VIDEO – Apple’s first fiscal quarter earnings, which were just released, more than doubled (+118%) from the same period one year ago. One could easily say things are under control. Apple takes a seat at the table of public opinion with both hands visible and palms facing upward – its body language clearly indicating a willingness to cooperate – while citing numerous violations and areas of concern.
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Cost Reductions, Finance
VIDEO – Apple supply chain transparency and supplier responsibility must also influence public opinion
A better AVL in 5 steps that also improve your electronics supply chain
Your supply base AVL (Approved Vendors List) is one of the most important assets in your supply chain. At first glance, your AVL is a list of suppliers. These 5 steps will help you pull out information from each supplier to facilitate adequate vendor analysis.
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Full report: EMS / ODM worry about profitability as fall 2011 survey reveals pessimism in electronics supply chain
471 survey respondents from EMS/ODM, Component Manufacturers, Distributors, Electronic Equipment Manufacturers, OEMs and Semiconductor Manufacturers answer questions on the economic situation; employment, inventory levels, business volume, and prices providing insight into the levels of …
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From Starbucks to Foxconn: A competitive supply chain is more than just lowering operations cost and inventories
Gene Tyworth, Ph.D., chairman for the department of supply chain and information systems (SC&IS) at Penn State Smeal College of Business talks with VentureOutsource.com about the skill gaps in today’s supply chain managers and which important knowledge areas tomorrow’s supply chain leaders should focus on. Plus, much more…
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AVL segmentation part of CPO strategy for competitive supply chain management
Chief procurement officers (CPO) learn to segment company AVLs to better manage global, regional and local vendors in core, emerging and niche markets.
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EMS unit price vs. OEM total value chain cost
EMS sourcing decisions are largely economic, but the largest cost differential between suppliers can be unrelated to unit price and any of the components mentioned. Basing a sourcing decision too heavily on unit price can be hazardous to your career.
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How OEMs can build better EMS provider relationships
Asking questions about cost, quality, strategic fit and risk is only part of OEM best practices for EMS provider due diligence. Reliance on a single point of contact can be a sign of lack of depth, or simply due to …
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80 Metrics to focus EMS provider materials management and increase EMS profits
The electronics manufacturing services (EMS) business can be a zero-sum game for many EMS providers given many EMS providers often take on new OEM programs at a loss or, in some best case scenarios, with hopes just to break-even until cost-savings can be designed into products and manufacturing efficiencies can start to take hold.
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Improving printed circuit board surface mount technology (SMT) line productivity with preventative maintenance and cause and effect analysis
Eliminating SMT line preventative maintenance to save costs in tough economic times is a mistake. Tracking SMT line performance with an SMT line downtime form can improve cause and effect analysis and increase productivity.
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5 Methodology steps to 6 sigma in electronics printed circuit board assemblies
An electronics manufacturer building one million circuit boards at 3 Sigma levels would build 66,807 defective circuit boards. Assuming each defective board required $100 worth of parts and labor to repair, it would cost $6,680,700 to complete the repairs.
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