Guide to Electronics Suppliers News and Trends

Staying abreast of electronics suppliers news and trends

By Phillip Galey

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Discover which electronic components sector company is winning this year and why

Gartner has lowered its forecasts twice in two months for capital and equipment spending by semiconductor makers for next year and is expecting a drop in capital spending of 17% and equipment spending by 18%, citing excess spending in 2006 and 2007. On the plus side, however, electronic suppliers serving the medical and military sectors have seen thriving business, especially in analog and mixed signal IC categories, with continued strong projections into 2009.

I recommend: FabTech, published by Semiconductor Media Limited, quotes Gartner on reduced expectations in the electronic component industry into 2009. Reed Business Information's EDN reports on Microsemi's 400% increase in income over 2008, selling semiconductors to its medical and military customer base. Altera also offers a few industry trends in consumer electronics, such as HDTV trends, the growing use of cell phones and PDAs for audio, video and data access and on the convergence of media and data.

Catch up on some of the latest trends affecting electronic component suppliers

As technology advances ever quicker, it's great to have an industry news resource that keeps you up to date (or even up to the hour). For the up-to-the-hour news feeds, you can subscribe to a feed and it gets automatically added to the common feed list. Then updated information is downloaded automatically to your PC. It requires Internet Explorer.

I recommend: PR Newswire provides an up-to-the-hour news feed of electronic component industry news and information affecting suppliers of electronic components. American Digital Network's Digital50 is a "newswire" website devoted to the digital networking industry.

Stay abreast of the latest developments in the electrical parts and medical electronics industries

As with electronic components, electric parts and medical electronics are also fast-changing technologies. You need to stay informed in order to keep up with the competition. These industry news websites will keep you up to date with what's happening out there with medical electronic parts suppliers and electric supply distributors.

I recommend: Digitivity is an electrical and electronics industry marketplace and it features a great electrical industry news page to keep you in the know. Medical Device Link provides news stories to keep you up to date with what's happening in the medical electronics industry.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  It's a bear market right now for suppliers of electronics that service the analog and mixed-signal needs of the military and the medical industry.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Trust electronics suppliers with a long history and large knowledge base

If you're looking for suppliers of electronic components, search for companies that have a solid track record in the industry. Such companies often offer advice from a stable staff and can also help you if you have any questions about the way a part should work or how it is configured.

I recommend: Trusted since 1982, Ambassador Components Incorporated lets you search by component category. Reynolds Electronics offers a large selection as well as handy data and configuration sheets.

Find electronic suppliers with easy-to-use sites and same-day shipping deals

If you have a specific part in mind and know that it shouldn't be hard to find, look for companies that offer built-in search engines that let you search by part number or supplier. Keep in mind that some companies require a minimum order, but any electronics suppliers that sell common, in-stock components should offer same-day shipping.

I recommend: Mouser Electronics features hundreds of suppliers and same day shipping. Search same-day shippers R & J Components Corporation by part number and even submit your company's excess inventory.

Get rare and obsolete electric supplies online using a specialty electronic distributor

Looking for discontinued or otherwise rare parts? There are suppliers of electronic components with websites dedicated to finding you what you need. These sites can be especially handy if you run a specialty business or one in which customers often bring in older electronics for diagnostics and repair.

I recommend: 4 Star Electronics is ISO-certified and carries both rare industrial and military parts. Suppliers of electronics at Batescomponents.com boast the ability to get you "any part, every part, any time, every time."

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  An electronics supplier will often buy electrical parts that you have in stock. If you have extra inventory, even if it's not in bulk, use company contact information to find out whether or not you can turn a profit by selling your unused electric parts.

Guide to Electronics Suppliers Education and Training

Obtaining the training you need to work with suppliers of electronic components

By Lesley Graybeal

1. Learn about competencies and courseware for electric supplies.
2. Start working with electronic suppliers with an electronics technician certificate.
3. Obtain more advanced training with a degree in electrical engineering.
   

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Learn about the competencies needed to work for suppliers of electronics

Depending on the type of work you are doing with electrical parts, you will need to have a variety of competencies to work with suppliers of electronic components. You can get access to the specific competencies that are recommended online, as well as courseware used by training and education programs for the electronics industry.

I recommend: The National Coalition for Electronics Education publishes the recommended competencies for different areas of electronics, which are used by degree and certification programs across the country. You can prepare to work for suppliers of electronics by using the courseware for electronics developed and sold by National Instruments.

Use an electronics technician certificate with electronic component suppliers

Another avenue for preparing to work in electric supply is to obtain a credential as an electronics technician. Many suppliers of electronic components employ technicians at entry-level and mid-level positions of the company, and experience working with electronics can also help advance your position.

I recommend: George Brown College offers online courses towards an electronics technician certificate. One of the electronics-related online course options available from Automated Learning may also be useful in entering the business of electronics suppliers.

Advance your skills relevant to electronics suppliers with an electrical engineering degree

Electronic component suppliers also have to employ a number of electrical engineers, with bachelor and masters degrees in electrical engineering or a more general field of engineering. Coursework in electrical engineering will prepare you to work with microprocessors and computer technologies used in the manufacture and supply of electrical components.

I recommend: Stony Brook University offers a bachelor of electrical engineering degree fully online, which is convenient for students who may already be employed full time. For a more advanced degree for working with suppliers of electronics, Drexel University has an online master of science in electrical engineering.

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Although working directly with the manufacture and supply of electrical components requires a background in electronics technology or engineering, keep in mind that electronics suppliers also employ people in a variety of business management and customer service positions. If you want to work with an electronics supplier but do not have an electrical background, consider these alternative ways to enter the business.

Guide to Electronics Suppliers Key Terms

Understand terminology geared towards electronics suppliers

By Kristan Hart

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Terminal blocks

Terminal blocks attach to your wiring to expand your space and your design options. They're available as screw cage clamps, box clamps or tubular screw clamps.

I recommend: You can find information about terminal blocks through the On-Line Electronics website.

Fuses

The appropriate size and location of fuses actually helps protect your wiring. Fuses are a special type of wire located in a self-contained container. In some instances, the fuse is at the end of the wire, but in many electronics, the fuse is located next to the device to protect against a surge.

I recommend: HowStuffWorks explains how a fuse works and its purpose in electronics.

Relay

The relay serves as an electromagnetic switch that's activated when the current applies to it. Depending on the voltage of the electronic device, there are different types of relays.

I recommend: Technologystudent.com explains relays and their role in electronic devices. This website also offers diagrams to help explain their purpose.

Circuit breakers

When an electrical circuit overloads, or when there is an unintentional short circuit, circuit breakers automatically break the electrical current to keep it from damaging electronic devices. A circuit breaker turned to the 'On' position allows the current to flow, but a surge can force the circuit breaker to turn to the 'Off' position.

I recommend: Tech-FAQ defines and explains circuit breakers and offers details about the different types of circuit breakers used with electronic devices.

Inductors, capacitors

Opposites from each other, inductors and capacitors are used in a number of electronics applications, particularly in radio frequency circuits. When using a capacitor, energy is determined by the voltage and by the capacitance. And inductor is the same as a capacitor, except the equation substitutes inductance for capacitance.

I recommend: Read about inductors and capacitors at the wiseGEEK website.

Switch

Simply defined, a switch activates or deactivates an electronic device. When a switch is in the 'On' position, the device receives power. When it is in the 'Off' position, it does not receive power. Almost every electronics device comes equipped with a switch.

I recommend: The Custom Solutions website explains the role of a switch and explains some of the thousands of switches available.