Electronics manufacturers anticipate at least a five-week product shipment delay from suppliers due to the coronavirus epidemic, according to a survey conducted by IPC. Shipping delays from China and other countries where the virus has spread are already having negative impacts on manufacturers.
Roughly 65 percent of manufacturers report their suppliers expect, on average, a three-week delay.
by Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist
Over the last year, electronics manufacturers have been adjusting their supply chains, driven by a variety of factors but especially trade tensions between the United States and China and the growing expectation that higher tariffs between the U.S. and its partners may be “the new normal.”
More recently, the coronavirus epidemic that originated in China and now is sweeping the world is driving further decoupling between China and the United States.
By Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist and Matt Kelly, IPC chief technologist
According to IPC’s recent Coronavirus impact study (March update), roughly 22 percent of electronics manufacturers and suppliers reported that the coronavirus outbreak will result in fewer new product introductions (NPIs) in 2020. In a normal year, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) would be readying production of new products to be released in the coming year.
By Kelly Scanlon, director, environment, health and safety policy and research, IPC
Over the past month, IPC has brought to your attention that the TSCA Fees Rule may apply to your company beginning in 2020 and that there could be several challenges for those who need to comply.
By Chris Mitchell, vice president, global government relations
As the unprecedented COVID-19 crisis continues to unfold, IPC is calling for a bold, sustained policy agenda to help the electronics manufacturing sector weather the economic downturn and support the economic recovery.
There can be no doubt that governments all over the world should take extraordinary measures to keep the electronics manufacturing sector healthy. According to new, soon-to-be published data from IPC, our industry supports more than 5.3 million U.S. jobs and drives more than $714 billion in U.S.
As health officials around the globe struggle to “flatten the curve” of coronavirus cases, the electronics manufacturing industry continues to face ambiguous operating restrictions, uncertain economic conditions, abnormalities in supply chains, and greater gaps in the workforce.
Over the past week, IPC has continued to monitor the health of the electronics manufacturing industry amid the COVID-19 pandemic, including an ongoing series of calls with member company executives.
By Kelly Scanlon, director, environment, health and safety policy and research, IPC
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released “scoping documents” for its upcoming reviews of certain high-priority chemical substances under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) Section 6(b).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oelcap1qA_Y
John Mitchell, IPC president and CEO, provides information on how IPC and the electronics manufacturing industry are responding to the coronavirus pandemic.
by Chris Mitchell, vice president, global government relations
The U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) has prioritized the review of Section 301 exclusion requests related to the U.S. response to COVID-19. In March, USTR granted approximately 200 separate exclusions primarily covering personal protective equipment products and other medical-care related products.
On March 20, USTR published in the Federal Register a request for comment on additional 301 exclusions necessary to combat COVID-19. The docket for comment will remain open until June 25 and will be extended as appropriate.
What better way to learn about the electronics industry than from real people successfully pursuing their careers in great companies? Charlene Gunter du Plessis, Senior Director of the IPC Education Foundation talked to Kate Stees, a Materials and Process Engineer at Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control in Ocala, Florida.