Survey: Lessons Learned in Unparalleled Times

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Parents often share nuggets of wisdom with their children in hopes that their children won’t repeat past mistakes. But what do our electronics industry leaders want to share about lessons learned during the COVID-19 crisis?

I-Connect007 understands this unparalleled situation is an ideal opportunity to reflect on how it has affected our industry. When we asked you about the most important lessons you and the electronics industry should learn, your responses provided key messages for us all.

By far, respondents believe electronics industry leaders must understand how deeply the worldwide shutdowns have affected the supply chain in all facets of the PCB process.

PCB fabricators offered comments, such as, “Don’t rely on offshore suppliers,” “Make our supply chain less dependent on unreliable countries,” “Look for alternatives in Southeast Asia,” and, “Onshoring is needed to some extent.”

OEMs specifically shared, “Identify high-risk components and have a backup plan,” “Look for local delivery partners,” and “Find local component sourcing.”

But this isn’t the only lesson to be learned. EMS leaders said, “People are the most important functional input,” the industry needs to “Be more flexible in schedules,” and "Local leaders must review factory configurations and be flexible."

“Leadership matters,” said one respondent, while another responded, “Adapt to a new ‘normal’ way of doing sales work.” Regarding remote work, a survey respondent suggested, “Build policies and infrastructure for more people to work from home.”

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