IPC Releases December 2023 Global Sentiment of the Electronics Supply Chain Report
January 3, 2024 | IPCEstimated reading time: 1 minute
Electronics industry sentiment took a dip in December with New Order, Shipment, and Backlog Indices falling, with only Capacity Utilization Index holding steady. Despite the dip, overall demand sentiment remained in positive territory, per IPC’s December 2023 Global Sentiment of the Electronics Supply Chain Report.
And though materials costs continue to improve, labor costs remain a pain point. Three-fifths (58 percent) of electronics manufacturers say they are currently experiencing rising labor costs.
“In the December survey, IPC asked industry executives what they believed would happen to printed circuit board (PCB) demand for domestically produced PCBs if prices were to decline by 25 percent,” noted Shawn DuBravac, IPC chief economist. “On average, respondents predicted demand would rise by 16 percent. Notably, manufacturers in North America predicted demand would rise by 20 percent on average, higher than in both Europe and APAC.”
Additional survey data show:
- The New Order Index fell four points after rising five points in November 2023.
- The Labor Costs Index fell two points to 128, the lowest level recorded for this metric.
- Over the next six months, electronics manufacturers expect to see continued increase in both labor and material costs, while also anticipating a notable increase in both orders and shipments.
- Profit margins are expected to improve somewhat, while ease of recruitment and backlogs are likely to remain challenging.
For the report, IPC surveyed hundreds of companies from around the world, including a wide range of company sizes representing the full electronics manufacturing value chain.
Suggested Items
ACDi Expands East Coast Presence with Acquisition of Fourth Manufacturing Plant
05/13/2024 | ACDiACDi, a leading provider of electronics manufacturing services, today announces the expansion of its East Coast presence and manufacturing capabilities with the acquisition of a fourth manufacturing plant in Kilmarnock, Virginia. The company signed an asset purchase agreement with QinetiQ to acquire their Virginia facility and its assets, including SMT, wave soldering, AOI and SPI equipment. The deal brings ACDi to 4 East Coast locations with a total of 9 SMT lines.
Indium Experts to Present at Electronics in Harsh Environments SMTA Conference
05/13/2024 | Indium Corporationndium Corporation Technical Manager for Europe, Africa, and the Middle East, Karthik Vijay, will deliver a technical presentation and Indium Corporation Senior Technologist, Dr. Ronald Lasky, will deliver both a workshop and technical presentation at the Electronics in Harsh Environments SMTA Conference on May 14-16 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Emerald Technologies Acquires Optimum
05/13/2024 | Emerald TechnologiesEmerald Technologies announced its acquisition of Optimum Design Associates, Inc. (Optimum), a leading electronic design and engineering services company. Terms were not disclosed.
AEye Announces Partnership with Leading Automotive Electronics and Vision Solutions Provider, LITEON
05/13/2024 | BUSINESS WIREAEye, Inc., a global leader in adaptive, high-performance lidar solutions, today announced that the non-binding Letter of Intent (“LOI”) announced in March is with LITEON Technology Corporation and is intended to provide AEye with a customer channel and industrialization partnership.
IDTechEx Explores Printed Electronics in Electrified and Autonomous Mobility
05/13/2024 | IDTechExElectrification, autonomy, and vehicle ownership saturation are causing a technological revolution in the automotive sector. These automotive meta-trends are driving drastic changes in electronic component requirements and present a high-volume opportunity for printed electronics to capitalize on.