Analyst Report

Addressing electronic component resiliency in a volatile supply chain

Reading time: 5 minutes

Over the past few years, the manufacturing industry has been fraught with supply chain issues. To start, COVID-19 demonstrated that supply chains are unexpectedly volatile. But the pandemic is not the only factor that has led to severe disruptions in the global supply chain. Natural disasters, geo-political tensions, and cyber-attacks have also played their part. As a result, the fragility of a complex system, impacting everything from computer chips to toilet paper, has been bleakly exposed.

Supply chain disruptions have also affected electronic components. It is expected that shortages are to persist for some time—and that means valuable raw materials are in short supply. With the increasing demand for smart, connected products, consumer electronics, and chip-heavy vehicles, semiconductor manufacturers will continue to feel the pinch.

Because of changes in the supply chain, electronics companies are having to shift from their traditional component-sourcing processes to those that minimize disruption and mitigate the most common supply risks. To gain better insight into how successful companies are doing this, Lifecycle Insights conducted a survey-based research study, the Electronics Design for Resilience (EDfR) Study in 2022. This brief reviews that study’s findings.

Learn more about Electronics Systems Design Supply Chain Resilience.