...

BP Americas is planning to spin off its olefins and derivatives unit.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... BP Americas is planning to spin off its olefins and derivatives unit--which includes polypropylene and high-density polyethylene--now based in the Chicago suburb of Naperville, Ill. The unit also produces polystyrene, as well as chemical...

Global semiconductor sales totaled $53.45 billion through June.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Global semiconductor sales totaled $53.45 billion through June, up 40% over a year ago, boosted by strong sales and pricing of dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). The trade...

US Airways Group will discontinue nonstop service to 20 destinations.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... US Airways Group will discontinue nonstop service to 20 destinations from its Pittsburgh hub starting Nov. 7. The nation's sixth largest airline may shed other unprofitable routes from Pittsburgh later this year as it cuts costs in an attempt...

Recent slowdowns in end-market demand are pressuring liquid crystal display.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Recent slowdowns in end-market demand are pressuring liquid crystal display (LCD) panel makers into lower second-half output. Looking ahead, UBS analyst Nikos Theodosopoulos reckons that new capacity for glass substrates will continue to be...

Agricultural tractor sales in the U.S. are expected to grow 6.2% this year.(Supply: what's happening in markets)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Agricultural tractor sales in the U.S. are expected to grow 6.2% this year and 3.4% next year, forecasts the Association of Equipment Manufacturers.

Congratulations to Hewlett-Packard.(inside purchasing)
September 2, 2004... Hewlett-Packard is the 2004 winner of PURCHASING Magazine's Medal of Professional Excellence, becoming the first company to win the award two times. When HP first won the award in 1992, it was a different company. It was smaller, very...

Strategic sourcing: it's now deeply rooted in U.S. buying.(Purchasing Survey)
September 2, 2004... The trend toward strategic purchasing is no longer just a vague goal among purchasing professionals. A new survey by PURCHASING magazine shows that 71% of U.S. corporations have begun a formal strategic sourcing program and another 24% intend...

Working to improve the inventory, situation.
September 2, 2004... Enterasys Networks was not unlike a lot of other telecommunications firms a couple years ago. After some very strong demand for its products, the company was caught off guard by a massive drop in demand and lacked the responsiveness and...

Delta Airlines.(Aaron Dent promoted )(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Aaron Dent has been promoted to vice president of supply chain management at Delta Airlines in Atlanta. He reports to Michael Palumbo, executive vice president and chief financial officer for the airline. Dent formerly served as director of...

Hercules Inc.(Who's News)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Charles Wardlaw is the new vice president and chief procurement officer at Hercules Inc., a chemical specialties firm in Wilmington, Del. Wardlaw comes to Hercules from his position as vice president of strategic sourcing for Tyco...

Schering-Plough Corp.(Who's News)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Lennart Olving has been appointed vice president of global supply chain for New Jersey-based healthcare manufacturer Schering-Plough Corp. In his new position, Olving is responsible for the development, implementation and execution of the...

To centralize or not ... that is the question.
September 2, 2004... One of the most often debated issues in procurement is whether to centralize the procurement function or locate it near or at the manufacturing site. Sheila Johnson, manager of strategic sourcing for Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting System,...

Accenture survey finds indirect buyers dissatisfied with procurement policies.(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... A recent Accenture survey of 150 procurement policy makers and users in the indirect spend areas found that 58% of respondents were dissatisfied with their companies' procurement policies. The study found policy makers have a brighter view of...

How to define a world-class procurement organization.(Hackett Study)
September 2, 2004... World-class procurement organizations spend 30% less on procurement operations than their peers and operate with nearly half the staff, according to 2004 research into world-class performance from The Hackett Group, a business advisory firm. At...

Market volatility can create buying opportunities.(Natural Gas Q&A)(Energy Buying Strategies)(Interview)
September 2, 2004... Natural gas production is expected to increase by only about 0.5% in 2004 and 2005. Despite increases in new natural gas well completions, production growth will be modest because of the high rate of decline in output from existing wells. Yet,...

U.S. mines p-card data for fraud and spend control.(Procurement Cards)
September 2, 2004... When the federal government introduced procurement cards in 1989, the goals were to scrap mounds of paperwork for low dollar buys, speed up fulfillment, and cut transaction costs. Those objectives have been largely achieved. Savings for FY 2003...

Who's got strategic sourcing on the brain?(buylines)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Canadian mining firm Placer Dome says its strategic sourcing efforts for tires, cyanide, explosives and fuels and lubricants are expected to result in estimated total savings of $15 million over the next three years. Placer Dome is now actively...

Bayer AG.(Price Fixing News)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... Bayer AG pleaded guilty in a rubber price-fixing case and agreed to pay a $65 million fine. Bayer became the second company to plead guilty in the Justice Department case after Crompton Corp. agreed to pay a $50 million fine in May. According...

The ongoing probe of computer chipmakers has taken its financial toll.(Price Fixing News)(Brief Article)
September 2, 2004... The ongoing probe of computer chipmakers has taken its financial toll. U.S. officials are currently looking into whether Infineon worked with other chipmakers Samsung, Micron Technology, and Hynix Semiconductor to fix prices on the spot market....

Price increases are squeezing the metalworking economy.(Sheet Metal)
September 2, 2004... Metalworking companies continue to face soaring steel prices, at a time when they are unable to pass along soaring costs that would create demand-dousing, end-product prices. In fact, cold-rolled sheet prices are moving to all-time records. ...

Buyers are paying, higher sheet steel prices in 2004.(E-Mail Poll)
September 2, 2004... A special e-mail poll of steel buyers by Purchasing.com finds that 50% had firm price agreements with integrated and/or electric furnace-based steel mills for 2004. However, while 35% of the buyers are paying what they agreed to pay for steel...

OECD plans to reconvene steel subsidy talks in 2005.(Steel Trade Wars)(Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development)
September 2, 2004... After two years of high-level talks, negotiators from the world's major steel-producing nations failed to reach an agreement to cut subsidies for steelmaking firms. So, the talks to end controversial steel subsidies worldwide broke down this...

Steel futures market: it's not in the cards--yet: the current steel market is one of the most volatile in living memory, with costs of raw materials and prices of finished product rapidly escalating. Doing business in the sector has never been riskier. Yet hedging prices through steel futures can't seem to get any traction.(risk management)
September 2, 2004... For several years now, the concept of a steel futures market has been heralded as a way for mills and buyers to hedge against price risk. After all, suggest the proponents, there is a successful model in hedging prices of nonferrous metals on...

Achieving greatness: buy Like the best-in-class.
September 2, 2004... PURCHASINC Magazine will host its 3rd Global Procurement Conference on October 13-14. The conference will home in on issues that purchasing executives say are most important right now. Topping the list is spend analysis where most organizations...

Hewlett-Packard wins for the 2nd time: when HP merged with Compaq in 2002, it tapped into the purchasing brainpower of both companies and implemented, refined or expanded a host of programs to cut supply chain costs. Its efforts have earned HP Purchasing magazine's 2004 Medal of Professional Excellence award.(medal of excellence)
September 2, 2004... When Hewlett-Packard and Compaq Computer Corp. announced that they would merge, Dick Conrad and Greg Shoemaker were given a big challenge. The two had to merge the purchasing and supply chain operations of two large multinational high-tech...

Market for top purchasing execs takes off: demand for top-notch supply chain executives is hotter than it has been in years, thanks to a recovering economy and deep changes in the purchasing profession.(recruitment)
September 2, 2004... These are very good times to be a purchasing executive. Thanks to the confluence of an improving economy, a decade-old trend that's reshaping the profession and even some otherwise discouraging demographics, demand for top purchasing talent is...

Retailers push the logistics learning curve.(Best Practices)
September 2, 2004... As many manufacturing markets become more competitive and product margins wither away, companies are taking a keener interest in supply chain and logistics strategies to gain a competitive advantage. And while it may be a new strategy to some...

Fastenal adds inventory to stores, enhances service.(Distribution)
September 2, 2004... As a major growth initiative, Fastenal opened 151 new stores and spruced up hundreds of others in 2003. This year, it plans to open another 200 more stores. Based in Winona, Minn., Fastenal is a full line distributor of fasteners, cutting...

Avnet automates req-to-check process for MRO.(Sourcing Strategy)(Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul )
September 2, 2004... When Phil Wehrli joined Avnet Inc., as director of procurement services in 2003 he was tasked with automating the company's purchasing. system for indirect goods and services in North America. Headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., Avnet is one of...

Key supplier web-site locator.(Directory)
September 2, 2004... ADHESIVES, SEALANTS AND COATINGS Master Bond Inc. www.masterbond.com Master Bond Inc. manufacturers over 3,000 grades of adhesives, sealants, coatings, potting compounds and impregnation resins. Products include epoxies,...

Purchasingdata.com's electronics business indicator.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)(Illustration)
September 16, 2004... [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Electronics buyers report slower growth in business conditions. PURCHASING'S Business Activity Index for electronics slid 13.2 points in August. [down arrow] 13.2 Buyers fret about inventories, prices ...

Don't forget to register for the autumn Global Procurement Conference online.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)(Calendar)
September 16, 2004... Don't forget to register for the autumn Global Procurement Conference online at www.purchasing.com on October 13-14. The third virtual Global Procurement Conference is entitled "Achieving Greatness: Buy Like the Best in Class." This conference...

The government wants to see whether machines designed to detect explosives in airline passengers' luggage.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... The government wants to see whether machines designed to detect explosives in airline passengers' luggage can be used to scan other cargo--from mail to commercial items--transported in the holds of commercial jets. Transportation Security...

Technology spending appears to be faltering, judging from cautious comments.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Technology spending appears to be faltering, judging from cautious comments by industry insiders, rising chip and component inventories and a weaker-than-expected third-quarter sales outlook at several technology companies. "There is a major...

Dramatic upturns in commodities prices--from metals to plywood, from chemicals to paperboard.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Dramatic upturns in commodities prices--from metals to plywood, from chemicals to paperboard--are wreaking havoc on the cash flow of small end-product suppliers. A host of factors share the blame: soaring demand from China, uncertainty caused...

It's not too late to respond to Purchasing magazine's annual Salary Survey.(Tip sheet: key metrics and supply alert)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... It's not too late to respond to PURCHASING magazine's annual Salary Survey. If you haven't done so already, please take a few minutes to complete the survey at www.purchasing.com. Last year, purchasing salaries increased 5%, helped by an 8%...

Purchasingdata.com's flash: 32-mbit 30-day price expectations.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... (Diffusion index, less than 50 = falling, more than 50 = rising) [up arrow] 37.5 [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Buyers fret that price-slashing has come to an end. Suppliers are keeping their inventories in relatively better shape. ...

Signs that economic recoveries are faltering in the U.S. and elsewhere are crimping second-half technology.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Signs that economic recoveries are faltering in the U.S. and elsewhere are crimping second-half technology spending plans and reducing demand for personal computers. That, in turn, has reduced sales and sparked weaker prices for memory chips in...

Expect DRAM tags to continue to fall on the open market until the fourth quarter.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Expect DRAM tags to continue to fall on the open market until the fourth quarter. The price of a 64 megabit (Mb) 4x16 synchronous PC133 chip fell from about $4.10 in May to $2.00 in August, according to independent distributor Converge. Prices...

Intel has slashed prices by up to 35% on some of its Pentium 4 and Itanium processors.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Intel has slashed prices by up to 35% on some of its Pentium 4 and Itanium processors, bringing down the costs of some desktop and notebook computers by as much as $200. Pricetags for the Celeron D product line also have dropped. Slashing...

Key U.S. industries have become so energy-efficient in the past two decades that the recent spike in crude oil.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Key U.S. industries have become so energy-efficient in the past two decades that the recent spike in crude oil prices isn't expected to cause much pain. Energy represents a low percentage of cost for the U.S. electronics industry, for example,...

A runup in coal prices is sparking anxiety among such big energy users as the power industry.(Prices: factors affecting product cost)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... A runup in coal prices is sparking anxiety among such big energy users as the power industry, which uses coal to make more than half the nation's electricity, usually at a 50% lower cost than power generated using gas or oil. Lately, though,...

Purchasingdata.com's: electronics forward demand indicator.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... [up arrow] 69.1 [GRAPHIC OMITTED] Electronics buyers now expect business to grow more slowly. The Forward Demand Indicator slid in August to its lowest level in 15 months, but remained at a growth-signaling level. [down arrow] 3.1...

America's factories saw orders for costly manufactured goods post the biggest gain in four months.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... America's factories saw orders for costly manufactured goods post the biggest gain in four months in July, an encouraging sign that the economy may be emerging from an early summer funk. However, economists are wary, noting that industrial...

Semiconductor capital equipment orders from North American manufacturers were virtually unchanged.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Semiconductor capital equipment orders from North American manufacturers were virtually unchanged in July, and currently stand at $1.6 billion on a three-month moving average basis. With shipments rising modestly, the book-to-bill ratio fell to...

The number of previously occupied homes sold in July declined 2.9% to an annual rate of 6.72 million units.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... The number of previously occupied homes sold in July declined 2.9% to an annual rate of 6.72 million units. New home sales dropped 6.4% in July to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,134,000 units. National Association of Realtors reports...

The business environment is filled with numerous geopolitical risks, from violence in Iraq to unrest.(Economy: how supply managers see high-tech business)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... The business environment is filled with numerous geopolitical risks, from violence in Iraq to unrest in Venezuela to the impending U.S. presidential election. Upshot: "There's a heightened level of caution and some trepidation of the future,"...

Second quarter demand fell short of expectations for large-panel liquid crystal display units.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Second quarter demand fell short of expectations for large-panel liquid crystal display units; so, a 17% increase in shipments spurred a 6.4% oversupply in the LCD market, says iSuppli/Stanford Resources. The market researcher says...

Worldwide shipments of personal computers to businesses and home users remain on track.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Worldwide shipments of personal computers to businesses and home users remain on track to post double-digit growth this year, says analyst Kiyomi Yamada at market researcher Gartner. He says PC shipments will rise 12.6% to 185 million units in...

Worldwide silicon wafer shipments in the first half were 3.15 billion square inches.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Worldwide silicon wafer shipments in the first half were 3.15 billion square inches, according to John Kaufmann, chairman of the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group. "The silicon industry is experiencing robust growth; even with prices rising,...

Eastman Kodak is buying National Semiconductor's imaging business in California.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Eastman Kodak is buying National Semiconductor's imaging business in California to strengthen its image sensor design and development functions. The Rochester, N.Y., film giant is shifting into digital photography and devices.

Research firm Gartner now forecasts global semiconductor revenue to reach $226 billion in 2004.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Research firm Gartner now forecasts global semiconductor revenue to reach $226 billion in 2004, a 27% increase above 2003 revenue. Separately, German chipmaker Infineon Technologies remains optimistic with its worldwide semiconductor sales...

Dow Corning has increased production of silicone-based materials by more than 15% from last year.(Supply: what's happening in high-tech supply chains)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Dow Corning has increased production of silicone-based materials by more than 15% from last year in response to a rise in global demand. The joint venture between chemical giant Dow Chemical and fiber-optic cable maker Coming says demand for...

Proud to be a purchasing pro.(inside purchasing)
September 16, 2004... More than 20 years ago, Jack O'Connor, and James P. Morgan, then publisher and chief editor of PURCHASING handed down a new law: No longer would the magazine use the word "buyer" where "purchasing professional" would do. They created an annual...

Speed, density to drive future connector growth.(Interconnect)
September 16, 2004... The connector industry is poised for double-digit growth in 2004 driven by demand from virtually all electronics equipment sectors. Strong demand means buyers will likely experience extended deliveries for some products. In addition buyers may...

What's hot.(electronics & technology news)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... While electronics outsourcing is not new, it probably is the single biggest continuing trend in the electronics industry. The electronics manufacturing services (EMS) industry is forecast to grow from $92 billion in 2003 to more than $160...

Liquid crystal display tags fall as demand weakens.(Displays)
September 16, 2004... Prices for liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have plunged as demand has weakened. The good news for electronics purchasers is that the buyers' market will continue at least through the year as more capacity comes online. It has been a...

Expect price erosion for CE chips.(Consumer Electronics)
September 16, 2004... Growth in demand for consumer electronics (CE) equipment such as digital televisions, DVD players and recorders, and digital still cameras will help drive semiconductor growth over the next five years. CE equipment growth will mean...

NEDA seeks part numbers for Pb-free components.(Distribution)(National Electronic Distributors Association)
September 16, 2004... The National Electronic Distributors Association (NEDA) has released a position paper calling for component manufacturers to use new part numbers for lead-free parts. The position paper is intended to help companies adopt a transition...

DRAM market grows 20%.(Memory ICs)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... The DRAM market grew 19.8% to $6.7 billion in the second quarter, according to market researcher Gartner Inc. Samsung continues to be the top DRAM supplier with close to $2 billion in revenue, but Hynix Semiconductor moved into the second...

Celestica offers "green" services.(Outsourcing)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider Celestica has introduced a number of so-called green services to help OEMs comply with the European Union initiative that bans lead and other hazardous materials in electronics equipment. ...

Chip equipment demand stabilizes at high levels.(Capital Equipment)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Orders for semiconductor capital equipment appear to have stalled after growing for months. Orders for equipment were about $1.61 billion in July, about flat with June, according to Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI)....

Chip foundries to post 52% growth in 2004.(Semiconductors)(Brief Article)
September 16, 2004... Semiconductor pure-play foundry sales will rise a hefty 52% to $17.17 billion in 2004 as more chip companies outsource their IC production, according to market researcher IC Insights. A pure-play foundry is a company that does not offer a...