Personal devices, access to content, data taxing infrastructure, advanced vehicle electronics, and hands-free technology are the things to know about the electronics industry right now. What are the most important drivers, developments, and things to know about the global electronics industry? Molex’s Brian Krause gave us an overview of what’s happening and what we shouldRead More
Erosion in the Connector Industry Talent Base The connector industry has experienced significant erosion of its talent base in recent decades. Because this has occurred bit by bit over a long period of time, it’s not immediately apparent how significantly the industry has been changed by the loss of knowledge and experience these people represent.Read More
Passive optical interconnects optimize datacom, mil/aero, and computer system designs. Passive optical components guide transmission of optical signals through optical networks. The concept of flexible optical circuits originated at Bell Laboratories in the late 1980s, and was called Optiflex. Today, interconnects are produced by nearly a dozen companies in a similar manner. Recent technological advancesRead More
The next 10 years of smart home technology will focus on developments that will apply to more than just living spaces. Technology is not always smart. Technology that consumers can understand, afford, and use properly is smart. Technology that saves power and is good for the environment is also smart. Too often, the technology thatRead More
Profitability Killers (Price Erosion + Rising Raw Material Costs) In Part 2 of the 10-year snapshot of the connector industry, Ron Bishop looks at price erosion and rising material costs. A sharp decline in demand will automatically produce a decline in profits. We experienced that in 2001, 2002, and 2009 when connector sales declined -18.9%,Read More
Demand Falling for Backplane-Based Systems Let’s face reality, folks: The demand for backplane-based systems is falling like a refrigerator down an elevator shaft (as is the demand for copper-based backplane connectors). There are several logical reasons for this precipitous decline, and a set of laws that explain why this is happening. But first, we haveRead More
10-Year Snapshot of the Connector Industry The phrase “significant change” doesn’t adequately describe what happened in the connector industry over the past 10 years. Specifically, between 2003 and 2013, the connector industry: Experienced roller coaster swings in connector demand, setting new industry records for declines and increases Suffered the worst price erosion in decades, followedRead More
Rise of the Industrial Robots When Hon Hai Precision Industry Company Chairman Terry Gou announced in 2011 that Foxconn, its wholly owned subsidiary, would install one million robots over the next three years in its factories to replace workers and do “simple” work, he probably did not actually intend to install that many industrial robotsRead More
Why Robots Won’t Replace People: Industrial Q&A with TTI Inc. – Lew LaFornara What is the state of the industrial market for electronic components, particularly for connectors and why robots won’t replace people are discussed in this Industrial Q&A with TTI Inc. The industrial market is the one segment that is most closely tied toRead More
December 2013 – The server market has become a $50 billion segment of the computer industry, about the same size as the world connector market. With the advent of cloud storage and “Big Data,” many expect the server market to continue to grow, and to grow substantially. That could be a false assumption.
December 2013 – 2013 is almost in the books. Did it meet, exceed, or fall short of expectations? Ron Bishop takes a look at the numbers to see how we’ll be ringing out this year.
November 2013 – Three quarters into the calendar year, how is the connector industry performing? Overall, will 2013 be boom or bust or somewhere in between? Bishop & Associates runs the numbers for the year so far and makes its forecast for Q4.
