Leaders in Distribution - Distribution Resource

Transcription

ALLIED ELECTRONICS • AMERICA II ELECTRONICS • ASTREX ELECTRONICS INC. • AVNET • BEYON
• DIGI-KEY CORP • DIGI-KEY CORPORATION • FUTURE ELECTRONICS • IMPACT DISPLAY SOLUTIO
ELECTRONICS • NEXUS ELECTRONICS LLC • PEI-GENESIS INC. • SAGER ELECTRONICS • SYMMETRY
CORP. • TTI INC. • VOYAGER COMPONENTS • WPG AMERICAS, INC. • ALLIED ELECTRONICS • A
ELECTRONICS • ASTREX ELECTRONICS INC. • AVNET • BEYOND COMPONENTS • DIGI-KEY CORP
CORPORATION • FUTURE ELECTRONICS • IMPACT DISPLAY SOLUTIONS • MARCH ELECTRONICS •
ELECTRONICS LLC • PEI-GENESIS INC. • SAGER ELECTRONICS • SYMMETRY ELECTRONICS CORP. •
VOYAGER COMPONENTS • WPG AMERICAS, INC. • ALLIED ELECTRONICS • AMERICA II ELECTRON
rom
ELECTRONICS INC. • AVNET • BEYOND COMPONENTS • DIGI-KEY f CORP
• DIGI-KEY CORPORATIO
ELECTRONICS • IMPACT DISPLAY SOLUTIONS • MARCH ELECTRONICS • NEXUS ELECTRONICS LLC
NC. • SAGER ELECTRONICS • SYMMETRY ELECTRONICS CORP. • TTI INC. • VOYAGER COMPONE
AMERICAS, INC. • ALLIED ELECTRONICS • AMERICA II ELECTRONICS • ASTREX
ELECTRONICS INC.
globalpurchasing.com
BEYOND COMPONENTS • DIGI-KEY CORP • DIGI-KEY CORPORATION • FUTURE ELECTRONICS • I
SOLUTIONS • MARCH ELECTRONICS • NEXUS ELECTRONICS LLC • PEI-GENESIS INC. • SAGER ELEC
SYMMETRY ELECTRONICS CORP. • TTI INC. • VOYAGER COMPONENTS • WPG AMERICAS, INC. •
ELECTRONICS • AMERICA II ELECTRONICS • ASTREX ELECTRONICS INC. • AVNET • BEYOND COM
KEY CORP • DIGI-KEY CORPORATION • FUTURE ELECTRONICS • IMPACT DISPLAY SOLUTIONS • M
ELECTRONICS INC. • AVNET • BEYOND COMPONENTS • DIGI-KEY CORP • DIGI-KEY CORPORATIO
AMERICAS, INC. • ALLIED ELECTRONICS • AMERICA II ELECTRONICS • ASTREX ELECTRONICS INC.
LEADERS
IN DISTRIBUTION
LEADERS
2013 LEADERS PROFILE
DIGI-KEY CORPORATION
D
igi-Key Corporation, a global Internet-based distributor of electronic
components, is an authorized distributor of more than 3.5 million
components from 650+ trusted suppliers. The company’s reputation
extends worldwide as customers continue to choose Digi-Key, gaining access
to the widest selection of electronic components in the industry, available for
immediate shipment from its award-winning website, www.digikey.com. With
this wide range of products, available in both design and production quantities,
Digi-Key is the best resource for design engineers and buyers alike.
WEB
|
TEL
|
digikey.com
800.344.4539
The availability of products is one of the characteristics that distinguish Digi-Key from other electronic component distributors.
Digi-Key stocks over 975,000 products in an 800,000 square foot
distribution center in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, USA. Every day,
new products are added in a continuing effort to offer the full range of
electronic components needed by customers. Whether semiconductors, passives, interconnect, electromechanical, wireless, or lighting
components, Digi-Key has the parts you need, when you need them.
However, Digi-Key’s service does not stop with just shipping parts.
The company offers a wealth of online tools and reference materials,
in addition to providing 24/7 tech support. Digi-Key also offers numerous
Supply Chain solutions such as bonded inventory and just in time shipping, as
well as a newly updated BOM manager. Coupled with the widest BOM coverage in the industry, Digi-Key is your
total solutions provider for all your electronic component needs.
Digi-Key’s hybrid, “Prototype to
Production®” business model offers
customers a truly unique buying experience. Supporting engineers through the
entire design process, whether prototyping, manufacturing small production
runs, designing upgrades, or moving
into full-scale production, is what truly
sets Digi-Key apart. From Prototype to
Production, Digi-Key has the necessary
resources and products necessary to take
your design to the next level! Learn more
by visiting www.digikey.com.
DISTRIBUTION RESOURCE
LEADERS
In Distribution
2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
3
HIGHLIGHTING DISTRIBUTION’S LEADERS
6
TOP 50 DISTRIBUTORS: TALKING STRATEGY IN A YEAR OF
MODERATE GROWTH
The Internet, the economy, and increasing regulatory issues dominated the Top 50
Electronics Distributors’ list of concerns for the year.
16
6
LOCAL FLAVOR SPELLS SUCCESS IN SOUTH AMERICA
Brazil remains the prime target as distributors expand in South America, using
acquisitions and enhanced Web features to grow their customer base.
20
5 ISSUES SHAPING THE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN
In 2014, electronics industry executives will look to emerging technologies for growth
while focusing on student-centered investment opportunities and keeping counterfeit
parts out of the supply chain.
26
GLOBAL BUSINESS CLIMATE BRINGS MANUFACTURERS,
SUPPLIERS CLOSER
16
Supply-chain collaboration takes center stage as manufacturers seek growth in an
increasingly global business environment.
32
THE TOP TRENDS TO WATCH IN ASIA
Despite some re-shoring activity and slowing growth, Asia remains the world’s low-cost
manufacturing center and a key business target for electronics distributors.
38
U.S. DISTRIBUTORS SEEK SUCCESS IN EUROPE
Electronics distributors are expanding on the Continent despite ongoing economic
weakness across the region.
44
SLOW RECOVERY STILL THE NORM
Electronics industry executives adjust to slower industry conditions as they look to new
regions and expanding markets for electronic content as key growth drivers.
50
2
20
ADVERTISER’S INDEX
54
32
Editorial
VICTORIA FRAZA KICKHAM | DISTRIBUTION EDITOR
[email protected]
Highlighting Distribution’s Leaders
W
elcome to Leaders in Distribution, our special issue showcasing distributors—the vital
link in the supply chain that delivers products, services, and resources to design engineers and procurement professionals. For this special issue we have gathered top features from 2013’s Distribution Resource report,
our monthly supplement to Electronic Design that examines
issues and trends facing distribution and the supply chain.
Each month, Distribution Resource gives Electronic Design
readers a glimpse at this segment of the design and supply
chain, with in-depth feature stories, product focus pieces,
and market outlooks on everything from defense to consumer electronics.
In these pages, you will find our top stories from 2013. We
begin with our annual Top 50 Electronics Distributors report.
Published each May, this report ranks the top 50 electronics
distributors by sales volume and includes an overview story
that assesses the state of the electronics distribution industry.
First published in 2010, our Top 50 is refined and expanded
each year, keeping tabs on the largest companies in the industry doing business in North America.
Though our coverage is rooted in North America, today’s
distribution leaders are global in scope so we find ourselves
tracking the distribution landscape on a much larger scale.
To that end, we have included our 2013 global distribution
reports, which examine market trends in South America,
Europe, and Asia. Here, we take a look at Heilind Electronics’ recent efforts to expand in South America via acquisition
along with Mouser Electronics’ efforts to serve the Brazilian
marketplace through a well-established Portuguese-language
customer-service program. In Europe, we examine Mouser’s
efforts to continue expanding across the continent as well as
Digi-Key Corp.’s new efforts to make inroads in Europe, the
Middle East, and Africa.
GO TO GLOBALPURCHASING.COM
And though many of today’s distribution leaders are large
companies, small and mid-market firms are leading the way
internationally as well. Our global distribution report on Asia
includes a look at how small California-based distributor
Amidon is expanding its business in Asia by establishing an
office in Hong Kong that will serve new and existing customers throughout the region.
In addition to geographic expansion, today’s leaders in distribution are grappling with a host of business challenges. We
outline many of these challenges in our Top 50 report analysis, but we also revisit the issue halfway through the year with
our Mid-Year Business Outlook, when we check in with some
of the Top 50 companies to see how the year is shaping up. We
have included this special report here as well.
Rounding out the mix is a special report on design/
supply collaboration, in which we examine how engineering and purchasing teams are working closer together
to speed time to market, and an end-of-year report on
five key issues shaping the electronics supply chain. The
design/supply collaboration story examines the partnership between Avnet Electronics Marketing and its client
Sensuss, maker of sports-impact measurement products.
Executives from both companies reveal how they have
worked closer together earlier in the design process to
ensure a seamless flow of products, technology, and information. The end-of-year outlook report highlights some
of the key issues shaping the supply chain as identified by
distribution leaders at the annual Electronic Components
Industry Association Executive Conference, held each year
in October.
We hope you enjoy this special issue dedicated to today’s
and tomorrow’s leaders in distribution. We welcome your
feedback, so please contact me (victoria.kickham@penton.
com) with any questions, comments, or story ideas.
3
LEADERS
AVNET: A GLOBAL LEADER
IN DESIGN-CHAIN AND
SUPPLY-CHAIN SERVICES
H
ere at Avnet Electronics Marketing, we are committed to
accelerating our customers’ success. As the top distributor in
the industry, our role is much more complex than just driving
efficiencies and cost cutting. We need to do much more than that, both for
our supplier and for our customers. We serve as growth enablers, quickly
identifying supply network problems and disconnects, and developing
supply chain solutions that leverage Avnet’s technical expertise, global
footprint, and virtual systems, so we can meet our customers’ time-tomarket demands.
Avnet was recently recognized by Gartner as a supply chain top 50
company, the only distributor on the list. We were evaluated for our
multi-tier supply chain and cost-to-serve analytical capabilities. Avnet’s
leadership in applying demand-driven principles to drive business
results is testament to the value-added integration services we offer.
We have the industry’s broadest line card, most efficient and adaptable
global supply chain structure, and unparalleled technical offerings.
Everything we do at Avnet is about forging new frontiers and
promoting innovation. For example, part of our strategy for growth
in 2013/14 includes paving the way for customers and suppliers to
penetrate new markets and adopt emerging technologies, such as
high-brightness LEDs, renewable energy and smart power technology.
Through our Avnet Embedded division and Rorke Global Solutions
business unit, Avnet is in an excellent position to capture the growing
demand for embedded technologies, particularly in IT infrastructure
in support of the cloud and mobile computing. Furthermore, our
CONNECTED.
E-COMMERCE SOLUTIONS FROM AVNET
extensive education and training
resources, including our SpeedWay™
design workshops, global X-Fest technical
series and ARM design seminar series,
help to demystify new technologies and
accelerate designs implementing cuttingedge devices.
It’s no wonder that the industry’s top
global companies look to Avnet for results.
As a global distribution leader with more
than 90 years of supply management
experience, as well as innovative, valueadded services, Avnet can offer more than
any competitor when it comes to reducing
commercialization time, developing
strategies for reducing costs, and
delivering rapidly scalable, customized
supply chain solutions.
TAILORED.
AVNET SOLUTIONS MEET YOUR UNIQUE NEEDS
4
TAILORED.
AVNET SOLUTIONS MEET YOUR UNIQUE NEEDS
From big to small – we do it all.
Even big products begin small, with millions of sizes in between. We see them all. Here at
Avnet, no order is too small. Avnet provides products and services to match your needs. No
matter the location; whether you are in the new product introduction phase or extending a
product’s life. If you need design support, or supply chain assistance – we’re here to help.
With Avnet, you determine the scale of interaction – or complexity – and we will support
you every step of the way, so it’s a perfect fit!
What can we do for you? www.avnetexpress.com
Accelerating Your Success!™
1 800 332 8638 | www.avnetexpress.com |
@avnetdesignwire
LEADERS
IN DISTRIBUTION
Top Distributors
[email protected]
TOP
Distributors Talk
Strategy In A
Year of Moderate
Growth
The Internet, the economy, and increasing regulatory issues dominated the Top 50
Electronics Distributors’ list of concerns for the year.
T
he largest distributors of
electronic components in
North America aren’t expecting blockbuster growth this
year, but they do anticipate a slow
and steady upturn in business by the
time 2013 is over. Following a 2012
in which many companies focused
on internal investment and development, this year is turning out to be
one of incremental growth and gaining market share, with most companies predicting mid-single-digit increases for the year.
“I think distributors spent 2012 working on their inventories, on their productivity, on their efficiencies,” says Faris
Aruri, vice president of corporate marketing for Sager Electronics, number 11 on SourceESB’s 2013 Top 50 Distributors
report (see the table). “Margin continues to be a challenge and I
believe that companies devoted the bulk of the year addressing
their structure, their strategy.”
“I think this year is almost as difficult for predictions as last
year,” adds Jimmy Seifert, senior vice president at Newark element14, number six on this year’s list. “Growth estimates are
in the single digits, heavily leaned on the back half of the year.”
6
As they battle the sluggish conditions here at home, electronics
distributors are also sharpening
as difficult for predictions as last year,” says
their focus on the Internet, watchJimmy Seifert, senior
ing the global economy closely
vice president at Newark
and trying to keep their fingers on
element14. “Growth estithe pulse of an increasingly active
mates are in the single
regulatory environment that has
digits, heavily leaned on
customers placing new demands
the back half of the year.”
on them almost daily. These regulations have come to a head in the
last year as the federal government has clamped down on
contractors supplying electronic equipment to the armed
services in an effort to curtail the flow of counterfeit parts
into the defense supply chain. Government contractors have
naturally turned to their component suppliers for additional
levels of quality assurance.
Despite these challenges, the top distributors are optimistic
about the electronics industry’s long-term outlook, helped
largely by the growing amount of electronics in all aspects of
daily life. The proliferation of smart phones and other handheld gadgets combined with the ever-increasing “smartness”
of everything from refrigerators to cars and trucks makes the
electronics supply chain a good place to be, distributors say.
“I think this year is almost
GAME CHANGER: THE INTERNET
When asked about the greatest change in the industry since
last year’s Top 50 report, TTI’s Michael Knight doesn’t hesitate
when he says “the Internet factor.” Though electronics distributors have been steadily increasing
their online investments and development for the last several years, Knight
says 2012 stands out as a year of
heightened investment and growing
struggles about how to best integrate
the technology into the electronics
distribution model. The Internet’s
presence as a leveler and at the same
time a disruption makes it a force difficult to manage, he adds.
“Last year, it seemed the Internet factor became more prevalent and more obvious,” explains Knight, senior vice president,
Americas for TTI, number four in this year’s report. He points
to new competition from non-traditional sources and distributors’ pursuit of new ways to best serve customers online
as key examples. He also points to pricing as a key challenge in
the Internet age. A lack of Internet resale pricing guidelines is a
particular sticking point, and one the industry will eventually
have to confront.
“The Internet is the place where people go to shop,” Knight
explains. “I do think it’s a growing challenge for distributors
and OEMs [original equipment manufacturers], and we really
need to give some thought to Internet pricing. Otherwise, we
run the risk of creating a leak where there’s just a tremendous
amount of margin that can be sucked out of our business.”
Newark element14’s Seifert
“At Future, we’re very opti- agrees that the Internet is an indusmistic about this year. Last try game-changer, most notably for
year was a year of invest- its value as a research and informament, and we’re begin- tion tool. As more and more engining to reap the benefits neers, hobbyists, and procurement
of that investment,” says professionals search for products
Lindsley Ruth, executive online, distributors must be at the
vice president at Future ready not only with product and
pricing information, but with the
Electronics.
resources, tools, and technical support customers need to do their jobs, he explains.
“Just as the trend has exploded in the consumer world, it’s
becoming more prevalent in ours as well,” Seifert says. Challenges aside, he notes that the trend fits well with the electronics distributor’s role as a provider of information and solutions.
“It really bodes well with how we go to market to support
customer needs,” says Seifert, pointing to Newark’s element14
online community in particular, which functions as a professional social media outlet for engineers, offering product
(continued on p. 10)
THE METHODOLOGY BEHIND OUR SURVEY
THE SOURCE ESB staff and Penton Media’s research department began our 2013 Top 50 Distributors survey in February, contacting
hundreds of North American electronics distributor locations via e-mail and via our online sister publication, Globalpurchasing.com.
Throughout February and March, the staff narrowed the online submission forms to 50, ranking each company based on total sales
volume and ensuring that each had a major presence in the North American electronic components distribution market.
Each company in the list is ranked according to its total global sales volume, and all figures are reported in U.S. dollars. We used
self-reported data from each company and verified the information against annual reports and earnings statements, where possible, as
well as in follow-up interviews with some of the companies at the top of the list. Yet there’s more than meets the eye with some of the
companies at the top of our list.
Figures for Avnet Inc., ranked number one, and Arrow Electronics, ranked number two, include the sale of computer products,
which comprise large segments of each company’s business. Other companies in the list also sell computer products along with
electrical products and equipment. As a result, figures in the “active” and “I/P/E” categories may not add to 100% for each top-ranked
distributor.
Sales listed for privately held Future Electronics, number three, are based on SourceESB estimates.
Figures for Allied Electronics, number four, reflect its worldwide sales as part of Britain-based Electrocomponents plc, which also
operates RS Components in Europe. The figure here is a company-provided, fiscal-year estimate for global sales. Allied’s sales were
roughly $420 million in 2012. Likewise, sales for number six, Newark element14, reflect worldwide sales as part of its parent company,
Britain-based Premier Farnell.
Our goal is to provide a comprehensive list of the largest electronic components distributors doing business in North America. We
will begin compiling information for next year’s report early in 2014.
We welcome your input as we develop next year’s Top 50 Distributors report. Send your questions or comments to [email protected].
GO
GO TO
TO ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM
GLOBALPURCHASING.COM
77
LEADERS
ALLIED ELECTRONICS
A
llied Electronics, a subsidiary of Electrocomponents plc
(LES:ECM), is a small order, high service level distributor of
industrial automation products, electronic components and
electromechanical products with more than 50 sales offices across the
United States and Canada.
COMMITTED TO DELIVERING A GREAT EXPERIENCE
WEB
|
EMAIL |
TEL
|
FAX
|
alliedelec.com
[email protected]
800.433.5700
817.595.6444
7151 Jack Newell Blvd. S
Fort Worth, Texas, 76118
From start to finish, Allied is committed to delivering a great
experience for customers. Allied understands that customers are
more than an account number – they are people first and foremost.
PRODUCT SOLUTIONS
With more than three million parts available at alliedelec.com,
Allied is able to provide product solutions to a wide range of
customers from all corners of industry and commerce. Engineers and
purchasers often look to Allied for prototyping due to its broad range
of product solutions from more than 300 world-class suppliers.
DEDICATED LOCAL SALES REPS
Allied is the only components distributor with more than 50 sales
offices across North America. Operating out of local sales offices,
dedicated sales reps offer personal service to help customers get the
products they need.
SERVICE WITH A HUMAN
TOUCH AT ALLIEDELEC.COM
Customers can search more than
three million products, check
real-time inventory, and access
more than 162,000 data sheets.
The Allied website also offers
product specs, express checkout,
and much more.
8
THE ALLIED CATALOG
The 2014 Allied Catalog features more than
110,000 products in eight major markets:
Test and Measurement, Interconnect,
Enclosures, Power, Automation and Control,
Optoelectronics, Passives and Actives, and
Assembly. Catalogs can be requested at
alliedelec.com.
OPERATIONS
Allied ships from its centrally located 300,000
square-foot distribution center in Fort Worth,
Texas, and currently stocks approximately
150,000 SKUs. The distribution center uses
RF technology
to accommodate
paperless pick
and put-away
processes, a
streamlined system
that allows for
same-day shipping
on orders placed
up to 10 p.m. ET.
The
Than
The Only
Only Thing
Thing Bigger
Bigger Than
Our
Imagination
Our Catalog
Catalog Is Your Imagination
2014
2014Catalog
Catalog
Over115,000
115,000products
products | Over
11,000 new
new products
products | Over
Over
300 world-class
world-classsuppliers
suppliers
| Over 11,000
| Over 300
Including new supplier – Panasonic | Order your catalog at alliedelec.com/Catalog
Including new supplier – Panasonic
Order your catalog at alliedelec.com/2014Catalog
|
1.800.433.5700
1.800.433.5700
© Allied Electronics, Inc 2013. ‘Allied Electronics’ and the Allied Electronics logo are trademarks of Allied Electronics, Inc.
© Allied Electronics, Inc 2013. ‘Allied Electronics’ and the Allied Electronics logo are trademarks of Allied Electronics, Inc.
An Electrocomponents Company.
An Electrocomponents Company.
Top Distributors
tough global economic climate they’re struggling against.
“I can’t see anybody being unhappy with the first quarter.
I think it was much better than expected. But these are good
short-term trends. I’m unsure they’ll hold for the year,” says
Sager’s Aruri. “The economic backdrop has improved marginally. It’s in an area you’d term stable versus robust. But even in
this atmosphere there’s an opportunity to pick up market share
for those who really achieved something internally over the
last year.”
Lindsley Ruth, executive vice president for Future Electronics, which is number three on this year’s list, agrees. He says
2012 was an investment year for Future and that the company
STRUGGLE: THE ECONOMY
For many distributors, 2013 has been a year of pleasant sur- is already seeing the benefits of that internal focus this year.
“At Future, we’re very optimistic about this year. Last year
prises. Most entered the year expecting little by way of growth
and were surprised by better than anticipated bookings in the was a year of investment, and we’re beginning to reap the benfirst quarter. Although few pointed to the quarter as a defini- efits of that investment,” Ruth explains, noting investments in
tive indicator of the year overall, most of the Top 50 remain new salespeople, inventory, and customer-focused programs
cautiously optimistic about the industry outlook given the around supply chain management and e-commerce. “We’re
seeing an uptick in demand, so we’re gaining confidence as we go. We’re looking at a
year in the supply chain that will be up in
2013 TOP 50 DISTRIBUTORS
the high single digits to low double digits.”
Ruth points to customer-relationship
2012 global
Company
% active* % I/P/E*
management as another key investment
sales revenue
area for Future Electronics. Salespeople
$25.2 billion
43%
8%
1. AVNET INC.1
are trained to focus on building rela2
$20.4 billion
66%
20%
2. ARROW ELECTRONICS INC.
tionships and streamlining operations
$7.4 billion
N/A
N/A
3. FUTURE ELECTRONICS3
throughout the channel, for instance.
$1.6 billion
41%
54%
4. TTI INC.
“We like to move from a pure transac$1.5 billion
5%
45%
5. ALLIED ELECTRONICS INC.4
tional relationship with the customer to
$1.5 billion
12%
50.4%
6. NEWARK ELEMENT145
more of a true partnership [in which we]
$1.4 billion
46%
54%
7. DIGI-KEY CORP.
share resources and help the customer
increase their business,” Ruth explains.
$615.3 million
66%
34%
8. MOUSER ELECTRONICS
“If we can help the customer with their
$584.6 million
0%
100%
9. DAC/HEILIND
customer, we’re adding more value than
$465 million
59%
11%
10. N.F. SMITH & ASSOCIATES, LP
the competition.”
$217 million
0%
100%
11. SAGER ELECTRONICS
Looking at particular markets, many of
$214 million
0%
100%
12. PEI-GENESIS INC.
the Top 50 say they anticipate continued
$210 million
75%
24%
13. AMERICA II ELECTRONICS
growth in the automotive industry, resur$163 million
0%
0%
14. MASTER ELECTRONICS
gence in the medical markets, and growth
$120 million
0%
100%
15. POWELL ELECTRONICS INC.
in the aerospace segment, particularly
$116.3 million
1%
10%
16. BISCO INDUSTRIES INC.
commercial avionics. This will be offset
$104 million
40%
10%
17. RAND TECHNOLOGY INC.
by a downturn in military and defense,
according to some. Smaller niche market
$98.2 million
0%
100%
18. FLAME ENTERPRISES
distributors such as Sager are capitalizing
$81.3 million
0%
100%
19. ELECTRO ENTERPRISES INC.
on the trends.
$70.5 million
6%
67%
20. ELECTRO SONIC INC.
“Sager focuses on the industrial,
$60.3 million
0%
100%
21. BEYOND COMPONENTS/NEDCO
medical, and instrumentation markets,”
$60 million
3%
95%
22. HUGHES-PETERS
explains Aruri. “All of these markets have
$56.3 million
67%
9%
23. EDGE ELECTRONICS INC.
been either stable or growing, and I’m
$50.6 million
1%
42%
24. STEVEN ENGINEERING
confident in our ability to pick up market
$46.1 million
99%
0%
25. SYMMETRY ELECTRONICS
share in this environment.”
information, technical support, and online forums where they
can connect with peers.
Knight agrees that the collaborative spirit of the Internet
offers a key opportunity for distributors to harness the technology’s power.
“How best to integrate the Internet into our business, which
is a more traditional model of people on people, that’s the
question,” says Knight. “[We need to address] how best to integrate the Internet element in a way that’s good for our customers, good for our suppliers, and truly additive to our business.”
10
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRONIC
RESOURCE
DESIGN
For larger players such as Avnet,
2013 TOP 50 DISTRIBUTORS
who cast a wider net, the outlook
2012 global
is a bit more complex. Ed Smith, Company
% active* % I/P/E*
sales
revenue
Americas president for Avnet Elec$41 million
0%
100%
tronics Marketing, characterizes 26. CPN/DENELEX GROUP
$40
million
45%
45%
2013 as steady and “not very excit- 27. IBS ELECTRONICS INC.
ing.” Despite the tough market 28. ASTREX ELECTRONICS INC.
$36.6 million
0%
100%
conditions, Avnet remains number 29. HAMMOND ELECTRONICS
$36 million
2%
91%
one on SourceESB’s Top 50 for the 30. COMMODITY COMPONENTS
$30 million
0%
60%
third straight year. Smith points to
INTERNATIONAL INC.
strength in automotive and aero- 31. DEE ELECTRONICS INC.
$23.4 million
N/A
N/A
space industries and slowing con- 32. AIR ELECTRO INC.
$23.4 million
0%
0%
ditions in military/defense markets 33. PUI (PROJECTIONS UNLIMITED INC.)
$23.3 million
12%
88%
this year.
$22.8 million
5%
95%
34. SMD INC.
“When I look at the industrials, I
35. CRESTWOOD TECHNOLOGY GROUP
$22.3 million
34%
54%
think they’re still pretty flat and not
(CTG)
very exciting—and in the Americas,
$22 million
0%
100%
36. HOUSE OF BATTERIES
we’re driven by that,” Smith says. “So,
37. PHOENICS ELECTRONICS
$20.3 million
85%
0%
[conditions] are not very exciting,
CORPORATION
but there are some glimmers of hope
$20 million
0%
100%
38. MARCH ELECTRONICS
in automotive and aerospace.”
$19.3 million
0%
85%
39. KENSINGTON ELECTRONICS INC.
Regionally, Avnet has seen growth
$15.1 million
65%
20%
in Mexico as customers begin to 40. COMPONENT TRENDS
$15
million
50%
40%
41.
4
STAR
ELECTRONICS
INC.
move manufacturing business from
42.
CUMBERLAND
ELECTRONICS
STRATEGIC
Asia back to the Americas, Smith
$15 million
20%
60%
SUPPLY SOLUTIONS
adds. The re-shoring trend has been
$14.1 million
48%
22%
the topic of much industry buzz in 43. AREA51-ESG INC.
$13
million
0%
100%
44.
COMPONENTS
CENTER
the last year, and many say it’s unfold$12.9 million
80%
15%
ing more slowly than they’d hoped. 45. IXES USA
Large independent distributor N.F. 46. VIRGINIA ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS
$12.7 million
N/A
10%
(VEC LLC)
Smith & Associates, number 10 on
$10.5 million
50%
2%
this year’s list, expanded its opera- 47. ADVANTAGE ELECTRIC SUPPLY
$10
million
100%
0%
tions in Guadalajara, Mexico, last 48. EAST COAST MICROWAVE DISTRIBUTORS
year to accommodate increased busi- 49. MARINE AIR SUPPLY
$10 million
0%
100%
ness among its manufacturing cus- 50. INDUCTORS INC.
$9.6 million
0%
100%
tomers in the region, for example.
Company COO Matt Hartzell points * Percentages may not add to 100; see methodology
3 SourceESB estimate
to rising wages and housing costs in 1 Figure includes sales of computer products
4 Company-provided fiscal year estimate
China in particular as a key reason 2 Figure includes sales of computer products
5 Figure reflects worldwide sales for Premier Farnell,
some manufacturers are beginning to
Newark, element14
move or consider moving some manufacturing operations back toward North and Central America. and shipping in North America that yesterday was booking
“You might see a continuation of that if labor and real estate and shipping in Asia or somewhere else. But I do have reason
to believe it is coming. And that has good long-term implicaprices continue to climb in China,” he says.
For others, re-shoring is still a distant trend they hope is tions for our economy and our industry.”
soon realized. TTI’s Knight says the issue is still more talk
than reality among his customers, but adds that he thinks such NEW WRINKLE: REGULATORY ISSUES
opportunities will eventually materialize.
Counterfeit components and the need for quality assurance
“I am watching out for it like a hawk,” Knight says. “I’m is a growing concern among the Top 50 distributors. The issue
reading a lot about it. In our own business we’re aware of some transcends the authorized/independent line as customers seek
customers who are talking about doing it, but I can’t say I can
actually yet put my finger on a piece of business that is booking (continued on p. 50)
11
LEADERS
TTI, INC.
THE SPECIALIST IN ELECTRONIC
COMPONENT DISTRIBUTION
ore than 40 years ago, TTI set out to be the leading,
authorized distributor of interconnect, passive,
and electromechanical components. Broader and
deeper inventory, leading-edge products and custom supply
chain solutions have established TTI as the preferred specialist
in electronic component distribution. Today TTI employs 3,800
people in more than 100 locations around the globe.
M
PEOPLE AND PARTS
At TTI we understand that people are the foundation of
our success and critical to exceeding our customers’
expectations. We have found that if we do the right thing
for our employees, they will in turn do the right thing for our
customers’ and our suppliers – and our business will continue
to grow.
TTI operates a low turn/high service inventory model, put
simply, we are committed to maintaining upward of 70
percent of inventory available to sell. Added to this is an ethos
of stocking product families broad and deep; this describes
the company’s mission to stock the slower moving, more
customer specific components as well as the A & B movers
offered by everyone - which is why TTI is known to offer a
leading inventory position, with an authorized line card of
premier suppliers.
KNOWLEDGE IS KEY
Having a local sales force and product team with supplier
and product knowledge is a benefit for buyers and engineers
alike. Keeping up with new product introductions and
detecting those that
are most relevant
can be like surfing
the Internet – the
information is there,
but it takes more
time than you have
to sort through it
all. Our local teams
are dedicated to
disseminating new
12
PAUL ANDREWS, FOUNDER AND CEO
product introduction knowledge to their
customers in a timely manner.
From new product design, through end of
life, and particularly around procurement and
materials management, TTI works closely
with customers’ engineering, purchasing
and materials planning departments to align
supply chain and logistics solutions with our
customers’ objectives.
FOLLOWING A PATH TO
CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Acquired by Berkshire Hathaway in 2007, TTI
remains an industry leader of highest integrity
striving always toward the goal set by founder
and CEO Paul Andrews, to be the best, not the
biggest. This charter has propelled the company
into its fifth decade as a trusted partner to
customers worldwide.
LEADERS
AMERICA II ELECTRONICS
WEB
|
TEL
|
www.americaii.com
800.767.2637
About America II
E
stablished in 1989, America II Electronics
stocks nearly four billion components, making it one of the world’s largest independent
distributors of semiconductors and electronic components. Headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida
and with offices in the UK, Germany, China, Japan,
Singapore and Mexico, America II stocks components from 1,900 manufacturers, while providing
in-house testing, value-added services, and excess
purchasing solutions from its ISO 9001:2008 and
ESD-certified 420,000 square foot North American
distribution facility.
AMERICA II’S BLENDED DISTRIBUTIONSM
OUR BLENDED DISTRIBUTIONSM model positions America II as an
innovative distributor who serves as a primary partner for all OEM
and EMS companies, providing a channel that supplies hard-to-find
components, delivers inventory via our direct manufacturer relationships,
and ensures the highest level of quality assurance.
14
Our global purchasing team sources components
from thousands of approved suppliers to secure hardto-find and allocated parts. This helps to create an
inventory of more than 165,000 unique parts valued
at approximately $1 billion. In addition, a large portion
of our inventory comes direct from manufacturers.
For customers who need to buy from a distributor
with direct relationships, America II has partnerships
with hundreds of manufacturers. Lastly, America II
continues to be a leader in quality assurance. Together,
our in-house test facility, component engineers,
10-year guarantee, and team of 59 IDEA ICE-3000
professional inspectors are unmatched in the industry.
By doing these things, America II has blended
the traits of the independent channel with those
of franchise distribution. This allows us to create a
completely unique experience for our customers. It is
truly the best of both worlds. So customers have the
ability to find everything they need — no matter what
their requirements are — right here at America II.
We Found the Sweet Spot
$PHULFDΖΖȇV%OHQGHG'LVWULEXWLRQ60
$PHULFDΖΖXWLOL]HVDQLQYHQWRU\FHQWULFPRGHOLQZKLFKZHEX\GLUHFWIURPWKRXVDQGV
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800.955.5302
www.americaii.com/dr
LEADERS
IN ELECTRONICS
Emerging Markets
[email protected]
LOCAL FLAVOR
SPELLS SUCCESS IN
SOUTH AMERICA
Brazil remains the prime target as distributors expand in South America,
using acquisitions and enhanced Web features to grow their customer base.
H
eilind Electronics’ 2012 purchase of Brazilian
distributor Kotek Eletro Electronica gave the
interconnect specialist immediate access to hundreds of new customers and entry into a growing
economy that company leaders say is a key part of their global
growth strategy, which began in earnest in 2011.
Kotek’s 10-year history serving customers throughout
Brazil meant immediate insight on navigating the country’s
complex regulatory and tax environment, ensuring a profitable business model from the start, says Brandon Clountz,
Heilind’s South regional manager, covering the southern United States, Mexico, and South America. That kind of insight
can mean the difference between success and failure in a
region where knowledge of local rules, regulations, and business culture is at a premium.
“Listening very carefully to our customers and supplier partners over the past several years was foundational in developing
our strategic expansion plans, including our entrance into Brazil,” says Clountz, pointing to an underlying message that the
company’s service model, interconnect focus, and commitment
to inventory in North America would fill a void in the Brazilian marketplace and will play a key role if it is to be successful.
“[Brazil] is a tight-knit market. You really need a localized,
incorporated company to do business there. Kotek gave us that.
16
Their team has expertise in importing product and building that
into their cost model. We needed somebody that had a formula
in place that was built along [Brazil’s] taxation laws.”
Business leaders agree that Brazil’s complex import/export
and tax structure is a challenge to doing business in the country, pointing to how quickly those rules can change, in particular. And although all the major large distributors do business in the region, many go to market as exporters, serving
the region from locations elsewhere in Latin America or the
United States.
Those with local offices and warehouses have done so largely by acquisition or by pursuing value-added strategies that
help ease the financial burden of importing products—services such as repair, refurbishment, and recycling; supply chain
management; testing; system configuration; and more. Avnet
Electronics Marketing, a prime example, has been expanding
steadily in Brazil. Last year, it added to its service business
with another technology integration center in the region that
serves its embedded business customers as well as original
equipment manufacturers and others.
Despite the challenges of doing business in South America,
distributors remain especially focused on the opportunities
of the Brazilian marketplace. Heilind’s recent move to grow
in the region is a pointed example, but others are finding new
reasons to enhance their presence there as well. Clountz points
to the country’s growing middle class and the resulting need
for the infrastructure and technological comforts to support
it. He says he expects Brazil to provide a steady source of
growth for Heilind now and down the road.
A RETURN TO GROWTH
Growth in the Brazilian economy slowed in 2012, but
local officials say the country is poised for more growth
this year, with government leaders promising late in 2012 to
take action that will ensure more sustainable growth going
forward. Growth slowed to around 1% last year, following
nearly 3% expansion in 2011, when the country surpassed
the United Kingdom to become the sixth largest economy
in the world.
Heilind wanted a piece of that action and put South America
at the top of its aggressive global expansion strategy. In addition to Brazil, the company has expanded in China recently,
looking to bring its interconnect expertise to a worldwide
audience. The company is projecting healthy growth in Brazil
this year, buoyed by the addition of new connector products to
a previously limited line card in the region, an expanded sales
force, and larger warehouse space.
“If you stock the product, the customers are going to come,” says Clountz,
adding that Brazilian customers are no
different than those that Heilind serves
elsewhere in the world with their need
for good service and reliable delivery.
“We serve second-, third-, and fourthtier customers really well. They look
for service and inventory at a relatively
competitive price. They need inventory, and we have the ability to do that
for them.”
Clountz says local customers are also looking for advice on
design and sourcing options. “That allows us, as a specialist,
to utilize and harness the technical support we have to make
those recommendations,” he adds.
Kotek-Heilind sells to a wide range of customers in Brazil,
including industrial, consumer, electronics, telecommunications, and the automotive industry, all of which are new to
Heilind and local to the Brazilian economy.
“Prior to the past year, the Brazilian economy had been
exploding,” Clountz says. “If they can continue to add jobs and
rework some of their tax laws, we expect solid growth in this
market for the next five to 10 years. We are very enthusiastic
about Brazil.”
THE WEB’S THE ANSWER
In evaluating the competitive landscape, Clountz puts it
at 50-50: 50% local distribution, 50% traditional competi-
tion that Heilind comes up against in North America and
elsewhere. Online strategies are winning big with Brazilian
customers, as large catalog houses like Digi-Key and Mouser
Electronics continue to invest heavily in their websites to
reach customers around the world.
Mouser, in particular, has a steady focus on Brazil with its
Portuguese-language customer service program. The distributor has a team of native Portuguese speakers, all Brazilian, who work out of the United States to support its Brazilian customers. The program complements the distributor’s
Portuguese-language website.
Although South America represents a small portion of
Mouser’s business, it is a fast-growing segment, says Steve
Newland, vice president of sales and service for the Americas.
“There really is an unmet demand in those markets for our
value proposition,” says Newland, pointing to Mouser’s focus
on getting design engineers the newest and widest variety of
products in no-minimum order quantities. “That message
really resounds with that group as it does in other regions.”
Mouser serves South American customers from branches in Mexico and the U.S., but is investigating opening
branches in Argentina and Brazil as well. Newland says most
customers in the region come to Mouser
“There really is an via the Web, however, so the current localunmet demand in language website and complementary
those markets for Portuguese-language customer service
our value proposi- aspects of the business model continue to
tion,” says Mous- make sense. Going forward, Newland and
e r ’s V P o f s a l e s U.S.-based Latin American sales manager
and service for the Mauro Salomao say they expect the Web
Americas, Steve to continue to drive growth, especially as
electronics-related business increases in
Newland.
the region.
“The globalization of the economy is bringing new projects
into the territory,” says Salomao, a native Brazilian who has
worked with Latin American customers for 20 years.
But how much of that new business will turn into design
opportunity? The design engineering market in South America is smaller than it is in Europe and Asia, Newland says,
although he points to large pockets of opportunity in Brazil.
The design engineering community remains Mouser’s focus,
so the company continues to follow that business wherever
it grows.
“The driver for us is new design and development in the
region. Brazil is a multi-national economy, so there’s a lot of
design activity that goes on there, but there’s an equal amount
that goes on outside of Brazil as well,” says Newland.
“There is opportunity there,” he adds. “It’s a little harder to
get at than other regions of the world, but we’re not afraid of
it. You need to get in there, target the market, and get to know
it to succeed. And all told, we have quite a bit of resources
focused on that part of the world.” Q
17
LEADERS
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www.FutureElectronics.com
1-800-FUTURE-1
LEADERS
IN DISTRIBUTION
Looking Ahead
[email protected]
5
ISSUES
SHAPING THE
ELECTRONICS
SUPPLY CHAIN
In 2014, electronics industry executives will look to
emerging technologies for growth while focusing
on student-centered investment opportunities and
keeping counterfeit parts out of the supply chain.
A
show of hands at an electronic components
industry meeting in October confirmed what
many executives are feeling as 2013 comes to
a close: the flat to only slightly up business
conditions that have characterized the electronics supply chain
for the last two years are going to stick around for a while. Only
about a third of the executives listening to an economics presentation at the Electronic Components Industry Association’s
Executive Conference in Chicago in late October raised their
hands when asked if they thought their companies would finish
2013 with higher sales than 2012.
This is new to an industry in which growth tends to outpace
the general economy, and it’s leaving many looking for new
strategies that will help them better compete in a changing business climate. ECIA’s annual conference tackled the issue with the
theme “Shift Happens” and presented a slate of speakers from
inside and outside the industry offering insight on how manufacturers and distributors of electronic components can navigate
the change and still meet buyers’ and design engineers’ growing
list of demands.
The ECIA audience of distributors, manufacturers, and manufacturer representatives covered a big slice of the electronics
marketplace. Presenters discussed everything from new market
opportunities to honing your supply-chain niche. Their advice
provided a roadmap of where component suppliers will be
looking for growth and offers a glimpse at areas the supply chain
of the future will focus on. Here are five of them.
1. EMERGING TECHNOLOGY
Component suppliers are always looking for “the next big
thing” that will shake up the electronics industry, but such inno-
20
Wearable technology, 3D printing, and robotics
are three emerging technologies that supply-chain
companies should focus on in 2014, said author
and futurist Jack Uldrich of the School of Unlearning. (photo by Curtis Ellzey)
vations have been elusive in today’s flat market. Still, companies
should keep some key product trends on their radar screens, said
Jack Uldrich of the School of Unlearning on the first day of the
conference.
Wearable technology is one area. Uldrich told attendees that
it “absolutely could be” a huge market in the not-too-distant
future, pointing to the wearable computer Google Glass as an
example. The convergence of wearable technology and mobile
health monitoring is another big area, according to Uldrich. He
noted a wide range of fitness and health-monitoring devices,
such as the FitBit activity tracker, a wireless-enabled wearable
device that measures a range of personal health metrics. Uldrich
also cited 3D printing and GE’s goal to produce jet engine parts
using the technology by 2016, as well as robotics, a hot area for
U.S. manufacturers.
“This technology is getting exponentially better,” Uldrich
said of 3D printing in particular.
2. THE INTERNET OF THINGS
The Internet of Things is all about connectedness—connecting people, processes, and things to the Web. It’s a growing
opportunity for companies of all kinds, according to Uldrich
and Intel’s Rick Dwyer, who also spoke at the ECIA conference.
To put it in perspective, Dwyer said that as of late October,
there were 10.7 billion people, processes, and things connected
to the Internet—an impressive installed base of potential business that will only grow. The key to capitalizing on this potential
is figuring out how to sell the services and solutions people need
to enable their projects, programs, and ideas, Dwyer said.
“What can we do differently to capture the value of the Internet
of Things?” he urged companies to ask. He also described oppor-
tunities in the Smart Grid as a prime example, as utility companies
look for new ways to manage and analyze energy use and spending, opening the door for companies that sell devices and technology that will allow them to do so in an online environment.
3. HONING YOUR NICHE
tions. The teams are charged with building a robot that can
perform a specific task in a series of competitions held across the
country. Corporate sponsors play a large role in supplying the
electronic components, tools, and other products students need
to build their robots.
Balz emphasized the need for industry involvement in the
program by telling his compelling story. A motocross rider with
a 2.7 grade point average, Balz had little interest in academics
until one of his teachers asked him to join his school’s FIRST
program in his sophomore year. He quickly became a team
leader, and before he was out of high school he had founded
Freedom Chairs, a non-profit organization that recycles and
rebuilds powered wheelchairs for people in
need of mobility. The 18-year-old is president of Freedom Chairs, which is staffed
by a team of student volunteers from Balz’s
alma mater, Plainfield High School.
“[FIRST] turned my life around,” Balz
told attendees. “It inspired me to try harder in school. I knew I couldn’t become an
engineer with a 2.7 GPA.”
Balz finished with a 3.65 GPA.
In a presentation focused on business evolution and the importance of maintaining a “culture that cares and values that matter,”
Steve Fisher, CEO of Philadelphia-based specialty distributor
PEI-Genesis, recounted his family-owned firm’s evolutionary
journey from a small startup distributor of electronic parts to
one of the world’s leading assemblers of precision connectors and
power supplies.
Founded in 1946 by Fisher’s father, Murray Fisher, and his best friend Bernie Bernbaum, PEI-Genesis has been honing its
niche as an international manufacturer,
assembling distributor, and engineering
design firm for connectors and power supplies ever since. But today’s difficult economic times are presenting new challenges.
After years of consistent growth, Fisher said
PEI-Genesis has struggled to grow over the
last 18 months. But he advised that tough
5. STANDING UP TO COUNTERFEITS
times are an opportunity to look in the mirDespite recent efforts to reduce the
ror and ask if you are still relevant and then 2. “[FIRST] turned my life around. It inspired threat of counterfeit electronic compomake the changes necessary to remain so.
me to try harder in school. I knew I couldn’t nents entering the market, the situation
Careful evaluation of business trends become an engineer with a 2.7 GPA,” engi- is not getting much better, according to
and internal capabilities has led PEI- neering student Tim Balz told attendees at Avnet’s Ed Smith, who made the subject a
Genesis to its place as a high-mix product an electronics industry conference in late centerpiece of his presentation. Smith, who
is president of Avnet Electronics Marketbusiness that builds more than 10 million October. (photo by Curtis Ellzey)
ing Americas, warned of a misunderstandconnectors a year, Fisher explained. He
emphasized that changing with the times while holding on to ing among customers about the meaning of authorized distrithe values of its founding fathers will be a driving force in the bution and called for a campaign to educate buyers about the
dangers of sourcing components from the open market.
company’s ongoing evolution.
Although counterfeit parts can find their way into authorized
distributors’ inventory through customer returns, independent
4. INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
In one of the most inspiring presentations of the ECIA event, distributors and brokers represent the greatest threat because
and the only one to receive a standing ovation, teenager Tim they do not purchase components directly from the original
Balz explained how the FIRST science and technology program manufacturer. Many independents specialize in obsolete and
changed his academic life and put him on the path to becoming hard-to-find parts and invest in testing and purchasing proan engineer and entrepreneur. His talk served as a wakeup call grams designed to detect counterfeits and keep them out of the
about the importance of investing in students to ensure a more supply chain, but only authorized distributors receive components directly from original component manufacturers.
successful electronics industry in the future.
Balz is a freshman at the Rose-Hulman Institute of TechnolSmith discussed efforts by authorized distributors to address
ogy in Indiana. Yet he said he wouldn’t be there if it weren’t the counterfeit problem, including supply-chain management
for FIRST—For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and programs, design support, product obsolescence programs, and
Technology, a program that encourages elementary, middle, and aftermarket support designed to help customers avoid turning
high school students to develop their science, engineering, and to the open market. He also said it’s time to hold customers
technology skills through teamwork and competition.
accountable for their role and urged new regulations that hold
Schools throughout the country form FIRST teams that are buyers responsible for purchasing counterfeits by making it a
sponsored by teachers, community volunteers, and corpora- criminal offense.
21
LEADERS
IMPACT DISPLAY
SOLUTIONS
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LEADERS
BEYOND COMPONENTS
TO THE OTHER SIDE OF ORDINARY
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A PEOPLE COMPANY
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24
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LEADERS
IN DISTRIBUTION
Supply Chain
[email protected]
GLOBAL BUSINESS
CLIMATE BRINGS
Manufacturers,
Suppliers Closer
Supply-chain collaboration takes center stage as
manufacturers seek growth in an increasingly global
business environment.
P
artnership, transparency, and visibility are key words in today’s
global business world as manufacturing companies seek to forge
even closer relationships with their suppliers. Collaboration
has long been the mantra of distributors as they seek to become
indispensable parts of their customers’ operations. However, a recent report
on the state of manufacturing points to a heightened spirit of partnership
across the supply chain today as manufacturing organizations dig deeper into
their supplier relationships for innovation, ideas, and long-term planning.
The change may signal a new wave of cooperation that will bring businesses
closer together even as they reach further around the world to accomplish
their goals.
“Companies are adopting a number of strategies to stay ahead of the curve,
including a deeper emphasis on collaboration with partners and suppliers in
the search for new ideas,” according to the 2013 Global Manufacturing Outlook
report from consulting firm KPMG International, released in May. The report
points to a new wave of benefits that “will be the most dramatic yet, with a new
spirit of partnership, transparency and visibility across the value chain creating enormous economic value from a technology-enabled, demand-driven
supply chain,” explains Jeff Dobbs, KPMG’s global sector chair for diversified
industrials.
The trend is not lost on the electronics supply chain, which offers a focused
look at the growing spirit of collaboration identified in the KPMG report, particularly as distributors and customers forge stronger design/supply collaboration strategies.
A pointed example of this is an announcement earlier this year from small
manufacturing firm Sensuss on the release of its new sports-impact measurement products. Sensuss credits its seven-year relationship with distribution
partner Avnet Electronics Marketing as a key part not only in bringing the
products to market but also in helping to ensure the long-term success of a
startup company.
“We were looking to buy parts and Avnet filled that void for us. The relationship has ballooned from there,” says Jeff Lawson, CEO of Sensuss, which
26
launched its S2 and S3 sports impact measurement products this
summer. Both use a combination of Analog Devices sensors,
NXP microcontrollers, and a EuroTech Helios aggregator that
uses Intel-based technology.
“We were surprised at how quickly we became more than
just a customer, and that was so important to us. We were not
looking for a ‘just quote me the price on 10,000 of these and I’ll
go to the next person next time’ type of relationship. We were
looking to find a close working relationship with a supplier
and we evolved to that really quickly,” he says.
Sensuss’ S3 is a helmet-based or glove-based device that
monitors impacts, capturing the information, using machineto-machine (M2M) technology to transmit and store the data,
and cloud-based applications providing real-time assessments
that can protect the athlete from further potential harm. The
S2 is a translucent helmet-based device that lights up when an
athlete experiences a pre-defined level of impact, immediately
sending an alert that a critical event may have occurred.
Both products were rolled out this summer, and Sensuss’s
goal is to penetrate the youth sports market with technology
that can help prevent traumatic brain injuries (TBIs). Nearly 4
million mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBIs) or concussions
are reported each year due to impacts in sports and recreational activities, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Lawson says he and his colleagues at Sensuss understood
early in the process that they needed strong supply chain
partners to help them achieve their goal to design at home and
manufacture anywhere in the world for what they predict is a
large and growing market.
“One of the keys to choosing a supplier was that we needed
someone who had the right roadmap for all of the key products [that we needed],” explains Lawson, pointing to Avnet’s
ability to bring together technical experts and key component
manufacturers early in the design process. “Very early on, we
made a conscious decision to do a single point of contact for
all of the [bills of materials]. We said, ‘we want you to stock for
our forecast, deliver the products we ask for to us here [in the
United States], but also deliver them anywhere that we stipulate in the world.”
FORGING STRONGER CONNECTIONS
According to the KPMG report, today companies view their
channel partners as more of a network critical to achieving a
“demand-driven” supply chain, one that provides a real-time
view to total demand, supply, and capacity information.
“For companies of all sizes, genuinely closer working relationships between suppliers and other partners will be critical
to maximizing their responsiveness to changes in the market,”
the report points out. “More effective and efficient collaboration enables firms to optimize inventory, logistics and other
operational costs.”
Such activities are a crucial part of the Sensuss/Avnet relationship. Both Lawson and Avnet EM account manager Stan
Marszalek point to the companies’ close collaboration from
design through to production, which includes not only technical support on the design side but also special supply chain
logistics programs that balance end-market forecasts with
supplier lead times and other key issues to ensure a seamless
flow of products and support services.
“[Sensuss] needed a solid roadmap. When we sat down with
Jeff, we talked about the business requirements from prototype, to production, to next generation, to costs, logistics, and
so forth,” explains Marszalek. “We have a centralized, focused
team for both technical and logistics support, so we’re there to
provide the entire support package, from early design support
now moving into production and [going forward].”
Lawson characterizes it as a higher-level partnership than
what may have occurred in years past.
“‘Supply chain’ is really the wrong word, from our perspective,” Lawson says. “What we were looking for was not supply
chain. The old word is that sergeants talk supply but generals
talk logistics. We needed the logistics to replenish our stock,
align ourselves with technology, to figure out the vendors we
needed to be with, to target our product to market and to provide service. That’s what Avnet provided.”
IDEAS, NOT JUST SUPPLY
Looking ahead, both Lawson and Marszalek say the partnership will grow, especially in light of its forward-thinking
nature. They say they have taken next-generation activity into
account from the start of the project, for instance, planning for
a continuous and rapidly evolving product cycle.
“I think it’s easy to think about this in a singular format: we
had this idea, we designed this product, and now we’re taking it
to manufacture,” says Lawson. “But we’re doing so much more
than that. We’re focusing on next-generation activity now.
We’re also in the stages of redesigning on two separate fronts.
Our design team is different from our manufacturing team and
Avnet is interfacing with both. So, it’s a never-ending cycle.
In this product portfolio we have a tremendous need to stay
ahead of the rapid-turn cycle. So we need to align ourselves
with the right suppliers and line everything up to meet our
roadmap.”
Lawson echoes another key point from the KPMG 2013
Global Manufacturing Outlook: that, increasingly, companies are placing the supply chain at the center of their strategies to innovate.
“Many companies are starting to see their suppliers as a
source not just of production and logistics but also of ideas,”
the report says. “Half of our survey respondents say that partnerships, rather than in-house efforts, will characterize the
future of innovation.”
27
LEADERS
SYMMETRY ELECTRONICS CORP.
Symmetry Electronics, founded in 1998, is a global authorized distributor focused on the sale, technical support and distribution
of wireless, audio/video, and embedded products. Symmetry’s expertise helps engineers lower costs and reduce time to market.
NOT JUST ANOTHER DISTRIBUTOR
Symmetry’s philosophy is simple: focus on innovative
semiconductor products and the markets that need them.
Their vast industry expertise shines through in many market
segments. Industrial and building automation, M2M,
medical, metering, security and surveillance, digital signage,
broadcast, automotive, consumer goods, and military and
aerospace are just a few examples of markets in which
Symmetry excels.
Each product on the Symmetry line card is a result of much
time and consideration to ensure that it best meets the needs
of the customers the company serves. The technical sales
team goes through extensive factory and in-house product
training, enabling them to provide guidance and support in
all phases of the design cycle.
Antennas
APUs, SoCs, CPUs
Graphics Processors
M2M / IoT
Discrete Graphics Cards
Transcoders
RF Modules / ICs
Sensors
Video Processors
RFID
Single Board Computers
Audio Codecs
In addition to its traditional distribution model, Symmetry
makes semiconductor research and online purchasing simple
with its informative, easy-to-understand, and award-winning
ecommerce site. SemiconductorStore.com is not just a part
number directory, but is also a valuable resource of the most
current datasheets, custom selector guides, application
notes, reference designs, whitepapers, and a vast library
of supporting documents for all sorts of design projects.
The same way Symmetry is a technical support resource,
SemiconductorStore.com is a vibrant technical knowledge
base and ecommerce platform that is easy to navigate and
constantly updated.
Symmetry Electronics has built its reputation and its business
on providing the superior service and support that their
customers expect and deserve. Whether it’s browsing the
latest technology online, solving a complicated technical
problem, or tracking shipment, Symmetry customers get
precisely what they need the first time and every time.
A custom “In-A-Box” development kit designed by Symmetry’s in-house
technical support division that includes hardware, software and technical
documentation. Available online at SemiconductorStore.com
28
LEADERS
SAGER ELECTRONICS
A PROUD TRADITION OF INNOVATION AND SERVICE
WEB
|
EMAIL |
GROUNDED IN over 125 years of innovation and service, Sager Electronics is
a North American electronic component distributor of IP&E products. Sager
has built its business on integrity, service and adaptability, and our Distributing
Confidence® business model goes beyond fulfillment to provide a unique
combination of operational excellence and innovative business solutions.
TEL
|
FAX
|
sager.com
[email protected]
1.800.SAGER.800 (1.800.724.3780)
1.800.268.8001
19 Leona Drive
Middleborough, MA 02346
SIZE, SCOPE AND LEVERAGE
Today’s customers require increased support. Suppliers are operating
with fewer channel resources and manufacturing representatives face
greater demands. Sager offers personalized services like bonded inventory
programs, VMI, BOM quoting, credit and inventory management to meet
your critical requirements.
Sager’s network of field sales professionals, our team of inside sales
representatives, and our system of service centers are strategically located across
the United States, Canada
and Northern Mexico to
provide a comprehensive
level of service. Our field
application engineering
team is a resource for
manufacturers’ design
intense products in the
power management and
distribution, filtering and
circuit conditioning, and
thermal management areas.
With a concentration on the medical, industrial
and instrumentation markets, Sager has carefully
built a line card to service the IP&E requirements
of these OEMs in North America. Ranked as
a top three distributor for nearly two-thirds of
the suppliers on our line card, we have the
knowledge and leverage to help you identify and
procure the best in IP&E products while offering
best in class service.
Sager has the size, scope and leverage to be
your complete solution.
125 YEARS AND COUNTING
In 2012, Sager was acquired by TTI Inc., a
Berkshire Hathaway Inc. company. As a wholly
owned subsidiary of TTI Inc., Sager continues to
operate as it always has – with the same level of
service and commitment and the added strength of
TTI Inc. and Berkshire Hathaway Inc.
30
responsiveness
reliability
control
ownership
endurance
listening
access
innovation
speed
trust
initiative
Sager Electrical Supply, Congress St., Boston, MA.
performance
We’ve been distributing confidence
the same way since 1887.
One customer at a time.
respect
discipline
competition
value
depth
Technology changes. The ability to adapt, cost-effectively and
confidently doesn’t. Our products have kept pace with the times. Our service
has also evolved... tried, tested, and improved time and time again. We have built a
reputation for providing solutions, not just fulfilling orders. Field sales representatives and application engineers who listen and know your business can help grow
your business. We deliver expert, pro-active advice, and support your time-tomarket issues with a quick, well-qualified response. Competence creates confidence.
Sager continues to give your company that one timeless competitive edge. Contact
your local service center or Sager sales representative at 1.800.SAGER.800 or visit
us at www.sager.com.
Sager. Distributing Confidence.®
Sager Electronics is a wholly-owned subsidiary
of TTI Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway Inc. company.
© 2013 Sager Electronics
19 Leona Drive, Middleborough, MA 02346-1404
clout
agility
execution
service
LEADERS
IN DISTRIBUTION
Trends in Asia
[email protected]
GLOBAL
DISTRIBUTION
ASIA:
5 TRENDS
TO WATCH
Despite some re-shoring activity and slowing growth, Asia
remains the world’s low-cost manufacturing center and a
key business target for electronics distributors.
A
merican manufacturers and distributors are still
betting on Asia to remain the world’s leading
low-cost manufacturing center despite slowing
growth in the region and industry talk about the
“re-shoring” of projects back to North America. Supply-chain
companies continue to invest in Asia, seeking new opportunities and expanding existing operations—particularly in China,
which analysts predict will continue to see the lion’s share of the
region’s manufacturing activity.
Electronics distributors are making the most of these opportunities with enhanced services, new locations to better serve
customers in the region, and a focus on developing more nimble
global supply chains. Market leaders say that focus is especially
crucial as manufacturers place increasing importance on the
“design anywhere, build anywhere” philosophy, which benefits
those suppliers that can serve them in multiple locations around
the world. Still, whether they have served customers globally
for years or are just starting to build an international presence,
distributors selling in Asia are observing five key trends that are
shaping the local business landscape.
the compound annual growth rate really is somewhere in the
1.5% to 2% ballpark depending on the region.”
Wu points to rising labor rates, government efforts to update
infrastructure, the expiration of certain tax benefits, and efforts
to impose stricter environmental regulations as some reasons
for the slower growth. But he adds that those conditions are not
enough to keep Asia, and especially China, from maintaining
its status as the world’s leading low-cost manufacturing center.
“Does this mean that China won’t be the world’s factory anymore?” Wu says clients often ask. “Our answer is no.”
Steve Martin, president of U.S.-based distributor Components Direct, agrees. Components Direct specializes in managing manufacturers’ excess and obsolete components and does
more than 50% of its business with customers in Asia. It has a
warehouse in Hong Kong, with sales and service handled online
through its e-commerce business.
“I think Asia is going to be a growing market,” Martin says.
“The facts and figures are that it’s down and becoming more
competitive, but I think that for a lot of companies—especially
for a lot of North American companies—there’s a lot of potential in the Asia market.”
1. SLOWING BUT STILL GROWING
Distributors doing business in Asia say growth is slowing,
but they still point to the region as a good long-term source of
business for those supplying the range of manufacturing operations there, especially contract manufacturers. IHS senior
analyst Jeffrey Wu concurs, pointing to a slowdown across the
entire outsourced manufacturing business in Asia since the
2008-2009 recession.
“What we see happening in Asia is [that] growth has slowed
down compared to five years ago,” says Wu. “Then, [you had]
5% compound annual growth. Now, between 2012 and 2017,
32
2. CHINA MAINTAINS ITS LEAD
For companies looking for a low-cost manufacturing strategy, Asia is still the place to go, with China at the top of the
list. Aside from the cost benefits that can be realized on many
projects, the region’s now well-established manufacturing and
supply chain centers are business attractors as well.
“It’s really about design anywhere and build anywhere, [and
the trend] happens to be Asia today,” says Alex Iuorio, senior vice
president of supplier marketing for Avnet Electronics Marketing.
Iuorio emphasizes the region’s importance by pointing to the
migration of manufacturing work within Asia, specifically the
movement away from coastal regions to inland China and some
movement to other countries such as Malaysia and Vietnam.
“[It’s about] what makes the most sense for a particular
customer,” Iuorio explains, noting that other trends such as
regionalized manufacturing—in which companies build products closer to where they will be consumed—and local market
demand are additionally coming into play.
IHS’s Wu agrees, emphasizing domestic demand as a key to
the region’s ongoing strength.
“[In the last five years], products being built in China are being
driven by an ever-increasing demand in the domestic market,” he
explains. “Ten years ago, the majority of product output was used
for export. We don’t have exact figures, but we’re seeing that Chinese market demand is driving production in China to a much
more significant degree than it did five to 10 years ago.”
Julie Yuan, managing director of specialty distributor Amidon, agrees that China will remain the region’s top low-cost
manufacturing center for some time. Although there are projects that are going to Vietnam and Thailand, she notes that there
has not been a mass exodus of work to other countries.
“It’s not enough to disrupt the flow of contract manufacturing
to China,” she says, adding that she also sees a growing contract
manufacturing base that does specialized work due to better,
more consistent quality in the region. Amidon is expanding its
business in Southern China, most recently by opening an office
in Hong Kong this past fall.
3. MIGRATION TO INLAND CHINA
As Avnet’s Iuorio points out, more manufacturers are moving to inland China, and that will create new infrastructure and
supply-chain challenges over the next few years.
“You get there because of the low-cost workforce, and now
you have an inherent problem—roads, transportation [and so
forth],” says Iuorio. “That will drive infrastructure, which will in
turn drive supply-chain processes. It makes sense to me that the
biggest changes [ahead] will be around supply-chain services as it
relates to global customers moving their manufacturing to Asia.”
Wu agrees, adding that the migration will result in new manufacturing clusters in China, which should also help drive growth.
“What’s happening now is… there are a few distinct clusters
in China. [As] they move production inland, there are newer
hubs,” Wu says, pointing to local supply chains that have developed in China over the last 15 to 20 years that make it difficult
for manufacturers to move elsewhere, especially to higher-cost
countries under the guise of “re-shoring.”
“We still believe that a shift to the U.S. is symbolic,” adds Wu,
pointing to companies such as Apple and Motorola who have
announced that they will build or assemble some products back
on U.S. soil. “Despite program shifts back to the U.S., we do not
see that kind of formation of manufacturing clusters or supply
chain clusters all over again in the U.S.”
4. OPTIMIZED SUPPLY CHAINS ARE A MUST
Avnet’s Iuorio points to supply-chain optimization as a key
issue, especially as it relates to the “design anywhere, build anywhere” strategy. He says much of the world’s design work is still
done in the West, and as production moves East, the situation begs
for an optimized supply chain—one in which manufacturers, distributors, and customers have the technology, logistics, and infrastructure to serve customers efficiently, anywhere in the world.
“You’re going to see a much more robust supply-chain infrastructure built in those areas of the world to take advantage of
the optimized supply chain and, just as importantly, to mitigate
risk,” says Iuorio, pointing to Avnet’s 300 locations in 70 countries. “What we do is couple the design chain with our supply
chain so customers can design anywhere and build anywhere.”
Hand in hand with that, manufacturers are paying closer
attention to their “real and total” costs these days, which is
affecting their decisions to manufacture some products in
regions close to where they will be consumed.
“We’re seeing more of a discerning view of what the real and
total costs are and what makes sense for an individual customer,” says Iuorio. “There is no question that we’re seeing many,
many [companies] manufacture in the Asia-Pacific region
closer to where they think end demand will be.”
5. GROWING DEMAND FOR SPECIALTY SERVICES
As customers move production to China, many distributors are
moving to Asia. As Yuan explains, Amidon’s move to Hong Kong
this fall is a result of careful research among existing customers
in the region and management’s belief that there is a growing
need for the specialized services Amidon provides. Amidon is a
specialty distributor of ferrites, iron powder cores, and custom
inductors/transformers focusing on small-quantities, typically
working with purchase orders that range from $50 and up.
“We think there are more people out there that don’t have an
outlet for these small quantity [buys],” says Yuan, noting her
existing contract manufacturing customers as well as potential
customers in the region who may be missing out on smart buying opportunities because they simply don’t have the staff or
resources in the region to find them. Amidon can help not only
by supporting smaller projects, but also by seeking opportunities that require a backup source of components.
“It’s something we’ve noticed over time,” says Yuan. “Through
the years of dealing with our customer base there, we’ve found
that there may be more of a need for our services.”
The company has office space and some staff in the region,
mainly outside sales. Asia represents about 8% of Amidon’s
overall sales now. The move to expand internationally is aimed
at helping this small company grow in what continues to be a
challenging economic environment.
“We have really been struggling with the idea of whether to
bring on more lines or find other avenues of expansion,” she
says. “This is one of many ideas we’re hoping to execute.” Q
00.00.13 ELECTRONIC DESIGN
33
LEADERS
NEXUS ELECTRONICS LLC
DISTRIBUTION THE NEXUS WAY
FLEXIBILITY AND A customer first mentality is what has propelled
Nexus Electronics to the forefront of electronic component and
automotive wiring harness distribution. We pride ourselves on our
“human interaction” with our customers and will never abandon
our roots, but to better serve your needs; we have also launched
a fully featured E-commerce site. Now you can get your products
and information on-line or the traditional way, the choice is yours.
AUTOMOTIVE, ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS AND CONNECTOR
SUPERIOR MANUFACTURERS
NEXUS ELECTRONICS LLC partners with the top manufacturers of automotive
interconnect, electromechanical, and electronic hardware from around the
world to deliver only quality products to our customers. We have over 400
Million SKU’s in our supply chain from leading manufacturers like Yazaki,
Sumitomo, Delphi, Deutsch, Bosch, FCI, JST, TE Connectivity, Molex, just
to name a few. We follow only the most stringent quality standards for the
inspection and handling of all types of material in our 50,000 square foot North
American warehouse.
SUPERIOR SOURCING
Nexus Electronics LLC works with their customers to locate hard to
find, obsolete, or long lead time products using our certified domestic and
international partners. Our current sourcing capability is backed by skilled
sales personnel with several combined decades of experience who are
continually increasing their knowledge about products, inspection, packaging
requirements, value added services, and the ever changing needs of our
customers. Nexus is well respected by our customers and in our industry for
being an expert in sourcing all types of material. We are a preferred vendor
for many high profile OEMs and CEMs, but are
versatile enough to offer the same services and
expertise to our smaller OEM’s.
SUPERIOR SERVICE
Nexus only employs professionals with years
of experience in our industry and seek individuals
with the same “customer first” mentality. We
understand our success is dependent on
providing quality information and material in a
timely manner. We use that to philosophy to build
and strengthen our relationship with you to ensure
mutual success.
INDUSTRY BEST WARRANTY
WE WANT TO earn your business and your trust,
and to prove that, we stand behind every product
we sell and offer an industry best 52 week
warranty on all of our products.
34
Buy Online or Call Today!
www.nexelec.com 714.245.0700
Trusted Source for Electronic Components
Millions of Parts In Stock
Thousands of Manufactures Carried
Source all hard to find Circuit Board Level Electronics
And Wire Harness Assembly Components
Have Surplus? Contact Nexus today for a free evaluation
LEADERS
ASTREX ELECTRONICS INC.
strex Electronics, a specialized, value-added
distributor of high reliability interconnect
products and services is a qualified small
business and is AS9100-2009 certified. For over
50 years, our strategic focus has been to apply our
knowledge and technical support to create real
world military, aerospace, medical, and industrial
interconnect solutions.
At Astrex our depth of knowledge enables us to
offer attentive service, Custom VMI solutions and
fast answers to technical questions.
A
OUR PRODUCTS, OUR MARKETS
SPACE - Astrex offers a full range of space
level products designed to meet the rigorous
environmental requirements used in space
applications. Our space connector line includes
filtered/non-filtered D-Subminiature, MIL-DTL-38999
Series III connectors and a complete line of fiber
channel connectors and contacts. Additionally, we
are the exclusive distributor for Hypertronics NASA
approved Compact PCI connectors.
These connectors meet requirements for
outgassing, toxicity, flammability concerns, shock
and vibration and high/low temperature. We hold
IPC certification J-STD-001 Space addendum for
our engineered RF cable assemblies.
ASTREX ELECTRONICS, INC
205 Express Street
Plainview, NY 11803
ASTREX ELECTRONICS, INC
3910 Royal Ave
Simi Valley, CA 93063
EAST COAST SALES
WEST COAST SALES
800.633.6360
FAX | 516.433-1796
Diane Vighi, Sales Manager
EMAIL | [email protected]
800.238.4626
805.582-1444
Jim Clarizio, Sales Manager
EMAIL | [email protected]
TOLL FREE |
TOLL FREE |
FAX |
AVIATION - Astrex, a recognized leading supplier to the
Aerospace industry, offers a full range of harsh environment
connector products for the aviation industry. Applications
such as Hydraulics, Avionics, In Cabin Lighting, Galley,
Entertainment Systems, Fuel and Ground Support equipment
are typical.
Our worldwide presence allows us to locally support all
major aerospace manufacturers.
MEDICAL - Astrex offers high-reliability interconnect solutions to
the medical industry that are used extensively in areas where
reliability is essential to the well-being of a patient.
Our medical product offerings include contacts,
connectors and RF cable assemblies which are being
used on Implantable devices, MRI, Digital Imaging,
Electrophysiology Catheters, Defibrillators, Patient monitoring
equipment, and Ultrasound equipment.
MIL-AERO - Astrex is a global leader in the design, manufacture
and supply of high performance interconnect solutions to
the Military/Aerospace manufacturers for naval, land, and air
systems applications.
From commercial airlines to new generation military aircraft,
our offering of interconnect solutions are used extensively
on all Military and Aerospace systems where reliability is
absolutely mandatory.
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The Astrex Advantage is our commitment to service and
our 48 HOUR DELIVERY on value – added connectors! Please
visit Astrex.net for the extensive list of Mil-Spec connectors that
we offer.
,1&21
Global RF Solutions
36
GIVING YOU THE ADVANTAGE.
The Astrex Advantage is experience. For over 50 years,
our strategic focus as a specialized, value-added
distributor of interconnect products and services
has enabled us to create military, aerospace, medical
and industrial solutions to support our customers’
requirements. Our depth of knowledge enables us to
offer fast answers to technical questions and attentive
personalized service.
The Astrex Advantage includes:
•Extensive Inventories: ISO-9001:2008 certified, we
maintain an extensive component inventory which
enables us to quickly custom build an extensive array of
military, industrial and harsh environment
connectors.
• Superior Value-Added Capabilities: We are a fully
authorized distributor and value-added assembler of
the world’s finest high reliability connectors. WE OFFER
48-HOURS TURNAROUND ON ASSEMBLED CONNECTORS.
• Custom Formed Semi Rigid Cables
• Phase Matched Cables
• Precision Low Flexible Semi Rigid Cable
• Phased Controlled Assemblies
• UL Recognized Wire Harnesses
• Custom Delay Lines
• Certifications: ISO-9001:208, EN/JISQ/AS9100:2009
• Conformance: MIL+45208A, MIL-Q-9858A,
AnSI/NCSL Z540-I, Ul Certified
Astrex Electronics is the most
respected source for the finest
quality interconnect products
and services.
w w w.astrex.net
LEADERS
IN DISTRIBUTION
European Market
[email protected]
U.S.
DISTRIBUTORS
SEEK SUCCESS IN EUROPE
Electronics distributors are expanding on the Continent despite ongoing economic
weakness across the region.
A
lthough the Eurozone economy continued to suffer this past spring, with more weakness expected ahead, U.S.-based distributors remain undeterred in their efforts to grow across the region.
Many are capitalizing on ongoing design activity throughout
the area while others are growing their production-related
business and seeking to build a more global footprint overall.
A handful of those companies spent time at this year’s Electronics Distribution Show in Las Vegas emphasizing their
global footprint and outlining plans for growth in Europe.
Mouser Electronics, which has grown considerably in Europe
over the last few years, is one. Company leaders pointed to its
strength as a global operation during the conference, which
brings together manufacturers, distributors, and manufacturer representatives. Mouser president Glenn Smith pointed
to its record growth in every region in the first quarter of 2013,
emphasizing its 19 locations, technical support, customer service, and marketing personnel worldwide.
“Think of us as a global operation that needs to be aligned
with your global marketing teams,” Smith told an audience of
mostly suppliers during a company update meeting at EDS.
38
EUROPE’S ROLE
That message rings true in Europe, which remains Mouser’s
fastest-growing region, according to Mark Burr-Lonnon, who
heads the distributor’s operations in Europe, the Middle East,
and Africa (EMEA). Mouser grew 20% in EMEA last year and
is on track to grow another 25% this year, Burr-Lonnon says.
He credits the company’s focus on new product introductions
and customer recruitment as keys to that success.
Mouser has been rounding out its supplier mix, adding 24
new suppliers since January alone while focusing its marketing efforts on attracting new customers. Mouser adds nearly
700 customers per day, with 38% of them coming from Europe
and Asia, leaving plenty of opportunity to build the brand in
those regions, Burr-Lonnon adds.
“We have carved a niche with design engineers, focusing
on new products,” Burr-Lonnon says. “We’re one of the few
guys out there not growing into production [business]. We are
where we want to be in Europe and Asia.”
Those positive sentiments come despite Europe’s ongoing
economic crisis. The Eurozone’s gross domestic product fell
at an annualized rate of 0.9% during the first three months
of this year, marking the sixth straight quarter of a recession
that began late in 2011. Although economic conditions have
improved elsewhere around the world—GDP grew 2.5% in
the United States, 2% in the United Kingdom, and 3.5% in
Japan during the first quarter—analysts held out little hope
that Europe would experience anything resembling a recovery
this year. As a result, U.S. distributors are focused on building
their brands with a new audience and capitalizing on existing
design and production work throughout the region.
EXPANDING THEIR REACH
Minnesota-based distributor Digi-Key Corp. is also looking
to Europe for growth, although with a different focus. DigiKey has long served design engineers around the world, but is
building business with larger production accounts by placing
new resources in Europe. Earlier this year, Digi-Key established an EMEA sales leadership team and added a customer
support center in Munich to serve customers in those regions.
The distributor also said it will announce more resources covering the Nordics, Baltics, and Eastern and Southern Europe
by early summer. “We’re responding to customer
demand for a distribution model that
supports today’s changing global business climate,” Chris Beeson, Digi-Key’s
vice president, global sales and business
development, said when the changes
were announced in March. “By recruiting experienced sales leaders, we can
more quickly build the Digi-Key brand,
increase our traditional business, and
support larger production business accounts with one-onone support.”
Digi-Key’s Europe-based team is divided into four focus
areas: EMEA and Asia Pacific; Israel and Russia; the United
Kingdom and Ireland; and Central Europe. The team supports
a roster of 41,000 EMEA customers and is working to spread
the word about Digi-Key to other design engineers and production buyers across each region.
Expansion in Europe is a key part of Digi-Key’s strategy to
build out its hybrid distribution model, adds Beeson. Production accounts represented about 33% of Digi-Key’s $1.4 billion
in sales in 2012, he says, adding that he expects the production
side to hit $615 million in sales this year. Europe’s growing
production business represents a small slice of that $615 million, at just about $50 million in business today, leaving plenty
of room for growth. Beeson adds that he expects the production business to exceed $1 billion in the next few years.
Digi-Key’s focus on developing the supply chain tools
necessary to serve those customers is a key reason for that
optimism, but Beeson also points to the distributor’s dedication to inventory and its commitment to delivering “the
right product on time all the time” as a premium value in
the marketplace.
“Digi-Key is in the inventory business,” Beeson explains.
“Our goal is to never let the customer go down.”
STRENGTHENING TIES
Texas-based distributor Allied Electronics is taking a different tack when it comes to globalization, but Europe figures
prominently in its approach as well. Owned by Britain-based
Electrocomponents plc, Allied is a sister company to Britainbased RS Components, which does business across Europe
and around the world. The two companies are working to
strengthen their ties, aligning their product portfolios globally
and taking advantage of being on a single enterprise resource
planning (ERP) system.
“We have two very strong brands, and our intention is to be
a stronger global force,” says Phil Dock, global head of product
and supplier management for Electrocomponents plc.
Allied spent much of 2011-2012 upgrading to the SAP platform that RS Components was already using. Now the companies are leveraging the strength
Mark Burr-Lonnon, who that’s behind that unified system to
heads Mouser’s distri- create more supply chain visibility
butions in Europe, the and enhance customer-facing serMiddle East, and Africa, vices such as design tools, bill of
credits the company’s materials management, and quotafocus on new product tion and ordering systems.
But before they can take full
introductions and cusadvantage
of those capabilities,
tomer recruitment as
the
companies
must work to betkeys to its success.
ter align their product portfolios,
which company president Scott
McLendon says consist of just a 10% overlap in materials now.
Though Allied and RS have many of the same suppliers, the
product mix looks different around the world.
“In the next five years, our goal is to have a pretty common
[product] range around the world, somewhere around 75% common portfolio and the remaining 25% left up to local [needs],”
McLendon said in an interview earlier this year. “This allows
you to leverage your supply chain better, leverage your demand,
make your global inventory visible to your customer base … and
then you build your service proposition around that.”
RS Components conducted a similar exercise to unify its
product offering across Europe a few years ago, resulting in a
£30 million sales increase within 24 months. Global availability can also help on the local level. As OEMs design and build
their products in multiple regions, visibility into where the
inventory is and how quickly they can access it in a particular
location becomes even more important.
“The best global companies look local,” says McLendon.
“There are certain things you can leverage globally, but at the
end of the day all business is transacted locally.” Q
39
LEADERS
PEI-GENESIS, INC.
WEB
|
TEL
|
peigenesis.com
+1 215.673.0400
2180 Hornig Road
Philadelphia, PA 19116
LEADERS IN VALUE-ADDED SERVICES FOR CONNECTORS & POWER
WHO IS PEI?
P
EI-Genesis is one of the 15 largest electronic component
distributors in the world. A privately-held company in
business since 1946, PEI-Genesis is an international
manufacturer, assembling distributor, and engineering design firm
for connectors and power supplies. Our production capabilities meet
and exceed the highest military and industrial standards for consistent
quality, inspection, marking and packaging. Our factories are DoD
and QPL-approved. PEI is ISO 9001-2008 certified worldwide.
PEI-Genesis is more than a distributor of connectors and power
supplies – we are a value-added supplier offering a wide range of
services to support both your application design phase and your
supply chain. Our main services include custom assembly and
component modification of connectors and power supplies, custom
kitting packaging, color-coding, custom marking & labeling, and
custom packaging solutions. We also have a variety of supply chain
solutions from EDI to bonded stock to help you manage your
inventory levels.
WHY PEI?
WE PROVIDE ACCESS to the brands you need. We are one of the
largest value-added distributors for ITT Cannon, Amphenol, CINCH,
Lemo – US, Anderson Power Products, Sunbank, Friwo, and Elpac by
ICCNexergy. Over 85% of the products we produce are value-added –
fast. Most of our custom connector solutions are turned around in 48
hours and modified power supplies in just five days! PEI-Genesis can
build over 12 million unique connectors from stock at a rate of more
40
than 5,000 per hour. Using proprietary automation for
speed, consistency, and quality, PEI-Genesis can build
just 1 piece or 10,000 pieces with equal ease to any
standard or customized specification.
Headquartered in Philadelphia, PA, PEI-Genesis
has production facilities in South Bend, IN; Bensalem,
PA; and Southampton, UK; as well as 27 sales offices
in eight countries giving our customers local access
to a team of technical expertise. We are the experts at
what we do – connectors, power supplies and custom
engineered solutions. Our technical support team
includes salespeople, applications engineers, power
sales engineers, and product managers who help
support your design challenges.
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LEADERS
WPG AMERICAS, INC
WPG AMERICAS, INC. (WPGA) is a member of WPG
Holdings, the largest electronics distributor in Asia.
Founded in November 2007, WPG Americas is a franchised
partner to technology leaders in the Semiconductor,
Passive, Electromechanical, Interconnect, Displays and
Lighting Solutions markets.
As a member of WPG Holdings, WPGA is uniquely
positioned to support our customers and suppliers in
demand creation efforts in the Americas with production
fulfillment/manufacturing in Asia.
our customers and suppliers to provide solutions in the
Display, Lighting, Power and Communications technology
horizontals across the broad range of customer vertical
markets in the Americas.
WPGA is a full service distributor partner and member of
the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) in
North America.
WPG Americas - Global Leader, Local Service
COMPANY PROFILE: Rich Davis, President
At WPG Americas, we are focused on providing total
solutions based on our customers’ needs via superior
design engineering services, a focused line card and
exceptional quality service. We specialize in working with
COMPANY HEADQUARTERS: San Jose, CA
LOCATIONS: 8
EMPLOYEES: 125
COMPANY WEBSITE: www.wpgamericas.com
WPG AMERICAS DISPLAYS & Solutions Group focuses on the design,
value-add and integration of products to support the embedded
display market. WPGA partners with the leading companies worldwide
for display technologies providing best in class consumer and industrial
LCD displays, peripheral products and services. No matter the market
for your products, we have the solutions. Let our expertise and
partnerships help you find the solutions you need.
WPG AMERICAS LIGHTING Solutions is your lighting
innovation partner. We offer an industry “best in class”,
solutions based linecard, rich with technology leaders.
Our elite lighting engineers fully support your design and
technology requirements, resulting in faster time to market.
WPG supports both proof of concept and full manufacturing
build services, delivering a broad range of volume
requirements.
42
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LEADERS
IN DISTRIBUTION
Economic Overview
[email protected]
SLOW RECOVERY
STILL THE NORM
Electronics industry executives adjust to slower industry conditions as they look to
new regions and expanding markets for electronic content as key growth drivers.
S
peaking to other electronics supply chain executives in May, TTI’s Michael Knight characterized
2012 as a year in which the electronics industry
“went sideways,” explaining the flat to very low
growth most distributors in the sector experienced compared
to 2011. This is new for an industry accustomed to sizable
year-over-year sales gains driven by new technologies and
an ever-growing need for electronic content in just about all
aspects of daily life.
“I think there’s a possibility that 2013 will be another ‘sideways,’” said Knight, TTI’s vice president, Americas, in a separate interview in early May. “I think we’ll see some slight ‘up,’
but that’s not how the industry historically works. Plus or
minus 2% or 3%, that’s just not how our industry looks. But
it’s happening.”
The slow economic recovery globally, combined with political uncertainty and other pressures here at home, is the main
culprit, and most distributors say they are thankful for the continued drive for more electronics, which is helping to temper
the situation. The drive for smarter cars, medical equipment,
appliances, and other consumer devices is helping boost sales
44
for many companies, and so is factory automation as the trend
toward producing products closer to home gains steam. It all
adds up to an electronics marketplace poised for continued slow
growth in the second half of the year, say Knight and others.
“It’s looking to be a very slow recovery,” says Julie Yuan,
managing director of California-based regional electronics
distributor Amidon. “It’s certainly become more of a challenging marketplace.”
THE NEW NORMAL?
Although conditions are improving, most economists predict continued challenges in the manufacturing sector and
the overall economy for the remainder of 2013. In a late May
economic update, the Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI) predicted 3% growth in the
manufacturing sector this year—a moderate pace, but about
a percentage point faster than the general economy. Looking
further out, MAPI predicts 3.6% growth in the sector in 2014,
also about a percentage point better than the general economy.
“The major constraint on consumers in 2013 is that
wages are not growing much faster than the inflation rate
and spendable income is further reduced by higher taxes,”
MAPI chief economist Daniel J. Meckstroth said, adding
that despite volatility and the struggle for growth there are
reasons for optimism between now
and the end of the year. Rising home
prices, pent-up demand for consumer durables, and more balanced
job growth between manufacturing,
mining/construction and service
industries are a few key reasons.
Despite that optimism, electronics industry executives look to the
remainder of 2013 with a cautious
eye, and many are seeking growth by
expanding their reach globally. Amidon is one such company.
Yuan says the distributor will open an office in Hong Kong
later this year to capitalize on its growing customer base in
Asia. Similarly, large catalog distributor Mouser Electronics
is looking to expand in the Americas. It is in the process of
opening a new office in Mexico and is conducting a feasibility study to open one in Brazil. Expansion in the Americas
follows Mouser’s focused growth in Europe and Asia over the
last few years.
“We’re starting to get more focused on [Central and South
America], [because] we’ve seen some nice growth in Mexico
and Brazil,” explains vice president of sales for the Americas Steve Newland, pointing to Mouser’s mature business in
North America.
For many, mature North American markets are complicated
by the slow recovery here at home. Looking at U.S. manufacturing in particular, economic activity had slowed as of early
June compared to the beginning of the year.
The Institute for Supply Management’s Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI), which measures
U.S. manufacturing activity, declined “I see automation really
steadily from February to May, when shaping [the industry],”
it hit its lowest point in four years. says Steven EngineerMay’s PMI registered 49, a nearly 2% ing’s Paul Burk. “Cusslide compared to April and signaling tomers are asking to
a decline in manufacturing activity.
automate processes
A PMI above 50 indicates growth that they never have
in the sector. A PMI below 50 indi- before.”
cates contraction. May’s reading was
the first contraction since November 2012 and only the
second since July 2009. Purchasing managers interviewed
for the survey indicated a flattening of demand due to the
sluggish local and global economies.
REGIONALIZATION, AUTOMATION KEY FACTORS
Rising costs are another key concern throughout the
supply chain. When it comes to transportation, logistics, and labor, such increases are signaling a new manu-
facturing trend that bodes well for many distributors.
Some North American executives point to a trend toward
regional manufacturing, also referred to as on-shoring
or re-shoring, as original equipment
Mouser Electronics manufacturers (OEMs) seek to build
is looking to expand their products closer to where they
i t s A m e r i c a s b u s i - will be consumed, especially large,
ness with new growth heavy products that are costly to ship
in Central and South around the world.
America, says Steve
The situation is heightened as
Newland, vice presi- labor costs increase in traditionally
dent of sales for the low-cost regions such as Asia. Avnet
Americas.
Electronic Marketing’s Ed Smith
says the trend is helping to increase
manufacturing activity in Mexico, as one example.
“I think what’s happening is, companies are saying, ‘I have
certain products that are worth building in Asia and certain
products I need to build in America [because] it’s not worth
the logistics cost to build them in Asia and ship them back,’”
says Smith, Avnet EM’s president for the Americas, adding,
“I don’t know if I’d call it on-shoring or re-shoring, but there
is clearly an increase in manufacturing [in places such as]
Mexico. Some may view it as on-shoring or re-shoring. I think
there’s just less going out and more being built in the regions
where it’s being consumed.”
Angelo Hrenczuk, director of sales, thermal materials, for
electronics manufacturer Laird Technologies, agrees and
says he sees more automotive and appliance manufacturing
returning to Mexico as well.
“The chasing of low-cost centers is going to have to end,”
Hrenczuk says. “Anything that’s big and expensive to ship is
coming back.”
Hrenczuk adds that an increase in
manufacturing in North and Central
America will also signal an increased
need for factor y automation as
manufacturers seek to become more
competitive—another boon to many
electronics distributors’ business.
Northern California-based Steven
Engineering is already reaping the
rewards of that trend, says vice president of marketing Paul Burk. The specialty distributor of electronic components and industrial
automation equipment is predicting double-digit growth this
year, with factory automation work driving much of it. Burk
points to medical/biotech, alternative energy (mainly wind),
and food and beverage processing equipment as key growth
areas for Steven Engineering.
“I see automation really shaping [the industry],” says Burk.
“Customers are asking to automate processes that they never
have before.” Q
45
LEADERS
MARCH ELECTRONICS,
A LEADER IN QUALITY ELECTRONIC
COMPONENTS
MARCH ELECTRONICS IS a woman
owned distributor of quality electronic
components supplying the military,
industrial, and commercial marketplaces
since 1972. We can satisfy your
requirements for connectors, contacts,
connector accessories, cables,
insulation sleeving, solder sleeves, relays,
switches, terminal and terminal blocks,
tools, heat sinks and film capacitors.
March Electronics is committed to our
customer’s complete satisfaction. Our
dedicated sales force will promptly
and courteously take you through the
quotation and ordering process. Our
production and quality teams will make
sure it meets all your standards and ours.
We are an AS9100C / ISO 9001:2008
company and we use these guidelines
as a barometer to insure customer
satisfaction.
VALUE ADDED SERVICES
IN ADDITION TO specializing in all types of connectors
including cylindrical, micro-D, nanominiature,
D-subminiature, rack & panel, RF, coax, micro-coax,
power and audio, March Electronics is also a value
added QPL distributor for D38999, M28748, M55302,
46
and M83513 connectors. Furthermore, March also
value-adds commercial connectors and micro-coax
cable assemblies. We are able to support Kanban, JIT
or other special packaging requirements our customer
may have. March can build to your drawings or submit
ours for your approval. Our experience, versatility, and
40+ year commitment to the electronics industry makes
us a valued and trusted partner with a strong reputation
for quality, integrity and reliability.
LEADERS
YOU’RE NOT ALONE.
IT HAPPENS TO THE BEST OF US. THERE IS A CURE.
BOM CANCER
OEMs that have been in production for over 5 years
notice a series of phantom problems, simply written
off as BOM Cancer: More time, money, paperwork,
part numbers, and vendors than ever before. By the
time you realize that the problem is with your old
trusted Bill of Materials (BOM), you’re in too deep.
The clock is ticking and the bottom line is fading
out. Voyager Components, Inc. understands the
very root of BOM Cancer and how to fix it. While a
consultant would charge plenty for this fix, Voyager
Components offers this valuable service to customers FOR FREE.
Year after year your BOM is slowly altering itself
as a result of revised buying methods, shortages,
new software, and design changes. What started off
as a perfectly engineered list of parts is now a labyrinth of similar parts across various brands.
How to identify BOM Cancer: Perhaps the most
recognizable symptom is an excessive variety of
brands. A proper BOM should consist of 2-4 brands
per 100 surface-mount part numbers. This allows
you to find the best distributor for the dominant
brand, negotiate with more leverage, drive up volume discounts, and save time.
Distributor numbers & SKU numbers are often
mixed into BOMs, cornering a buyer to use more
vendors than necessary. Manufacturer PNs with
superfluous suffixes may have the same ‘cornering’
effect. Manufacturer PNs with missing suffixes can
result in the delivery of the correct PN in the wrong
packaging, leading to time-consuming exchanges
and disputes.
The cure is Voyager Components Inc BOM
Cleaning. This program is FREE to customers, and
the process is simple...
1. Email up to 3 BOMs to
[email protected], subject title
‘BOM Clean’.
2. Lists are quickly scrubbed and results are quality
checked by an in-house specialist.
3. You receive your BOM in its original format with
added columns of suggestions.
PHONE |
48
888.905.0088
WEB |
voyagercomponents.com
Top Distributors
Continued from Page11
quality assurance documentation on a range of levels from all
their trading partners, placing new pressure and more work on
distributors of all shapes and sizes.
The issue has been building since the late 2011 passage
of the National Defense Authorization Act, which includes
new rules and regulations around counterfeit electronic parts
found in the defense supply chain. The NDAA includes, or
directs government agencies to include, new rules for defense
contractors and impose steep penalties on those who supply
counterfeit components to the military. As a result, contractors
are seeking new assurances from their suppliers that the parts
they are purchasing are authentic.
The issue has shined a light on the independent distribution
market, and distributors such as N.F. Smith & Associates say they
have seen a consolidation in that market that may signify a turning point for the industry. The heightened focus on quality is raising the bar among independents, and those that don’t offer testing
and other vital quality assurances simply aren’t making the grade.
“We’ve seen a lot of consolidating among the independents
and the cream has kind of risen,” says Marc Barnhill, chief
trading officer for N.F. Smith. “There aren’t as many as there
used to be, and we think that’s a trend that will continue.”
The focus on counterfeits is also affecting the authorized
distribution channel. Authorized distributors purchase products directly from the manufacturer or other authorized distributors, ensuring authenticity. But many large distributors are
finding that some customers don’t understand the authorized
model and are placing new demands on those distributors as
well, most notably seeking certificates of compliance with every
order. As a result, a group of authorized distributors is working
through the industry’s G19 Committee—an SAE International
group that works to address prevention, detection, and electronics industry response to the counterfeit threat—to define
authorized distribution.
Pete Shopp, senior vice president, business operations for
Mouser Electronics, number eight, points to customers’ growing demand for traceability, noting that some customers are
demanding access to manufacturer packing slips to ensure
authenticity, for example.
“It’s all centered around making sure they have genuine parts,
and that’s understandable given the emphasis by the Department
of Defense,” says Shopp. “We’re involved with several industry
groups promoting authorized distribution and what that means.
We even have someone working with the G19 committee trying
to come up with a definition of authorized distribution.”
The issue concerns Sager’s Aruri, as well, particularly
because it’s beginning to spill over to non-defense industries.
“The need for [certificates of compliance] has crossed from the
military world to the commercial world,” says Aruri. “Customers
50
have a need to cover themselves in this area, so they’re starting to
require [certificates of compliance] with every order. Distribution
is not set up to do this. We all have traceability if we’re requested to
go back, but it’s very challenging to do it [up front].”
Aruri says Sager is likewise involved in industry efforts to
explain and promote the authorized channel.
“We’re participating in any initiative that encourages people
to buy from authorized distributors,” he says.
OUTLOOK: MORE ELECTRONICS, MORE BUSINESS
Despite the challenges ahead, SourceESB’s Top 50 Electronics Distributors say the long-term outlook is bright for the
electronics supply chain. Avnet’s Smith points to the growing
amount of electronics in the automotive industry as a shining
example, and he also notes that increasing demand for electronics in areas of limited growth, such as defense, are good
reason for a positive view. Others agree, pointing to the proliferation of electronics in industrial applications, consumer
markets, and more.
“Certainly, one of the reasons to be enthusiastic about being
in the technology industry is the expansion of these [components] to other industries. Industrial applications, oil and gas,
automotive—every month, every year these components get
put into equipment that they weren’t in the year before. Just
look at the technology in your refrigerator,” says N.F. Smith &
Associates’ Hartzell. “We are poised to always stay on top of
wherever that market expands.”
SourceESB’s 2013 Top 50 Electronics Distributors report is
featured each May in Electronic Design’s Distribution Resource
section and online at Globalpurchasing.com. Q
ADVERTISERS INDEX
ALLIED ELECTRONICS .................................... DR 8-9
AMERICA II ELECTRONICS .......................... DR 14-15
ASTREX ....................................................... DR 36-37
AVNET .............................................................. DR 4-5
BEYOND COMPONENTS ............................. DR 24-25
DIGI-KEY ...........................................................DR BC
DIGI-KEY ....................................................DR 1 & IBC
FUTURE ELECTRONICS .............................. DR 18-19
IMPACT DISPLAY SOLUTIONS..................... DR 22-23
MARCH ELECTRONICS ............................... DR 46-47
NEXUS ELECTRONICS ................................ DR 34-35
PEI-GENESIS ............................................... DR 40-41
SAGER ......................................................... DR 30-31
SYMMETRY ELECTRONICS CORP .............. DR 28-29
TTI INC ......................................................... DR 12-13
VOYAGER .................................................... DR 48-49
WPG AMERICA ............................................ DR 42-43
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRONIC
RESOURCE
DESIGN
ADLINK TECHNOLOGY • ADVANCED ASSEMBLY • ADVANCED POWER ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
ADVANCED CIRCUITS • ALLIED ELECTRONICS • ALPHA AND OMEGA SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED • AVNET
• COMPAERO, INC. • DESIGNSPARK MECHANICAL • DIGI-KEY CORPORATION • EMCO HIGH VOLTAGE
CORPORATION • FCI ELECTRONICS AMERICA • FRONT PANEL EXPRESS • IMAGINEERING • KEYSTONE
ELECTRONICS CORP. • LINEAR INTEGRATED SYSTEMS, INC. • PEARSON ELECTRONICS • PEI-GENESIS,
• VOLTAGE MULTIPLIERS INC.• ADLINK TECHNOLOGY • ADVANCED ASSEMBLY
Y • ADVANCED POWER
ELECTRONICS CORPORATION • ADVANCED CIRCUITS • ALLIED ELECTRONICS • ALPHA AND OMEGA
SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED • AVNET • COMPAERO, INC. • DESIGNSPARK MECHANICAL • DIGI-KEY
CORPORATION • EMCO HIGH VOLTAGE CORPORATION • FCI ELECTRONICS AMERICA • FRONT PANEL
EXPRESS • IMAGINEERING • KEYSTONE ELECTRONICS CORP. • LINEAR INTEGRATED SYSTEMS, INC.
PEARSON ELECTRONICS • PEI-GENESIS, INC. • VOLTAGE MULTIPLIERS INC. • ADLINK TECHNOLOGY
ADVANCED ASSEMBLY • ADVANCED POWER ELECTRONICS CORPORATION • ADVANCED CIRCUITS •
ALLIED ELECTRONICS • ALPHA AND OMEGA SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED • AVNET • COMPAERO, INC.
THE AUTHORITY ON
• DESIGNSPARK
ARK
MECHANICAL DIGI-KEY CORPORATION • EMCO HIGH VOLTAGE CORPORATION
EMERGING
• FCI ELECTRONICSTECHNOLOGIES
AMERICA • FRONT PANEL EXPRESS • IMAGINEERING • KEYSTONE ELECTRONICS
FOR DESIGN
SOLUTIONS
CORP
LINEAR
INTEGRATED
TED SYSTEMS, INC. • PEARSON ELECTRONICS PEI-GENESIS, INC. VOLTAGE
TECHNOLOGY • ADVANCED ASSEMBLY
Y • ADV
ANCED CIRCUITS • ALLIED ELECTRONICS • ALPHA
electronicdesign.com
AERO, INC. • DESIGNSPARK MECHANICAL •
TION • FCI ELECTRONICS AMERICA • FRONT P
CORP. • LINEAR INTEGRATED SYSTEMS, INC.
AGE MULTIPLIERS INC. • ADLINK TECHNOLOGY
ELECTRONICS CORPORATION • ADVANCED CIRCUITS
SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED • AVNET • COMPAERO, INC. •
EMCO HIGH VOLTAGE CORPORATION • FCI
IMAGINEERING • KEYSTONE ELECTRONICS CORP. • LINEAR
ELECTRONICS • PEI-GENESIS, INC. • VOLTAGE MULTIPLIERS
ADVANCED POWER ELECTRONICS CORPORA
ALPHA AND OMEGA SEMICONDUCTOR LIMITED
MECHANICAL • DIGI-KEY CORPORATION • EMCO HIGH
AMERICA • FRONT PANEL EXPRESS • IMAGINEERING
TED SYSTEMS, INC. • PEARSON ELECTRONICS
ADLINK TECHNOLOGY • ADVANCED ASSEMBLY • ADV
AERO, INC. • DESIGNSPARK MECHANICAL • DIGI-KEY
AGE MULTIPLIERS INC.• ADLINK TECHNOLOGY
PEI-GENESIS, INC. • VOLTAGE MULTIPLIERS
TECHNOLOGY • ADVANCED ASSEMBLY
Y • ADV
TION • FCI ELECTR ONICS AMERICA • FRONT
AGE MULTIPLIERS INC. • ADLINK TECHNOLOGY
ELECTRONICS • PEI-GENESIS, INC. • VOLTAGE MULTIPLIERS
ADLINK TECHNOLOGY • ADVANCED ASSEMBLY • ADV
AGE MULTIPLIERS INC.• ADLINK TECHNOLOGY
LEADERS
IN ELECTRONICS
NEW
PRODUCTS
ADDED DAILY
DIGIKEY.COM/NEW
EDLeadersCover.indd 1
12/19/13 10:44 AM
LEADERS
DIGI-KEY CORPORATION
YOUR TOTAL SOLUTIONS PROVIDER OF
OVER 3.5 MILLION COMPONENTS AT
WWW.DIGIKEY.COM
WEB
|
TEL
|
digikey.com
800.344.4539
D
igi-Key Corporation, a global Internet-based distributor of electronic
components, is an authorized distributor of more than 3.5 million
components from 650+ trusted suppliers. The company’s reputation
extends worldwide as customers continue to choose Digi-Key, gaining access
to the widest selection of electronic components in the industry, available for immediate shipment from its award-winning website, www.
digikey.com. With this wide range of products, available in both
design and production quantities, Digi-Key is the best resource for
design engineers and buyers alike.
The availability of products is one of the characteristics that distinguish Digi-Key from other electronic component distributors.
Digi-Key stocks over 975,000 products in an 800,000 square foot
distribution center in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, USA. Every day,
new products are added in a continuing effort to offer the full range of
electronic components needed by customers. Whether semiconductors, passives, interconnect, electromechanical, wireless, or lighting
components, Digi-Key has the parts you need, when you need them.
At Digi-Key, we have always prided ourselves on our ability to provide the
best possible service to our customers. A customer may request electronic
components 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, either by phone,
fax, email, or through the website. Digi-Key’s talented team of technicians and
applications engineers is also available by phone, email or through the website,
always ready to answer any questions.
This commitment to customer service
has earned us numerous awards through
the years. Independent industry research
has ranked Digi-Key #1 for Overall Performance for over 20 years.
Digi-Key’s hybrid, “Prototype to
Production®” business model offers
customers a truly unique buying experience. Supporting engineers through the
entire design process, whether prototyping, manufacturing small production
runs, designing upgrades, or moving
into full-scale production, is what truly
sets Digi-Key apart. From Prototype to
Production, Digi-Key has the necessary
resources and products necessary to take
your design to the next level! Learn more
by visiting www.digikey.com.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
LEADERS
In Electronics
2013
TABLE OF CONTENTS
12
CONSUMER ELECTRONICS TAKE USER INTERFACES
BEYOND YOUR FINGERTIPS
You don’t need keyboards and mice to interact with your devices anymore. Now
you can use haptics, 3D imaging, and more.
24
GET YOUR PRESCRIPTION FOR PERSONAL
MEDICAL ELECTRONICS
Leading-edge technologies coming together promise to revolutionize healthcare
by focusing on the patient, reducing costs, accelerating diagnostics and
therapeutics, and improving delivery.
37
12
IDEAS FOR DESIGN
Circuit generates high-frequency sine/cosine waves from square-wave input.
43
FREESCALE’S RITU FAVRE DISCUSSES TODAY’S
RF TECHNOLOGIES
RF technology isn’t just a niche in electronics. It’s the basis for the massive use of
wireless we see today.
54
WHEN WILL SELF-DRIVING CARS BE READY FOR YOU?
The latest driverless cars can do more than avoid buildings and other mobile
vehicles, but the technology needs to be more reliable and less expensive.
24
43
DEPARTMENTS
6
On ElectronicDesign.com
7
Editorial
54
Advertiser’s Index
54
EDITORIAL MISSION:
To provide the most current, accurate, and in-depth technical coverage of the key emerging technologies that
engineers need to design tomorrow’s products today.
2
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
Overachiever.
The most powerful scope you can buy for $1,290.
MSO/DPO2000B Mixed Signal Oscilloscope Series*
Introducing the MSO/DPO2000B Mixed Signal Oscilloscope Series. Like all of our MSO/DPO oscilloscopes, these powerful performers have the
accuracy and craftsmanship you expect from Tektronix. Only the low price is surprising. Designed with you in mind, they are packed with innovative
features to help speed every stage of debug. These scopes boast 16 digital channels, automated search, Wave Inspector® for navigating long
records and even automated serial decode. All at a starting price that makes perfect sense, and backed by a 5-year warranty.
MSO/DPO2000B Series
MSO/DPO3000 Series
MSO/DPO4000B and MDO4000 Series
Bandwidth
200 MHz, 100 MHz, 70 MHz
Bandwidth
500 MHz, 300 MHz, 100 MHz
Bandwidth
1 GHz, 500 MHz, 350 MHz, 100 MHz
Channels
2 or 4 analog
16 digital (MSO Series)
Channels
2 or 4 analog
16 digital (MSO Series)
Channels
Record Length
1 Mpoints
Record Length
5 Mpoints
Record Length
2 or 4 analog
16 digital (MSO & MDO Series)
1 RF (MDO Series)
Up to 20 Mpoints
Display
7.0”
Display
9.0”
Display
10.4”
Serial Bus Options
I2C, SPI, RS-232/422/485/UART, CAN, LIN
Serial Bus Options
I2C, SPI, RS-232/422/485/UART, CAN, LIN,
FlexRay, I2S/LJ/RJ/TDM, MIL-STD 1553
Serial Bus Options
I2C, SPI, RS-232/422/485/UART, CAN, LIN, FlexRay,
I2S/LJ/RJ/TDM, MIL-STD 1553, USB, Ethernet
Optional Analysis
--
Optional Analysis
Power Analysis, HDTV & Custom Video Triggering
Optional Analysis
Power Analysis, Limit & Mask Testing, HDTV &
Custom Video Triggering
Starting Price
$1,290
Starting Price
$3,380
Starting Price
$7,150
Watch how the series stacks up against the competition at
www.tektronix.com/overachiever
*MSO2024B shown in picture and priced at $3,570.
© 2012 Tektronix, Inc. All rights reserved. Tektronix products are covered by U.S. and foreign patents, issued and pending. TEKTRONIX and the Tektronix logo are registered trademarks and Wave Inspector is a trademark of Tektronix, Inc.
A Penton® Publication
2013
EDITORIAL
CONTENT DIRECTOR: NANCY K. FRIEDRICH [email protected]
CONTENT PRODUCTION DIRECTOR: MICHAEL BROWNE [email protected]
PRODUCTION EDITOR: RICHARD GAWEL [email protected]
PRODUCTION EDITOR: JEREMY COHEN [email protected]
ANALOG/POWER: DON TUITE [email protected]
COMMUNICATIONS: LOUIS E. FRENZEL [email protected]
DISTRIBUTION: VICTORIA FRAZA KICKHAM [email protected]
EMBEDDED/SYSTEMS/SOFTWARE: WILLIAM WONG [email protected]
ASSOCIATE PRODUCTION EDITOR: DENISE GRECO [email protected]
ASSOCIATE CONTENT PRODUCER: ILIZA SOKOL [email protected]
EUROPEAN EDITOR: PAUL WHYTOCK [email protected]
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: SALLY WARD-FOXTON [email protected]
EDITORIAL INTERN: SARAH MANGIOLA [email protected]
ART DEPARTMENT
GROUP DESIGN DIRECTOR: ANTHONY VITOLO [email protected]
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: DIMITRIOS BASTAS [email protected]
SENIOR ARTIST: JAMES MILLER [email protected]
PRODUCTION
GROUP PRODUCTION MANAGER: JUSTIN MARCINIAK [email protected]
PRODUCTION MANAGER: JULIE GILPIN [email protected]
AUDIENCE MARKETING
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: BRENDA ROODE [email protected]
ONLINE MARKETING SPECIALIST: DAN KRAFT [email protected]
FREE SUBSCRIPTION/STATUS OF SUBSCRIPTION/ADDRESS CHANGE/MISSING BACK ISSUES |T | 866.505.7173 [email protected]
SALES & MARKETING
BRAND DIRECTOR, e|DESIGN: TRACY SMITH T | 913.967.1324 F | 913.514.6881 [email protected]
REGIONAL SALES REPRESENTATIVES
BRAND CHAMPION: NORTHEAST/EASTERN CANADA: DAVE MADONIA T | 212.204.4331 F | 913.514.3966 [email protected]
SOUTH: BILL YARBOROUGH T | 713.636.3809 F | 713.380.5318 [email protected]
NORTHWEST/NORTHERN CALIFORNIA/WESTERN CANADA: JAMIE ALLEN T | 415.608.1959 F | 913.514.3667 [email protected]
MIDWEST/MID-ATLANTIC: STEPHANIE CAMPANA T | 312.840.8437 F | 913.514.3645 [email protected]
PLEASE SEND INSERTION ORDERS TO: [email protected]
PENTON REPRINTS: WRIGHT’S MEDIA T | 877.652.5295 [email protected]
CIRCULATION: CUSTOMER SERVICE T | 866.505.7173 F | 847.763.9673 [email protected]
INTERNATIONAL SALES
EUROPE: MARK DURHAM T | +44 (0)7958 564137 [email protected]
ASIA: HELEN LAI T | 886 2 2727 7799 [email protected]
JAPAN: HIROKAZU MORITA T | +81 3 3261 4591 F | +81 3 3261 6126
TAIWAN: CHARLES LIU T | 886 2 2727 7799 F | 886 2 2728-3686
KOREA: JO YOUNG SANG T | (011)82 2 739 7840
LIST RENTALS: MERIT DIRECT
FREE SUBSCRIPTION/STATUS OF SUBSCRIPTION/ADDRESS CHANGE/MISSING BACK ISSUES T | 866.505.7173 F | 847.763.9673 [email protected]
ONLINE
ONLINE DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR: VIRGINIA GOULDING [email protected]
COMMUNITY LEADER: RYAN MALEC [email protected]
DESIGN ENGINEERING & SOURCING GROUP
VICE PRESIDENT & MARKET LEADER: BILL BAUMANN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF CONTENT AND USER ENGAGEMENT: NANCY FRIEDRICH
GROUP DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS: CHRISTINA CAVANO
GROUP DIRECTOR OF MARKETING: JANE COOPER
RESEARCH MANAGER: JULIE RITCHIE
MARKETING & EVENTS SPECIALIST: ADRIAN PIAZZA
PENTON MEDIA INC.
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER: DAVID KIESELSTEIN [email protected]
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER: NICOLA ALLAIS [email protected]
SENIOR VP, DESIGN ENGINEERING GROUP: BOB MACARTHUR [email protected]
1166 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS, 10TH FLOOR
NEW YORK, NY 10036 T | 212.204.4200
Electronic Design | Machine Design | Microwaves & RF | Medical Design | Source ESB | Hydraulics & Pneumatics | Global Purchasing | Distribution Resource | Power
Electronics | Mobile Dev & Design | Defense Electronics | Electronic Design Europe | Engineering TV
4
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
6US`ZJVWL
^P[OHI\PS[PUZWLJ[Y\THUHSàLY
6US`
Time Domain Display
Frequency Domain Display
The world’s first mixed domain oscilloscope is now even more accessible.
The award-winning Tektronix MDO4000 Series Mixed Domain Oscilloscope is turning heads with its revolutionary built-in
spectrum analyzer. For the first time, you can capture up to 21 time-correlated analog, digital and RF signals with one
instrument. You can even view the RF spectrum at different points in time to see critical changes. Now the year’s top
scope is even more impressive, with new models starting at just $12,200. Which means you can capture more signal
types with one instrument than ever before. For less than ever before.
MDO4000 Mixed Domain Oscilloscope
4 analog channels
° 100 MHz to 1 GHz bandwidth models
16 digital channels
Parallel and serial bus triggering and analysis
Built on the MSO4000B mixed signal oscilloscope platform
1 RF channel
° 50 kHz – 3 GHz and 50 kHz – 6 GHz frequency range models
° Ultra-wide capture bandwidth up to 3 GHz
Unique RF analysis tools: automated markers, spectrogram display,
RF vs. time traces, advanced RF triggers
Find the right scope for your project and budget at scoperevolution.com.
* MSRP USD Starting Price
© 2012 Tektronix, Inc. All rights reserved. Tektronix products are covered by U.S. and foreign patents, issued and pending.
TEKTRONIX and the Tektronix logo are registered trademarks of Tektronix.
on
PACKAGING: A 30-YEAR
CAREER RETROSPECTIVE
SUN-POWERED CARS
CROSS AUSTRALIA IN
THEWORLD SOLAR
CHALLENGE
We’ve come a long way from the first IC, but we
still have a long way yet to go to achieve the full promise of the IC
revolution.
Teams from 23 countries raced their sunpowered cars on a 3000-km course across the
Outback.
blogs
PAUL WHYTOCK
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
EUROPE
DON TUITE
ANALOG/POWER
LOUIS FRENZEL
COMMUNICATIONS
BILL WONG
EMBEDDED/SYSTEMS/
SOFTWARE
• Low-Energy Bluetooth
And Ant+ Merge Onto
One Chip
• Elon Musk’s Hyperloop
And LIM Trains
• Amazing, Adaptable AM
Radio
• The Internet Of
Thingamajigs
join us online
6
WHAT’S ALL THIS
CAPACITIVE LOADING
STUFF, ANYHOW?
In 2008, Bob Pease exchanged e-mails with Paul Rako and other
friends about how an amplifier will oscillate if you put a capacitive load on it.
JOHN KISPERT DISCUSSES
QSPI FLASH AND RECENT
ACQUISITONS
Spansion CEO John Kispert tackles the company’s FL-iK quadSPI serial flash memory and its purchase of Fujitsu’s microcontroller and analog business.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
Editorial
NANCY K. FRIEDRICH | EDITOR-IN CHIEF
[email protected]
The Wireless Vision Nears
Completion
B
ack in the early 2000s, I remember being at a trade show and conference where a speaker talked
about then-recent cellular innovations. The presentation noted the impressive developments that
had led to better power consumption, thinner cell phones, better screens, etc. The wireless Internet
and other connected aspects like location-based services were on the horizon. Yet some commentary was
devoted to the fact that no matter how “portable” we thought our devices were, we were still plugged in—or
had to be plugged in for at least some point of every day in order to keep our devices up and running. The
idea was that true portability would only come when connectivity and power could be delivered wirelessly.
The dawn of that day is here and devices will undoubtedly be revolutionized by this capability.
Despite naysayers and fits and starts in terms of technology development, the early days of wireless charging are here. Various standards and technologies are vying to fulfill this need. Charging mats are available
and being tried out in applications ranging from vehicle dashboards to airport charging stations. Furniture
makers are even getting into the mix, creating tables, desks, and more with built-in wireless-charging capability. Reports are circulating that Apple’s new iWatch will be able to charge itself from a distance of 100 m.
The iWatch is an interesting example, as medical and fitness-monitoring applications based on wireless
connectivity have driven the development of wearable and implantable devices. If wireless charging can
enable designers to shrink and slim down personal devices, it may make more sense for everyone to have a
smartphone on their wrist. Implantable communications devices may not be too far behind.
This trend counters some recent analysis of the broader consumer electronics and design industry, which
points to iterative rather than evolutionary developments. In other words, some analysts and industry followers feel that the “next big thing” being designed is just a glossier, smaller/thinner, longer-battery-life version of the thing that came before it. Take the hype around the newest tablets, for example. Even if consumer
electronics makers have succeeded in finding the right combination of look, feel, and features to
JOIN US ONLINE
keep users coming back, that does not signal a lack of imagination and inspiration. Great leaps in
Become a fan @ facebook.
technology development continue to be witnessed in segments like defense, medical, and automocom/ElectronicDesign
tive. Now, wireless charging is preparing to revolutionize the electronics industry and the way
consumers interact with their devices. It’s time for the next big change as personal devices truly
cut the wires.
GO TO ELECTRONICDESIGN.COM
7
LEADERS
COMPAERO, INC.
WEB
|
EMAIL |
TEL
|
www.compaero.com
[email protected]
877-COMPAERO (877-266-7237)
MANUFACTURER AND DISTRIBUTOR OF DEFENSE ELECTRONICS
B
ased in Mooresville, North Carolina, Compaero is a
manufacturer of adapters, protective covers, cable clamps
and other connector accessories used primarily in the
Aerospace & Defense Industry. Adapters offered range from simple
strain reliefs to submersible EMI/RFI shielded backshells for use in
harsh environments. Protective covers, used to safeguard connectors
while not in use, are available with a wide array of lanyards, eyelets
and security rings for complete customization. Compaero’s line of
cable clamps conform to MS3057 style A, B, C & D and are widely
used in automotive and heavy industrial markets. Using a valueadded approach to manufacturing Compaero is able to maintain
competitive prices and short lead times. Their award winning website,
www.compaero.com, offers online specifications, pricing, real-time
inventory, online ordering and the ability to see quotes, orders,
invoices, tracking numbers and more. Over 2 million competitor’s part
numbers can be cross-referenced simply by entering the part number.
AUTHORIZED DISTRIBUTION
COMPAERO ALSO STOCKS and distributes a few select product lines
including Corsair Connectors, Hellermann/Tyton, Brady and
Comtronic Connectors. Corsair Connectors is a QPL’d manufacturer
of MIL-DTL-26482, MIL-DTL-5015 and MIL-DTL-38999 Circular
Connectors. Compaero is a MIL-STD-790 Class C value added
distributor for Corsair. Hellermann/Tyton manufactures a wide range
of products including fasteners, braided sleeving, heat shrink tubing
and shrink boots. With a focus on molded shapes and shrink boots,
Compaero carries a large Hellermann/Tyton inventory available for same
day shipping. For wire and cable identification needs Compaero offers
8
Brady heat shrink, wrap around, self lamination and
other I.D. labels. Comtronic Connector’s miniature and
ultra miniature line of products are among the smallest
connectors in the world. Circular versions range from
1 to 12 conductors with outside diameters as little as
5.4 millimeters. Compaero is the sole U.S. distributor
for Comtronic and keeps a wide selection of stock
available for immediate shipment. Compaero’s sales
team pride themselves on product knowledge and can
answer questions that may arise during the design or
assembly process. Every product line manufactured,
assembled or distributed is tested assuring a working
knowledge of the items offered.
For more information visit www.compaero.com,
email [email protected], or call 877-COMPAERO
(877-266-7237).
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
LEADERS
FCI ELECTRONICS
AMERICA
CONNECTING YOU TO THE FAST LANE WITH FCI
F
CI recently launched an “M” “P” “H” campaign to their channel
partners and customers in USA, highlighting FCI’s world class
expertise and support for Mezzanine, Power and High Speed
interconnects. Get in the Fast Lane with FCI, a leading interconnect and
cable assembly solutions provider that combines a broad product offering
with field engineering resources to meet the evolving needs of design
engineers.
Mezzanine – FCI’s “MezzSelect®” product portfolio is second to none
in terms of stacking heights (ranging from 2mm to 40mm), high speed
solutions (of up to 28 Gb/s), contact counts (from 4 to 600 per connector)
and signal densities (of 8 to 80 signals per cm) in fine pitch and array product
styles.
Power – FCI’s portfolio of power connector systems, employing stamped
and formed power contacts combined with housings designed to optimize
airflow, provide a broad range of options in Amps per contact (7 – 144) and
the linear current density ranges from 120 – 610 Amps per linear inch. The
PwrBlade® and PwrBlade+® connector systems enable power distribution and
signal control within a single connector, making them ideal design choices for
vigorous power system requirements of servers, storage, and communication
equipment. To meet industry demand for reduced power consumption, FCI
added a high-power card edge (HPCE) connector series for applications
requiring high linear density and low power loss.
10
High Speed – FCI is an industry leader,
utilizing leadframe designs, optimal
material and manufacturing processes,
to deliver the best cost/performance ratio
available. FCI’s full portfolio of high speed
copper and optical interconnect products
provide application solutions for Backplane
connectors scalable from 8 to 40 Gb/s
performance and I/O cable assembly and
connector solutions supporting 10 Gb/s,
40 GB/s and 120 Gb/s transmission rates.
Interconnect products are available in both
active optical and passive copper variants.
The XLerate™ Series is in full compliance
with industry standards, such as Ethernet,
SFF, Infiniband, USB, PCMCIA, and HDMI.
These products are optimized for
performance and power efficiency in
a variety of markets and applications
including data, communication, consumer,
industrial, instrumentation, medical
and machine-to-machine. For more
information, visit www.fci.com/mph.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
LEADERS
IN ELECTRONICS
Consumer Electronics
BILL WONG |EMBEDDED/SYSTEMS/SOFTWARE EDITOR
[email protected]
CONSUMER
ELECTRON
Take User Interfaces Beyond
Your Fingertips
R
emember when you had to push a button or turn a
handle to make something happen? It seems like a
long time ago, but control via touch, swipe, wave,
and voice really have been recent developments.
Still, the trends are clear.
When I walk up to my Toyota Prius, I unlock the door by
pulling the handle. The car recognizes me via the key fob
in my pocket. The same technology lets me start the car by
pressing a button. Our other car requires a key. I only drive it
occasionally, but I usually forget to pull out the key, and I look
silly trying to start the car by pressing a non-existent button.
The Prius is the newer vehicle. Its voice-activated navigation system requires a button press on the steering wheel. But
from then on, it’s all voice interaction for everything from
making a call to changing a navigation point. My version is
keyword-oriented, so it is not a matter of speaking naturally.
These features have been standard on higher-end models
for years, but there have been big improvements in functionality, performance, and reliability. The same is true for mobile
devices and appliances, from tablets to washing machines.
A TOUCH ON GLASS
Mechanical buttons used to be cheap. They still are for
many applications, but touch sensors are more the norm now
where microcontrollers and microprocessors are involved.
Touch interfaces are built into many microprocessors. Cre-
12
You don’t need keyboards and
mice to interact with your devices
anymore. Now you can use haptics,
3D imaging, and more.
ating the custom sensor layouts for multiple controls has
assembly, reliability, and cost advantages.
Gesture recognition is common on smart phones and tablets courtesy of touch support. Gesture recognition can even
be built into a chip. A few gestures tend to be commonly
supported such as point and press as well as dials and
sliders that usually have a displayed representation on
a dynamic screen or a static layout.
The Apple iPhone popularized the pinch and
zoom and swipe gestures. More advanced
gestures, however, tend to be applicationspecific or device-specific, making them
look more like magic. This can lead
to user confusion when users don’t
know what types of interaction
the devices support.
Capacitive touch technology can also support 3D sensing. The Z-axis typically has
less accuracy but is more than
sufficient for 3D gestures. 3D gesture
sensing can be used to provide additional feedback
such as highlighting a button before it is pressed in the same
HP’s Envy notebook computers have LeapMotion’s 3D sensing technology built in.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
ICS
13
LEADERS
DESIGNSPARK MECHANICAL
From ALLIED ELECTRONICS & RS COMPONENTS
ALLIED ELECTRONICS, a subsidiary of Electrocomponents plc
WEB
(LES:ECM), is a small order, high service level distributor of industrial
automation products, electronic components and electromechanical
products with more than 50 sales offices across the United States
and Canada.
EMAIL |
INTRODUCING DESIGNSPARK MECHANICAL
DesignSpark Mechanical is a groundbreaking new software
package brought to you by Allied Electronics and RS Components.
With its intuitive interface, DSM allows electrical and mechanical
engineers to quickly and easily build models and prototypes in three
dimensions without the use of expensive and complicated ComputerAided Design (CAD) programs.
Best of all, it’s absolutely free.
Available in multiple languages, DesignSpark Mechanical levels the
playing field, allowing
you to compete in a
much larger arena
by enabling the fast
creation of highly
professional concept
designs for product
proposals. Developed
in collaboration with
SpaceClaim – the
leading provider
of flexible and affordable 3D modeling software for engineers
– and TraceParts – the world’s foremost 3D content company –
DesignSpark Mechanical allows you to be up and running within
minutes. It even generates its own Bill of Materials (BOM), saving
|
TEL
|
FAX
|
alliedelec.com
[email protected]
800.433.5700
817.595.6444
7151 Jack Newell Blvd. S
Fort Worth, Texas, 76118
you the time and effort of sourcing and ordering parts
individually.
DesignSpark Mechanical offers a host of important
features, including:
• Powerful and intuitive gesture-based modeling that
allows anyone to create solid models almost instantly.
Pull, Fill, Move, and Combine tools enable hands-on 3D
design.
• Fast and accurate creation of highly professional
concept designs for product proposals.
• The ability to draw 3D extruded, revolved, and swept
geometry without ever leaving a 2D cross-section.
• The ability to edit dimensional values simply by
selecting the element.
• A flexible assembly structure, allowing parts to be
turned into an assembly and vice versa.
• Amendments and additions to designs can be made
by non-CAD specialist engineers. No more waiting for
the CAD department to make changes and alterations
in design.
• PCB circuit layouts can be imported via the IDF format.
• Designs can be exported in STL format to enable rapid
prototype builds via 3D printers.
Visit DesignSpark.com/Mechanical to access an
informative video, detailed product information, and a link
to download the software, all absolutely free.
14
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
THE GIFT OF INVENTION
DESIGNSPARK MECHANICAL
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LEADERS
AVNET: A GLOBAL LEADER
IN DESIGN-CHAIN AND
SUPPLY-CHAIN SERVICES
H
ere at Avnet Electronics Marketing, we are committed to
accelerating our customers’ success. As the top distributor in
the industry, our role is much more complex than just driving
efficiencies and cost cutting. We need to do much more than that, both for
our supplier and for our customers. We serve as growth enablers, quickly
identifying supply network problems and disconnects, and developing
supply chain solutions that leverage Avnet’s technical expertise, global
footprint, and virtual systems, so we can meet our customers’ time-tomarket demands.
Avnet was recently recognized by Gartner as a supply chain top 50
company, the only distributor on the list. We were evaluated for our
multi-tier supply chain and cost-to-serve analytical capabilities. Avnet’s
leadership in applying demand-driven principles to drive business
results is testament to the value-added integration services we offer.
We have the industry’s broadest line card, most efficient and adaptable
global supply chain structure, and unparalleled technical offerings.
Everything we do at Avnet is about forging new frontiers and
promoting innovation. For example, part of our strategy for growth
in 2013/14 includes paving the way for customers and suppliers to
penetrate new markets and adopt emerging technologies, such as
high-brightness LEDs, renewable energy and smart power technology.
Through our Avnet Embedded division and Rorke Global Solutions
business unit, Avnet is in an excellent position to capture the growing
demand for embedded technologies, particularly in IT infrastructure
in support of the cloud and mobile computing. Furthermore, our
FLEXIBILITY.
DESIGN CHAIN SOLUTIONS FROM AVNET
extensive education and training
resources, including our SpeedWay™
design workshops, global X-Fest technical
series and ARM design seminar series,
help to demystify new technologies and
accelerate designs implementing cuttingedge devices.
It’s no wonder that the industry’s top
global companies look to Avnet for results.
As a global distribution leader with more
than 90 years of supply management
experience, as well as innovative, valueadded services, Avnet can offer more than
any competitor when it comes to reducing
commercialization time, developing
strategies for reducing costs, and
delivering rapidly scalable, customized
supply chain solutions.
SIMPLIFIED.
SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS FROM AVNET
16
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
SIMPLIFIED.
SUPPLY CHAIN SOLUTIONS FROM AVNET
Your job is to develop and market innovative products; our job is to reduce your risk along the way.
Even leading edge products need a cost-effective and dependable supply chain to be a success. That’s
where Avnet can help. Around the world and around the clock, you can rely on our expertise at every
point in the supply chain – from supply chain assessment to solution design to global planning.
Avnet’s supply chain solutions save you inventory and infrastructure. That’s money in the bank, and
the edge you need to stay ahead of the competition. Simple, really.
What can we do for you? www.avnetexpress.com
Accelerating Your Success!™
1 800 332 8638 | www.avnetexpress.com |
@avnetdesignwire
1. Strategic Polymer’s Awake keyboard prototype employs polymer-based feedback for each key.
fashion as when a cursor hovers over a button or menu item
and a help bubble appears.
Feedback mechanisms can be divided into motorized,
piezoelectric, and polymer actuators. Rotating and linear
motorized systems have been very common, but some of the
latest controller chips can provide sophisticated feedback
mechanisms that are easy to coordinate. Piezoelectric systems
can be very compact, allowing them to be employed in places
where it would be difficult to place a motorized actuator.
Polymer-based systems are even more compact, so they
can be used for localized feedback. Strategic Polymer’s Awake
keyboard prototype (Fig. 1) implements feedback for each key
using electromechanical polymer actuators (EMPs). The technology allows extremely thin systems.
Pen interfaces complement touch interfaces. They can be
implemented using the same technology used for finger touch
recognition, although controller chips tend to specialize in
stylus and multi-touch support.
Pens are more precise than fingers. This is useful for many
applications including drawing. Pens can take advantage of
the high accuracy of their sensing systems. They also can have
buttons that improve their functionality once the user understands what the buttons can be used for.
Keyboards, both physical and now virtual, unfortunately
have reduced cursive penmanship to a dying art. The new pen
interfaces probably won’t change this trend, but the interface is
likely to remain useful. At this point the challenge is actually
more on the application side rather than the hardware, though
there is little demand for more stylish pens as there has been.
can do tricks like automatically switching from portrait to
landscape mode. Smart phones and tablets also then can be
used as game controllers and remote control devices.
Android phones and iPhones can be used to fly Parrot’s
AR.Drone electric quadrotor UAV. The interface takes advantage of these sensors as well as the touchscreen, which also displays the output from the UAV’s on-board cameras. This provides a better control mechanism than a touch interface alone.
Sensor fusion crops up with multiple sensors. It enables the
creation of virtual sensors. For example, a 3D virtual position
sensor could be based on inputs from a GPS, an inertial navigation system (INS), plus 3D accelerometers and gyroscopes.
The virtual sensor would use the information from all of these
sources, but sometimes some may not be available.
For instance, GPS will not work in certain areas where
radio reception is poor. INS systems tend to be power-hungry,
whereas accelerometers tend to use very little power. A lowpower device may not provide high accuracy, but it may be
sufficient in many instances. It may also be the only one that is
available in a particular location or time frame.
Non-traditional control systems with multiple sensors and
sensor fusion abound these days. Google Glass is one example
(Fig. 2). Users simply look up to see a large screen that’s really
GAMING THE MOTION SYSTEM
More mobile devices like smart phones and tablets are
incorporating microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) like
3D accelerometers and gyroscopes. These components can
determine their orientation so smart phones and tablets, then,
18
2. Sahas Katta’s Glass Tesla application enables Google Glass users
to control some of their Tesla car functionality.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
really a fraction of an inch. There is also
3. The Oculus Rift 3D virtual reality personal
a camera, 3D accelerometers,
display from Oculus VR uses 3D gyroscopes
and audio feedback.
to track head movement.
Voice commands and phone
Gaming is not the only place where
calls can be made using the
virtual reality will make a difference. In
device when it’s linked via Bluetooth
fact, non-gaming applications will liketo a smart phone. Audio feedback uses
ly be more important as the technology
bone conduction technology rather than
becomes more available such as Sixense’s
an earbud.
One needs to experience Google Glass to understand how MakeVR software, an easy to use 3D CAD system.
it changes the way one deals with a hands-free system. Speech
recognition is important since it is used to initiate functions 3D VIDEO IMAGE RECOGNITION
such as taking a picture or asking for directions. Imagine look3D video playback has not been successful in the HDTV
ing at a 3D map of your current location and turning your market, but 3D image recognition has. Microsoft’s original
head to see what is nearby.
Kinect, based on PrimeSense 3D imaging technology, has
Sahas Katta’s Glass Tesla application runs on Google Glass. been a huge hit for Microsoft’s XBox. It has also been a boon
It is designed to work with a Tesla electric car, providing loca- for robotics developers.
tion and charging information as well as limited control of
The second incarnation of the Kinect utilizes a different
the vehicle. Glass Tesla provides a way to wear sensors and a time-of-flight technology developed by SoftKinetic. In this
display, which is a conventional 2D display for one eye.
case, a simple infrared emitter is used and a special image senOculus Rift is a 1080p, 3D, virtual reality headset from Ocu- sor can detect the timing associated with the light pulses.
lus VR (Fig. 3). Built-in 3D gyroscopes track head movement
SoftKinetic provides development platforms that work in
so the images presented to the displays in the headset can near-field configurations like that found in front of a laptop or
provide a virtual reality environment.
far-field that would be needed for a stand-up gaming system
The head isn’t the only thing to track with the absolute 3D like the Kinect. The primary difference between near-field
positioning technology from Sixense. It uses a rotating mag- and far-field operation is the intensity of the infrared diode.
netic field to track multiple sensors, which can deliver high- Far-field operation requires more power that would blind the
precision, absolute position information under 1 mm. The sensor in near-field operation.
STEM System is a successful Kickstarter project that provides
The Creative Senz3D looks like a typical HD clip-on USB
3D hand controllers and clip-on sensors to more accurately camera, but it incorporates the near-field version of SoftKitrack body movement (Fig. 4).
netic’s engine (Fig. 6). Like HD cameras, the 3D systems could
The ultimate is a combination of Oculus Rift, Sixense’s be built into mobile devices like laptops and tablets.
STEM System, and Virtuix’s Omni (Fig. 5). The Omni is a platMicrosoft provided a software development kit (SDK) for its
form as well as an interface device. The combination is prob- Kinect platform after hackers turned the initially closed device
ably the closest thing to a holodeck that can be achieved today.
into a practical tool. Now gesture recognition can
Users stand in the middle of the Virtuix Omni platbe achieved using the Kinect for applications
form. It has a low-friction, grooved surface with a
like robotics. The SDK does the heavy lifting,
low-angle, bowl-like architecture. Users wear a
including support for skeletal tracking and
special set of pinned shoes that slide easily
3D gesture recognition.
along the groves. This stabilizes the feet
Intel’s Perceptual Computing SDK is
and prevents sliding sideways. Users slide
another framework for working with 3D
back to the center even when walking in
imaging and more because it also addressany direction.
es other sensor inputs including audio.
Users also wear a belt that is connected to the
Creative’s Senz3D is the 3D imaging hardstabilizing ring. They can then walk, run, jump, and
ware reference platform for the SDK.
slide in place. It is very good but not perfect.
Yet another 3D imaging technology
is available from LeapMotion. Like the
The system translates general movements into actions
aforementioned platforms, it is available
that a game can take advantage of so the display presented on the virtual reality headset 4. The Sixense STEM System uses mag- as a USB-based device and supported by
will replicate these actions in the virtual world. netics to provide absolute 3D position- gesture recognition software. LeapMotion’s
Virtuix Omni will work with other controllers ing information for multiple wireless
as well.
sensors including hand control units.
(continued on p. 49)
19
LEADERS
FRONT PANEL EXPRESS
CUSTOM ALUMINUM INSTRUMENT PANELS IN EXPRESS SERVICE
F
ront Panel Express offers custom front panels and enclosures with no minimum quantity requirements and optional same day delivery. Designing and ordering is made easy through the complimentary CAD software, Front Panel Designer. The software offers instant pricing, standard discounts, and
a variety of materials and finishes to choose from. Once a design is submitted online, Front Panel Express
manufactures premium quality products with modern CNC technology.
The idea for Front Panel Designer came from the realization that many engineers designing electronic
products face a similar challenge sourcing small runs of custom front panels. Front Panel Express operates
with a CAD/CAM system adapted to the production of front panels, which allows Front Panel Designer files
to be quickly and efficiently transferred to CNC milling machines. From the customer’s perspective, the fourstep customization process is as easy as downloading Front Panel Designer, designing the front panel to the
required specifications, submitting the order through the integrated order program, and receiving the finished product within the chosen production time.
COST EFFECTIVE PROTOTYPES AND
PRODUCTION RUNS
NOT ONLY DOES Front Panel Express’ free CAD software enable
everyone to design a custom machined product, but it also lets
customers actively participate in the production process. Typically,
manufacturers don’t allow customers to program the machines.
However, at FPE, the panel files are directly converted into a
milling program and customers only pay for actual machine time.
Production runs will reduce machine time by milling multiple
parts in one setup, which in return provides higher discounts.
WHO USES FRONT PANEL DESIGNER?
THE SIMPLICITY OF the design and order process
attracts both engineering departments of large
corporations and small businesses in a variety
of industries. Hobbyists also welcome the fast
and cost efficient manufacturing service of Front
Panel Express. The high quality standards, the
express turnaround and the cost efficiency satisfy
engineers and technology enthusiasts within the
US, Canada, Asia, and Australia.
20
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
Custom-Designed
Front Panels & Enclosures
From single prototype or production runs, we quickly provide
professional panels to meet your needs.
4
Easy
Steps
To Your Custom
Front Panel
1
FREE
Software!
Download and install
the FREE Front Panel
Designer software
FREE
Software
Create professionally finished
parts for all your electronics
applications quickly!
You design it
2
We machine it
FREE design software
Download your FREE copy of our design
software, at FrontPanelExpress.com.
Available for Windows, Mac and Linux.
Quality service
We specialize in front panel design, and
are here to make your project a success.
Profit from our years of experience, not
only as engineers, but also as customer
service specialists. Talk to our expert
designers, or learn more by visiting
our website.
Material
Choose from aluminum, acrylic or
powder-coated in a variety of
thicknesses and colors, or provide
your own material.
Enclosures
Front Panel Designer offers full
flexibility in designing unique
enclosures, or select from a variety
of standard options.
Express service available
Choose from the standard 5-day
lead time, or the 1- and 3-day
express options.
Design to your
specifications
3
Place your order
4
Receive your product
FrontPanelExpress.com
1-800-373-9060
[email protected]
LEADERS
ALPHA AND OMEGA
SEMICONDUCTOR
LIMITED
COMMITTED TO BECOME A TOTAL POWER SEMICONDUCTOR SOLUTION PROVIDER
WHO WE ARE
F
ounded in 2000 with headquarters in the core of Silicon Valley; Sunnyvale, California, USA –
Alpha and Omega Semiconductor Limited, or AOS, is a designer, developer and global supplier of
a broad range of power semiconductor products. AOS’s products are aimed at, but not limited to
applications such as portable computers, flat panel TVs, LED lighting, smart phones, battery packs, consumer
and industrial motor controls, and power supplies for TVs, computers, servers and telecommunications
equipment. AOS’s goal is to support our customers’ success by delivering excellence in design, value, quality
and service. We are committed to building strong partnerships with our customers – from understanding
their technology requirements, to delivering solutions to meet their product road maps, to providing technical
expertise and consulting throughout the process. With an 8-inch in-house wafer fab located in Hillsboro,
Oregon, two packaging facilities in Shanghai, China, and a global sales and technical support workforce, we are
well positioned to deliver the highest level of value, quality,
service and support to our customers.
OUR TECHNOLOGY
AOS’S GOAL IS to be a leader in Power Semiconductors through
delivery of best-in-class products and service for our customers.
We have established a well honed technology engine that includes
the cutting edge capabilities of our in-house world class wafer fab
and packaging facilities. These powerful resources at our R&D
team’s disposal provide the ideal breeding ground to accelerate the
release of new technology, which has already tripled in pace in the
last few years.
OUR PRODUCTS
AOS’S MAIN PRODUCT categories are power
discretes and power ICs. The discrete portfolio
consists of a wide voltage range of power
MOSFETs and IGBTs – delivering power by
switching, transferring or converting electricity.
The Power ICs portfolio uses a multi-chip
approach, leveraging AOS IC design knowhow, discrete silicon technology, and advanced
packaging capabilities.
22
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
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LEADERS
IN ELECTRONICS
Medical Electronics
ROGER ALLAN | CONTRIBUTING EDITOR
[email protected]
GET YOUR PRESCRIP
Personal
Electroni
Leading-edge technologies coming together promise to
revolutionize healthcare by focusing on the patient, reducing
costs, accelerating diagnostics and therapeutics, and
improving delivery.
T
he convergence of four pervasive technologies—ubiquitous sensing, wireless
connectivity via smart phones and tablets, cloud computing, and social networking—is rapidly driving the development of “personal” medical electronics for
diagnostics, monitoring, and therapeutics. Some call it digital health, e-health,
electronically enhanced medicine, m-health (mobile health), or personalized healthcare,
emerging as the next generation in healthcare diagnostics and preventive medicine that
will be independent of time and place of treatment.
THE ROLE OF SENSORS
Personal medical care will depend on a host of sensors embedded in a wearable device
or even implanted within the body that will send the patient’s medical information wirelessly to the doctor or healthcare facility. The result will be lower costs, better quality, more
convenience, and faster results. Major companies like Apple, Google, and Microsoft are
getting into the wearable computing business for wellbeing and healthcare applications.
Speaking at the Microelectronics Packaging and Test Council meeting in San Jose in
May, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) pioneer Janusz Bryzek, vice president of
development for MEMS and sensing solutions at Fairchild Semiconductor Corp., predicted the implementation of e-health in a broad scale of sensing and actuating medical
24
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
TION FOR
Medical
cs
25
LEADERS
EMCO HIGH VOLTAGE
CORPORATION
PERFORMANCE HIGH VOLTAGE POWER SUPPLY MANUFACTURER
Leading the industry in designing and manufacturing high voltage power supplies
F
or more than 40 years, EMCO High Voltage Corporation has supported the high voltage needs of original
equipment manufacturers, research laboratories, and educational institutions worldwide. We design and
manufacture highly reliable, performance-driven high voltage solutions backed by timely, zero-defect
production support.
Our leading designs have resulted in several awards, including the Key Partner Award from the University of
Wisconsin for project ICECUBE, Product of the Year from Electronic Products Magazine, and Product of the
Year from the University of California, Davis.
EMCO remains at the forefront of the high voltage industry, because we understand how to leverage innovation
to help our customers meet their design challenges. Whether you are developing sensitive laboratory instruments
or mission-critical scientific equipment that must perform under extreme conditions, you can depend on our
products to fulfill your need for high performance and reliability.
STANDARD PRODUCTS
EMCO’S HIGH VOLTAGE DC power supplies are designed for use
in a wide range of applications. Our products provide outputs
of up to +/- 33kV at 0.5 to 15 watts and accept input voltages
of 5, 12, 15, 16, and 24 volts. They feature proven reliability and
integrated protection features. Choose from surface-mount,
thru-hole, and leaded solutions. RoHS products are available,
and many products are UL listed.
CUSTOM AND SEMI-CUSTOM PRODUCTS
EMCO CAN DEVELOP a modified or custom product that
meets your unique specifications. We have more than
four decades of experience designing and manufacturing
custom and semi-custom solutions using high reliability
components and proven processes.
26
EMCO CB SER IES
NEW
line of 10kV
power
supplies
IN TRO D U C I N G T H E
CB Series
Precision regulated, reliable and compact, the CB Series offers big performance in a miniature package.
The newest addition to EMCO’s lineup provides an output of 0 to 10kV at 1 watt and accepts a wide input
voltage range of 11.5 to 16 VDC.
The CB Series features current and voltage monitoring, built-in protection against programming
overvoltage and thermal shutdown. Temperature drift is typically less than 100 PPM/˚C. Low output ripple,
very low EMI/RFI and tight regulation make the CB Series ideal for integration into sensitive equipment.
To learn more about the CB Series, please visit www.emcohighvoltage.com
Features
Applications
•
Regulated
•
Electrophoresis
•
Wide Input Voltage Range 11.5 – 16 VDC
•
Deflection Plates
•
Built-in Programming Voltage
•
Capacitor Charging
•
Built-in Thermal Shutdown
•
Electrostatic Field Generator
•
Voltage Monitor
•
Insulation Testing
•
Current Monitor
•
Image Intensifier
LEADERS
ADVANCED CIRCUITS
LEADING the PCB INDUSTRY in QUALITY & INNOVATION
A TRUE LEADER IN THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY
or over 25 years, Advanced Circuits has been leading the PCB industry in quality and innovation for prototype
through large scale PCB production and now offers in-house expedited assembly capabilities for small quantity
engineering prototypes making Advanced Circuits a true One-Stop PCB resource. Expanding with acquisitions
over the past four years in New Hampshire, Arizona, and Minnesota, Advanced Circuits is ranked among the top three
board fabricators in North America and is well-known for its reliability, dependability, and exceptional customer service.
With consistent capital investment and expanded capabilities, Advanced Circuits has become a leader in not only
the commercial PCB arena but also in the high-reliability, military/
aerospace/defense, and high technology marketplace.
Advanced Circuits accepts Military Contracts, is MIL-PRF-31032,
MIL-PRF-55110G, AS9100C, ISO 9001:2008, and UL Certified, IPC
6012 Class 2, 3 and 3A Qualified, and ITAR Registered. For more
information on Advanced Circuits, visit www.4pcb.com.
F
EXCLUSIVE SERVICES
AN INNOVATOR IN PCB services, Advanced Circuits offers
Free Design for Manufacturability checks at www.FreeDFM.com
and Free downloads for “PCB Artist” Layout Software at
www.PCBArtist.com.
“PCB Artist” is top-ranked by users and offers schematic to
PCB layout design, Autorouter, and Netlist import with Gerber
format available. FreeDFM has been called a “lifesaver” by
engineers and provides a graphical report within minutes identifying
file or design errors.
CUSTOMER-FOCUSED LEADERSHIP
JOHN YACOUB IS President/CEO of Advanced
Circuits and although he has received recognition
for leadership, he gives credit for the Company’s
success to the focus all employees give to
customers. As he emphasizes daily:
“At Advanced Circuits, customer excellence is
our #1 priority with TOTAL QUALITY in every
department.”
28
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
Your Total PCB and Assembly Solution
Advanced Circuits has the staff, technology and experience to
provide you with the highest quality circuit boards & assembly.
“I’ve just received my first batch of boards from Advanced Circuits and want
to say how pleased I am. The customer service, technical support and finish
product delivered by AC are all absolutely first rate.” - N.L.
Why buy from Advanced Circuits?
■
100% U.S. Based Manufacturing
■
Fab + Assembly as Quick as One Day
■
Industry's Largest Team with Over 100
Sales & Support Personnel
■
Industry's Best On-Time Shipping Record
■
Expedites are our Specialty
■
Same Day & Weekend Turns
■
24 Hour "Live" Tech Support
■
No Minimum Order
■
Free Tooling on Standard Spec Orders
■
Space & Flight Approved PCB Supplier
■
Instant Online Quotes, Orders, & Status
■
Industry's Largest Customer Database
■
Special Pricing & Programs for
Engineering Students
Enhanced Capabilities
Multiple divisions with broad-based technical expertise
enable Advanced Circuits to create special products
for all markets. We supply boards with unique product
demands to meet our customer’s design criteria.
■
Up to 40 Layers
■
Laser Drilled Microvias (HDI)
■
.0025" Trace/Space
■
Laser Direct Imaging (LDI)
■
Air Pockets Between Layers
■
Stacked Microvias
■
Via-in-Pad
■
Down to .3mm Pitch
■
Cavity Boards
■
Heavy Copper (up to 20 oz.)
■
Buried Chip Resistors
■
Blind & Buried Vias
■
Oversized Boards
(up to 37"x 120")
■
Multilayer RF Designs
(up to 8 layers)
Advanced Circuits
21101 E. 32nd Pkwy, Aurora, CO 80011
1-800-979-4722 · www.4pcb.com
Advanced Circuits
Committed to total quality in every department by doing it right the first time
Medical Electronics
National expenditures (in trillions)
devices such as out-of-body ultrasound and X-ray scanners, field. In 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
dialysis machines, on-the-body wearable devices to monitor gave its approval to Telcare Inc. to market the first cellularhealth and wellness, in-the-body infusion pumps, and blood enabled and portable blood glucose meter, the BGM, which
connects diabetes patients with their healthcare providers and
glucose sensors.
families. The BGM works with an FDA-cleared database
More than a dozen startups offering
called Telserve to aid patients in the managewearable devices aimed at fitness and
ment of diabetes.
healthcare applications have emerged.
Portable and wireless phones can also be
Many of these devices are used for perused
to monitor adherence to prescribed
sonal fitness monitoring, but they also
drugs
and compliance with dosage direchave potential in personalized medical
tions.
“Technology
is at the heart of what
monitoring and diagnostics. For example,
we
do,
”
says
Aunia
Grogan,
CEO of Atlantis
the Nike+ FuelBand from Nike Inc. uses wearHealthcare.
The
company
develops and
able sensors and low-power ARM-based
executes
interventions
to
address
treatcores to track and display what the compa- 1. The Nike+ FuelBand from Nike Inc.
ment
adherence,
which
Grogan
sees
as
ny calls NikeFuel by counting the wearer’s tracks and displays what the company
a
rising
cost
caused
largely
by
patients’
daily activities (Fig. 1).
calls NikeFuel, which counts the wearer’s
belief in the effectiveness of their medicaSoaring costs of healthcare expenditures daily activities.
tions and the severity of their illnesses.
worldwide are driving personal, portable,
and wireless healthcare innovations. On a gross domestic “The strategic use of technology is critical to effectively deliver
product (GDP) per capita basis, the U.S. spends about twice mass personalization, ensuring the right person receives the
the amount of developed countries. According to the Office right message at the right time and in the right way.”
One of these technology tools is the Raisin system from
of the Actuary of the U.S. Center for Medicare & Medicaid
Services, the U.S. spent about $2.6 trillion in 2010, which is Proteus Biomedical. According to the company, patients don’t
take 30% to 50% of their prescribed medications, and the costs
projected to surpass $4.5 trillion by 2020 (Fig. 2).
To empower the development of mobile and wireless of hospitalization due to non-adherence are very high. The
healthcare for consumers, Qualcomm formed the $10 mil- Raisin system uses a swallowable pill that marries medicine
lion Tricorder XPRIZE competition. The aim is to come up and mobile computing technologies to solve this problem.
Sensors send wireless signals through the body to a receiver
with a tool capable of non-invasively capturing health metrics
and diagnosing a set of 15 diseases using the latest advances that records the type of drug taken, the dose, and the place
in wireless sensing, imaging, and portability technologies to of manufacture. The system also measures heart rate, body
activity, and respiratory rate. Thin-film MEMS layers on each
replace costlier and bulkier laboratory equipment.
The Tricorder XPRIZE began in late 2010. That’s when ingestion event maker (IEM) are activated and powered using
Peter H. Diamond, CEO of the XPRIZE Foundation, met stomach electrolytes. The system modulates and pulses the
with Don Jones, vice president of global strategy and market current flow to encode information stored in it. It then comdevelopment at Qualcomm’s Wireless Health Group (now municates this data through the body tissue, where a receiver
Qualcomm Life Inc.), and Paul E. Jacobs, CEO and chairman worn on the patient’s skin detects an electric field.
of Qualcomm and the Qualcomm Foun$5.0
dation, to kick off the program.
$4.5
Mobile phone maker Nokia has joined
Private
$4.0
the Qualcomm competition with its own
Medicare
$3.5
$2.25 million XCHALLENGE, which
Medicaid
$3.0
encourages teams to build sensing techOut of pocket
$2.5
nologies for use in identifying and diagOther
$2.0
nosing diseases. Judges for the competi$1.5
tion have chosen 12 innovative hardware
$1.0
and software sensing technologies to
$0.5
advance as finalists in the first challenge,
$0
based on technology trustworthiness,
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
privacy and security, standardization,
Year
and interoperability.
Wireless and portable medical diag- 2. The U.S. spent about $2.6 trillion on healthcare in 2010, and that will grow to over $4.5 trillion
nostics have already been proven in the by 2020. (courtesy of the Office of the Actuary of the U.S. Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services)
30
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
SENSING AND POWER CHALLENGES
3. The BodyMedia FIT wearable calorie-count-
According to Phillip e Ka hn,
founder of Fullpower Technologies Inc., makers of wearable
medical products must overcome
three main challenges before their
products see greater acceptability
in mobile health. They’ll need to
be more innovative, create smaller and more accurate sensors, and
improve battery performance in terms of
smaller size, longer lifetimes, and suitability
for wearable medical products. Kahn created the first
camera phone in 1997 and is a pioneer in wearable electronics.
Kahn says that his company’s MotionX mobile sensing
technology platform, which is embedded in products from
Nike, Jawbone, Pioneer, and JVC, is the result of innovative
thinking from Fullpower Technologies. “We have a strong
focus on breakthrough algorithmic power management
that is above and beyond other solutions on the market,” he
explains. “This applies to wearable computing applications as
well as smart phones.”
Kahn also says that many health and fitness wearable mobile
medical products can provide readings that are within the 15%
to 20% range in accuracy, which paints the wrong picture of
a patient’s medical data. He says that levels of 5% accuracy or
better are needed. Accuracy can be crucial, for example, in
diagnosing lower back pain and gout during a long gait.
BodyMedia claims to have the highest accuracy for a wearable fitness monitor in its FIT calorie counter, with accuracies
greater than 90% (Fig. 3). Its on-body multi-sensor platform
meets FDA Class II category regulations and conforms to the
ISO 13485 standard. More than 150 clinical studies verified
this accuracy claim, claims BodyMedia.
Unlike other wearable body monitoring devices, the FIT
includes four sensors that provide the right size, cost, and
ing healthcare monitor delivers reading accuracies greater than 90%, the
best outside of a laboratory. Four
sensors provide the right size, cost,
and functional relevance.
functional relevance working
together to predict the most accurate calorie burn information outside of a laboratory. One sensor measures
galvanic skin response due to sweating. A
three-axis accelerometer measures motion and the
number of steps taken. A temperature sensor measures body
heat. And, a heat flux sensor measures the rate heat is dissipated from the body.
Samsung Electronics has embarked on a forward-looking
vision that is bound to dramatically change wireless mobile
health and define the next decade of medical technology.
Speaking at this year’s MobileBeat Conference, Samsung’s
president and chief strategy officer Young Sohn showed
a video demonstrating a foldable form factor for
large displays, photonic crystal reflective lighting that
requires no backlighting, and RF wave sensors integrated
within worn patches that check and transmit a patient’s
health data.
Sensors don’t need to be integrated into a wearable device,
Samsung demonstrated. Instead, they simply can be used as
connected add-on accessories. The folded display form factor
allows the expansion of the display screen without drawing
additional battery power.
Wearable e-health portable devices require a certain degree
of sensor fusion that intelligently combines and processes data
streams from multiple sensors, producing an output whose
sum is greater than the individual inputs combined. Many
sensor fusion products are available in hardware and software
4. Medical implants such as insulin infusion pumps, cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators, drug pumps, and neuro-stimulators all depend on
Microsemi’s ultra-low-power medical implantable communication service (MICS). It connects the ZL70102 wireless RF transceiver chip in a
module implanted in a patient’s body to a module within an external monitoring basestation.
Implant medical device
Host
microcontroller
ZL70102
Battery
MICS band
data link
Basestation
ZL70102
2.4-GHz
wakeup link
2.4-GHz
wakeup
transmitter
Basestation
controller
Remote
monitor
31
LEADERS
LINEAR INTEGRATED
SYSTEMS, INC.
JOHN HALL’S start-up career began in 1962 when he was hired
to help found Union Carbide’s semiconductor operation with
Silicon Valley legend Jean Hoerni. Since that time, he invented
the semiconductor design and process technology for a series of
groundbreaking, successful commercial products, including: the
first electronic watch; the first LCD digital watch; the first CMOS
liquid crystal display hand-held
calculator; the first electronic
camera shutter, voice synthesizers;
color autofocus cameras;
low-power programmable
heart pacemaker; and the first
computerized heart pacemaker.
Hall also provided services to
the U.S. Government for important
new military technologies,
including: a combination linear/
digital low-cost sonobuoy IC; the phased array radar module for the
B-1B bomber; the first radiation-hardened computer for a classified
program; and a high-speed data acquisition system for a long-range
infrared missile detection system.
Each of these commercial and military programs involved Hall
personally inventing new solutions for electronics problems that had
eluded other developers. Many of these solutions included making
fundamental advances in semiconductor technology.
Hall founded Micro Power Systems in 1971 with work that included
low-power CMOS integrated circuit designs he used in the first
WEB
|
EMAIL |
TEL
|
FAX
|
linearsystems.com
[email protected]
800.359.4023
510.353.0261
*we are also on twitter, facebook,
youtube, google +
computerized programmable heart pacemaker and the
first electronic camera shutter, the first low-cost ICs highly
resistant to nuclear radiation, stationary phased array
radar systems, frequency synthesizers, handheld digital
voltmeters, hand-held LCD calculators, molybdenum gate
MOS process used for cellular phone construction, and the
first one-chip analog-to-digital converters.
Hall has provided decisive technological advantages to
cutting-edge devices, including:
•CMOS technology and electronic watch application (Seiko)
•First computerized heart pacemaker (Medtronic)
•First electronic camera shutter (Canon)
•First printing calculator (Seiko)
•First pocket pager types (Harris, Kokusai)
•Cellular phone technology (Nokia)
Hall founded Linear Integrated Systems, Inc., in 1986 to
create new, higher-performance discrete semiconductors
in addition to producing components he developed at
Union Carbide, Intersil and Micro Power Systems. Linear
Systems’ product line consists of JFETs, BIFET amplifiers,
bipolar transistors, current regulating diodes, lateral DMOS
switches, low-leakage diodes, MOSFETs, photoFETS and
voltage controlled resistors. Linear Systems offers pinfor-pin replacements for current, discontinued, or selected
devices made by Analog Devices, Siliconix-Vishay, Fairchild,
National Semiconductor, Toshiba, NXP, and Phillips. These
discrete semiconductor products are designed to meet the
needs of today’s demanding new designs with additional
screening, ROHS/Non-ROHS packaging options.
32
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
LEADERS
ADLINK
TECHNOLOGY
WEB
|
TEL
|
E-MAIL
www.adlinktech.com
408.360.0200
| [email protected]
BUILDING BLOCKS & INTELLIGENT PLATFORMS
ADLINK TECHNOLOGY PROVIDES a wide range of Extreme
Rugged™, rugged and industrial embedded computing
products to the communications, medical, defense,
transportation, and industrial automation industries.
ADLINK’s offerings include single board computers (SBCs),
blades, systems, and platforms based on PC/104, Mini-
ITX, AdvancedTCA®, CompactPCI®, and VPX standards.
ADLINK‘s test and measurement solutions encompass data
acquisition and I/O; vision and motion control; and PXI/
PXI Express chassis, controllers, and modules. Our touch
computing line features smart computers, display systems, and
industrial handheld devices.
We also continue to expand our extensive
line of computer-on-modules (COMs) using
COM Express and ultra low-power SMARC form
factors. ADLINK recently introduced our Smart
Embedded Management Agent (SEMA), a set of
deeply embedded functions built into all ADLINK
modules to enhance embedded systems reliability
and offer end user support during initial systems
integration and customer carrier bring up, with
device access and remote management available
through the SEMA Cloud M2M platform.
DESIGN PHILOSOPHY
ADLINK IS A global company with headquarters
and manufacturing in Taiwan; R&D and
integration in Taiwan, China, the US, and
Germany; and an extensive network of
worldwide sales and support offices.
By offering both in-house design
and manufacturing—a service
combination as valuable as it is
rare in our industry—we maximize
rugged design capabilities
and capitalize on smart design
principles such as Application
Ready Intelligent Platforms (ARIPs)
that integrate both hardware
and software to facilitate better
performance, faster time-to-market, and
reduced risk and cost of ownership.
ADLINK believes that standards-based
design supports our efforts to reduce cost, risk, and
time-to-market for our customers, and also enables them
to focus on their core competencies. We lead and actively
participate in standards committees to drive innovation and
34
ensure that the standards continue to meet our
customers’ needs.
ADLINK is an Associate Member
of the Intel® Intelligent Systems
Alliance, an Executive Member of
PICMG, a Sponsor Member of
the PXI Systems Alliance, an
Executive Member of the PC/104
Consortium, an initial member
of SGeT (Standardization Group
for Embedded Technologies),
a Strategic Member of the AXIe
Consortium, and a member
of VMEbus International Trade
Association (VITA). ADLINK is also
ISO-9001, ISO-14001, ISO-13485, and
TL9000 certified.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
Computer-on-Modules
(COM Express, SMARC, Q7)
Small Form Factor PC/104 Single
Board Computer
3U CompactPCI Processor Blade
Rugged Fanless Computer System
Smart Touch Computer
Learn more about ADLINK’s low power
designs with the latest Intel® Atom™ &
Intel® Celeron® processor-based SoCs.
LQIR#DGOLQNWHFKFRP
©2013 ADLINK Technology, Inc. All specifications are subject to change without further notice. All products and company names listed are trademarks or trade names of their respective companies.
Medical Electronics
packages that are often proprietary to a specific vendor, usually tied to that vendor’s sensor offerings.
Researchers now are looking at data fusion rather than just
sensor fusion. Many experts consider this approach the key to
enabling more intelligent applications, which will be needed
in e-health devices.
HONING COMMUNICATIONS CHIPS
Semiconductor IC manufacturers have long been serving
the medical community with highly integrated, low-power,
and accurate devices, attributes required in portable and wearable wireless communications products. Renesas Electronics
is collaborating with Belgium’s IMEC to advance wireless
communications with the first multi-standard RF receiver and
an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) CMOS IC manufactured on a 28-nm process. The devices target LTE-Advanced
and next-generation Wi-Fi communications.
“Using a 28-nm CMOS process allows us to offer high levels
of integration and low power levels, increasingly important
parameters for the latest and future wireless communications devices,” explains Renesas’ Nelson Quintana, director of
marketing. “We’ve been supplying extremely low-power and
highly accurate devices to the medical community such as our
RX100 32-bit entry level microcontroller (MCU).”
Silicon Laboratories is acquiring Norway’s Energy Micro
AS, one of the first companies to develop 32-bit MCUs based
on a licensed ARM-Cortex-M3 core with an emphasis on lowpower and battery operated applications. Silicon Laboratories
is trying to develop a critical mass in its pursuit of the wireless and embedded Internet of Things (IoT) market, which
includes portable medical electronics.
Bluetooth low energy (BLE) is serving as a good connectivity
model for e-health devices. It suits applications that send limited data and need to operate from very low power levels, like
blood pressure monitors and pulse oximeters. Such e-health
devices are more likely to operate at home or in a doctor’s office.
But hospital and clinical settings involve larger volumes of data,
and medical devices generally operate from larger batteries or
an ac power source. That’s also the case for implantable devices
like infusion pumps for delivering insulin to the pancreas. Here,
Bluetooth is the correct communications choice.
It should be noted that the Bluetooth Smart communications protocol supports BLE but not the classic Bluetooth. The
Bluetooth Smart Ready protocol is available to communicate
with both BLE and classic Bluetooth, and it is already in use in
many smart phones and tablets.
“Our research has shown and all the information is indicating that BLE is the predominant one in the market now.
Using BLE components adds a new level of functionality that
enhances their power-saving capability,” says Chuck Parker,
executive director of the Continua Alliance, a non-profit,
open industry organization of more than 200 healthcare and
36
technology companies worldwide collaborating to improve
the quality of personal healthcare.
Parker also sees ZigBee as another communications protocol that offers designers some capabilities in meshing networks. “It allows us to follow an individual through a home
or through a relatively large-square-foot setting. Bluetooth
simply can’t accomplish that. It’s got a 33-foot limit, whereas
with ZigBee, with its meshing points, we can basically monitor the entire facility, whether it’s on a single floor or multiple
floors,” he says.
Medical implants are omnipresent, and many are linked to
home networks. According to Janus Bryzek, 600,000 of the 2.5
million medical implants such as pacemakers that are already
deployed are linked via home networks for remote sensing
and monitoring.
Medical implants such as insulin infusion pumps, cardiac pacemakers and defibrillators, drug pumps, and neurostimulators all can use Microsemi’s ultra-low-power medical
implantable communication service (MICS). It connects the
ZL70102 wireless RF transceiver chip in a module implanted
in a patient’s body to a module within an external monitoring
basestation (Fig. 4).
MICS operates in the 402-MHz to 405-MHz band and
consumes less than 6 mA in the transmit/receive modes, 290
nA in the listen before transmitting mode, and just 10 nA in
the sleep mode. Micosemi’s ZL70321 implantable radio module works with the ZL70102 and has an integrated matching
network, a surface acoustic-wave (SAW) filter for unwanted
blockers, and an extra low-noise amplifier for maximized
receiver sensitivity.
Researchers at Switzerland’s Centre Suisse d’Electronique et
de Microtechnique (CSEM) are working on the WISERBAN
project for much smaller implantable medical devices that will
feature smarter communications and consume less power.
This project will develop an ultra-miniature wireless body
area network (BAN) comprising a 2.4-GHz radio, a microprocessor for sensor data processing, and RF MEMS devices
for improved radio performance, all within a 4- by 4- by
1-mm system-in-package (SiP) housing, and consuming just
a few milliwatts. According to Vincent Peiris, section head of
CSEM’s analog and IC design section and the project’s coordinator, the group is developing devices that are 50 times
smaller and require 20 times less power than existing consumer products.
MORE MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY
For more, go to http://electronicdesign.com/markets/medical
and see:
• Choose The Right Resistors For Medical Applications
• Build A Wrist Heart-Rate Monitor
• Using An Ultra-Low-Power MCU
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
ideas
for design
Circuit Generates High-Frequency
Sine/Cosine Waves From Square-Wave Input
JOHN R. AMBROSE | MIXED SIGNAL INTEGRATION CORP. [email protected]
ALTHOUGH QUITE A FEW direct digital synthesis (DDS) ICs can
generate high-frequency sine waves, their complexity excludes
them from many designs. However, designers can use simple
high-frequency CMOS logic and two switched-capacitor filters
to create a sine/cosine generator. With newer filters, a 1-MHz
output at 1.7 V p-p is possible.
The example circuit uses an MSHFS6 5-V, low-power 12.5:1
switched-capacitor filter with selectable Butterworth, Bessel, or elliptic filters in the lowpass mode and full-, 1/3-, or
1/6-octave filters in the bandpass mode. Since the lowpass
mode would cause a 3-dB loss of the signal output, the circuit
uses the 1/6-octave bandpass filter, which is selected by tying
pins 1 and 3 high on the MSHFS6 (Fig. 1).
Two separate divider circuits are used. The 74HC393A
divides the 50-MHz clock to 12.5 MHz. The 74HC390A is a
2
3
+5 V
1
4
Clk
74HC74A
Q
/Q
5
3
6
4
2
1
/Clr
/Pre
Gnd
5
6
J1
7
7
R11
10k
8
QAA
Rst B
Clk BA
QAB
QBA
Clk BB
QCA
QBB
QDA
QCB
VSSD
QDB
R12
10k
C7
0.1 μF
VDDD 16
Clk AB 15
1 Clk AA
2 Rst A
14
VCC
D
+5 V
U3
+5 V
U4
dual divide-by-2 and divide-by-5 device. By combining the
74HC390 with the 74HC74A dual flip-flop, the 50-MHz clock
can be divided to 500 kHz.
The 74HC74A provides a Q and /Q output at half the frequency of the divide-by-25 output of the 74HC390A. Dividing
the 74HC74A output by 2 with the divide-by-2 blocks in the
74HC390A creates two square waves –90° apart. Figure 2 shows
a 100-MHz square-wave input, a 12.5-MHz output for the filter
clock, and 1-MHz sine and –cosine square-wave output before
the dividers. Resistor-divider circuits reduce the amplitude from
rail to rail to prevent generation of distortion in the filters. The
use of ac coupling at the MSHFS6 filter inputs ensures smoothed
square waves centered around the filters’ analog ground.
Figure 3 shows the output of the two filters with an input
clock of nearly 50 MHz. If the inverted cosine is not accept-
14
R1
10k
13
12
11
10
9
R2
10k
Cosine out
2
1
J3
+5 V
74HC390A
Sine out
2
1
J2
U1
1
1
FSEL
2
Out
3
Type
4
Clk
C4
0.1 μF
8
In
6
AGnd
7
V SS
5
VDD
MSHFS6
+5 V
+5 V
R9 1M
C5
0.1 μF
R8
100k
R10
100k
4
2
/Clk
QA
Clr
QB
QC
QD
3
4
Out
AGnd
Type
VSS
Clk
VDD
8
7
6
5
+5 V
C2
0.1 μF
+5 V
R4
100k
R5
100k
C3
0.1 μF
R6
1k
5
6
Gnd
7
In
FSEL
MSHFS6
VCC
+5 V
C6
0.1 μF
3
C8 0.1 μF
14
1
R3
1M
U2
2
+5 V
C1
0.1 μF
74HC393A
R7
1k
1. Instead of a DDS IC, the sine/cosine generator uses simple CMOS logic and two switched-capacitor filters to provide a 1-MHz output at 3.0 V dc.
37
LEADERS
IMAGINEERING
WEB
|
EMAIL |
TEL
|
www.PCBnet.com
[email protected]
(847) 806-0003
EQUIPPED WITH THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY
AND DRIVEN BY CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
F
ounded in 1985 Imagineering has been devoted to being a
value added PCB and PCB Assembly supplier by providing
rigid, flex and Metal Core on prototypes to full turnkey
production projects.
Imagineering has ample production experience, precise
automation of mass production, and calibrated examination
equipment, all of which aid in the company’s ability to deliver
advanced technology products with high quality, low cost, and
rapid delivery, that customers have come to depend on over the last
28 years.
Imagineering delivers zero defect product standard. Every
detail of the production process goes through strict quality
control in compliance with stringent quality requirements of
UL and ISO. Imagineering’s skilled CAD/CAM operators and
procurement specialists are highly trained to handle a wide
range of complex specifications. Our state of the art Jet Printer
has the ability to apply solder paste directly on the SMT pads
with high degree of precision. It is now possible to prep PCB
Assembly jobs in minutes instead of days. With this advanced
technology we can achieve the perfect results for QFNs, pin-inpaste, package-on-package and other new applications – such as
jetting into a board cavity. 38
Imagineering is also devoted to maintaining
rigorous environmental protection standards to
achieve the goal of reducing pollution to a minimum.
The company has committed to be in compliance
with the requirements of the ROHS directive and
has modified its processes to meet our international
customers’ standards.
Imagineering has the capability of customizing the
process for both, PCB fabrication and assembly, in
order to meet our customers’ needs. Our customers
can count on us to deliver both quick turn prototypes
and production on the simplest to the most complex
PCBs, from through hole to fine pitch assembly.
Over the last 28 years, our aggressive turnaround and
pricing has become industry standards.
Imagineering will continue to strengthen its
existing advantage in this competitive market by
locating and developing advanced techniques,
increasing the precise automation of mass
production, exploring distinctive markets for highly
value added PCBs, introducing global logistics
management, and opening up both domestic and
overseas markets.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
LEADERS
VOLTAGE MULTIPLIERS INC.
WEB
|
EMAIL |
TEL
|
FAX
|
www.VoltageMultipliers.com
[email protected]
559.651.1402
559.651.1704
8711 W. Roosevelt Ave.
Visalia, CA 93291 USA
VOLTAGE MULTIPLIERS INC. – YOUR HIGH VOLTAGE EXPERTS!
L
ook no further for high voltage components. Voltage Multipliers Inc.
manufactures a full line of high voltage diodes and assemblies ranging from
discrete components to complex power supplies.
• Diodes – 2kV to 20kV in surface
mount, axial-leaded, and formed lead
terminations optimized to get the heat out.
Package styles include glass and epoxy.
• Rectifiers – 2kV to 40kV and 500mA
to 2.2A in 100ns to 3000ns reverse
recovery times.
• Optocouplers – 2.5kV to 25kV
optocouplers featuring different gains
and long-term gain stability in several
package styles.
• Single Phase Bridges – 5kV to 20kV
Vrwm per leg 2A bridges available with
a 70ns reverse recovery time rating. Pin
terminals or insert terminals complete
the package.
• Voltage Multipliers – high voltage in
a small package. Connect in series to
achieve up to 14kV output.
• Power Supplies – 125kV 250W for
portable X-ray applications, CRT
displays, and HeNe lasers.
VMI IS YOUR SOLUTION FOR HIGH VOLTAGE PROBLEMS
OUR TRACK RECORD speaks for itself. We work hard to find solutions
to our customer’s tough, high voltage problems. We pride ourselves on
exemplary customer service and our ability to work with our customers,
every step of the way. From project conception through high-volume
production, our engineers are in the arena with you. You won’t find better
engineering or customer service.
Electrical specifications aside, custom power supply options include
multiple or single outputs, custom housings, precision outputs, signal input
and output monitoring, and more. Your imagination is the limit!
40
VMI was established in 1980, over 33 years ago.
Originally, we manufactured high voltage multipliers
for applications like cockpit CRT displays and analog
oscilloscopes. Times have changed, and so have we.
When a worldwide shortage of high voltage diodes
occurred - parts that were critical to our products - we
responded by developing in-house capabilities. We’ve
continued to grow since then. Our area of high voltage
expertise now includes high voltage assembly and
power supply designs.
CalRamic LLC, VMI’s sister company, manufactures
high voltage ceramic capacitors.
We know high voltage.
VMI is ISO9001:2008 certified. We’ve earned DSCC’s
award of Lab Suitability, and we’re a member IPC.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
Ideas for Design
2. The 1-MHz sine and –cosine outputs of the generator (channels 3
3. Channels 1 and 2 show the outputs of the two switched-filter
and 4) result from the 100-MHz square-wave input (channel 1).
capacitors with an input clock of nearly 50 MHz.
able, an op amp at the cosine filter output or the inverter at pin
13 of the 74HC390A can correct it.
The Lissajous curve for the two outputs (Fig. 4) indicates
that the phase circle matches the 89.1° reading in Figure 3.
Using a Krohn-Hite 6900B distortion analyzer and a 1-MHz
Krohn Hite lowpass filter (to remove the clock), the circuit’s
total harmonic distortion on the sine output was only 0.1%.
Although the 74HC390A and
74HC393A have a guaranteed
maximum operating frequency of
50 MHz at 6 V, Mixed Signal Inte-
gration Corp. and other companies have found that spec to be
very conservative.
In this application, a 100-MHz input clock achieved the
desired divide-by-4 and divide-by-100 needed to operate
the newer MSVHFS6 switched-capacitor filter at 3.3 V. The
only change needed was to reduce VDD to 3.3 V and replace
the 5-V MSHFS6 filters with the 3.3-V MSVHFS6. The
input clock was increased to 100 MHz.
Figures 5 and 6 show the filter outputs’
phase relationship in time and as a Lissajous curve.
5 . T h e o r i g i n a l c i rc u i t u s e d t h e
MSHFS6 switched capacitor, but it
JOHN R. AMRBOSE is the vice president
also works with the newer MSVHFS6
of applications and system engineering at
version, which runs on 3.3 V rather
Mixed Signal Integration Corp.
than 5.0 V. This screen shows the two
outputs’ phase relationship in time.
4. The Lissajous curve for the circuit’s two outputs shows that the
6. The Lissajous curve for the circuit using the MSVHFS6 3.3-V filters
phase circle matches the 89.1° found in Figure 3.
shows the outputs’ phase relationship.
42
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
LEADERS
IN ELECTRONICS
Q&A
LOUIS E. FRENZEL | COMMUNICATIONS EDITOR
[email protected]
Freescale’s Ritu Favre
Discusses Today’s RF Technologies
R
adio-frequency (RF) technology isn’t just a niche in electronics. It’s the basis for the massive use of wireless we see
today. Freescale Semiconductor is a leader in RF power
transistors, amplifiers, and other RF circuits. Ritu Favre, VP of Freescale’s RF division, discusses the RF business, products, and markets.
aerospace markets has also been very
well received, and we are getting significant pull there. Our overall industrial
offerings also continue to gain traction,
and we are performing very nicely in
these areas.
ED: Tell us something about
ED: What key factors are driving your
ED: Are you developing any products
Freescale’s RF Division. What is the
scope of the products?
RF: For over 20 years, Freescale has
been the leader in defining “what’s next”
in RF. In the 1990s when bipolar was
the industry standard, Freescale was
the first to introduce laterally diffused
metal-oxide semiconductors (LDMOS),
and that enabled multi-generational
improvement in power amplifier (PA)
performance. In the 2000s when discrete
ceramics were the industry standard,
Freescale was the first to launch radiofrequency integrated circuits (RFICs)
and plastic packaging, thereby enabling
compact, easy-to-design PAs.
Today, with a significant market
share lead in RF power amplifiers,
Freescale is successfully leveraging
our technology position to grow revenue outside of cellular infrastructure in
areas such as millimeter-wave monolithic integrated circuits (MMICs), RF
industrial, RF military & aerospace,
and land mobile markets.
RF business right now?
RF: Cellular networks are continuing to
transform from voice-centric to datacentric in nature, and the accompanying explosion in mobile data usage has
led to expansion and upgrades of cellular networks. In turn, this has created
a healthy demand for our products and
led to growth in our businesses.
Our announcement earlier this year
that we are entering the RF military &
for the automotive/telematics/connected car market?
RF: Freescale is a major supplier of
semiconductors to the automotive
industry. Our sister business groups
within Freescale are developing platforms and solutions for inter-vehicle
communications and for advanced
driver assistance including radar-based
communications.
Freescale has a broad portfolio of
automotive microcontrollers, integrated circuits, and sensor solutions.
Specifically in the RF business, there are
sections of our group that participate in
the connected car market.
An example of this would be the
development of high-definition FM
(HDFM) and radio data systemtraffic message channel (RDS-TMC),
where traditional radio stations can
now broadcast traffic information
through FM transmitters. We lead
the pack in FM RF power transistors.
Additionally, as part of our emerging
market product team, we are working
on other RF automotive applications
such as plasma ignition.
The newest Freescale Airfast LDMOS transistors are designed specifically for TD-LTE
basestations at the 2.3/2.6-GHz frequency
ED: What products make up the great-
bands. These transistors span a broad range
est percentage of the business?
RF: Today our largest revenue stream is
from RF cellular markets (basestation
PAs).
of power points, from 50 W to 200 W. The
AFT26HW050S/GS targets metrocell basestation applications in the 2496- to 2690-MHz
ED: Is the LDMOS power transistor
band. In an asymmetrical Doherty configura-
business still solid given the big interest in gallium nitride (GaN)?
tion, it delivers 47.4 dBm of peak power.
43
LEADERS
ADVANCED ASSEMBLY -
THE INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR SUCCESSFULLY MEETING AN
ENGINEER’S NEED FOR LOW-QUANTITY PCB ASSEMBLY
LOW-VOLUME ASSEMBLY WITH A
QUICK-TURN APPROACH
ADVANCED ASSEMBLY is the only printed circuit board assembly company in
the industry that provides services specifically for design engineers needing
fast, low-volume PCB assembly. Before Advanced Assembly, engineers had
a difficult time finding a reliable partner willing to assemble small quantities,
forcing them to assemble boards themselves or wait months for delivery.
Using a proprietary technology to quickly assemble just a few boards at a
time, Advanced Assembly provides the highest quality boards with an average
turn time of less than 5 days, no matter how complicated.
Catching errors during the prototype phase is critical to the success of any
project, which is why Advanced Assembly runs every project through its
unique assembly verification software. The free design-for-assembly check,
along with review from the company’s experienced engineering team, catches
90% of design errors before beginning the assembly process. This saves
customers time and money by avoiding holds, delays and rework.
THE ADVANCED ASSEMBLY ADVANTAGE
IN PARALLEL with the design check, Advanced Assembly can
order parts and boards from leading industry suppliers such as
Digit-Key, Newark and Arrow. The turn-key service eliminates
the need to coordinate multiple vendors and streamlines the
process. Once it is ready to go, the project is assembled in a
state-of-the-art, ISO-approved manufacturing facility.
But even more importantly, Advanced Assembly has
personalized customer service on top of the fastest, highest
quality technology. From procurement specialists to buy parts,
engineers to program jobs, technical sales people to quickly
answer questions, and customer service to oversee the process,
customers get help when they need it.
Advanced Assembly’s outstanding success proves it is fulfilling
a previously unmet need. Over the past ten years, Advanced
Assembly has become the undisputed leader in PCB assembly
for prototypes, NPIs, and other low-volume orders. And, when
a design passes the prototype phase, Advanced Assembly can
also now handle the production assembly.
Recognized by Inc. Magazine as one of the fastest growing US
companies, Advanced Assembly also has been honored for its
outstanding contributions to the Colorado economy. For these
reasons, it’s not surprising thousands of engineers and many
Fortune 500 companies trust Advanced Assembly with their
PCB assembly projects.
44
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
LEADERS
PEARSON ELECTRONICS
WEB
|
TEL
|
pearsonelectronics.com
+1.650.494.6444
A TRUE LEADER IN THE ELECTRONICS INDUSTRY
PEARSON ELECTRONICS IS the original and leading manufacturer for precision current-monitoring transformers used for accurate
AC current measurements. The company was founded in 1955 by Dr. Paul Pearson, inventor and patent holder, of the precision
wide-band current transformer. The Pearson design plus careful workmanship and quality control produce current monitors
with excellent frequency response and amplitude accuracy. Originally developed for measuring pulse-currents, Pearson Current
Monitors™ are now also widely used to measure more complicated transients and periodic signals from a few Hertz to well into the
megahertz region.
Pearson precision wide-band current transformers can measure pulse, harmonic, transient, sine-wave, EMI and other
complex current wave shapes. The current range is from micro-amps to mega-amps and we manufacture both toroid and
clamp-on current transformers. We stock a large variety of models for immediate delivery and design and manufacture for both
OEM and custom requirements. Pearson Electronics also specializes in the design of High Voltage Pulse Transformers that are
used with high power microwave tubes and Capacitive Voltage Dividers.
APPLICATIONS
WHETHER YOU ARE interested in observing and measuring
submilliamp currents in a charged particle beam or thousands
of amps resulting from a fault in a major power feeder, you
will find a Pearson Current Monitor to suit your needs. The
Power Industry uses Pearson Current Transformers to measure
46
transients in switching gear and the observation of harmonics
and phase relationships on power lines. The testing of circuit
breakers for power protection is also a typical application.
Pearson Electronics enjoys close relationships with most of the
power analyzer manufactures and provides current transformers
for use with their equipment.
Applications in the aerospace industry include measuring
pulse currents in modulators for radar equipment, 400 Hz
measurements for FAA commercial aviation approval, RF
currents in radio transmitters, measuring surge currents and
transients for lightning strike analysis, and the appropriate EMI
tests to meet EMC standards. The medical equipment industry,
particle accelerator community, plasma research, and anyone
that needs to have a precise and accurate measurement of AC
current could use a Pearson Current Monitor.
The Pearson Electronics Quality System conforms to MILI-45208A and AS9003. We offer calibration services traceable
to NIST for our current transformer that conforms to ANSI/
NCSL Z540-, MIL-STD-45662A and ISO 17025.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
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Q&A
RF: Freescale’s objective to remain a
market leader can only be fulfilled if we
are able to provide the right solutions
at the right price across the market
segments we serve. To enable this, our
technology investments span LDMOS,
GaN, gallium arsenide (GaAs), and
other technologies. Today, the cellular
infrastructure market is by and large
still an LDMOS-dominant market.
So, yes, our LDMOS outlook is quite
strong as we look forward. There are
niche applications where wide band
gap provides differentiation, and we are
investing in these areas. For example, at
S band there are performance-to-cost
ratios that must be considered, and at C
and especially X band, the performance
benefits of GaN make it attractive.
ED: Are you doing anything with GaN?
RF: We are developing GaN products
for markets that can derive the most
benefit from the advantages that GaN
has to offer, such as higher Ft, broadband, and power density. This year we
announced our initial offerings for cellular infrastructure and broadband land
mobile applications. In addition to that,
we are investing in GaN development
at C and X band, where GaN provides
significant performance benefits.
ED: What is the status of the Doherty
amplifier business?
RF: Doherty remains the workhorse of
high-power RF PAs. Although alternative architectures are always being
developed, I do not expect Doherty’s
status as a critical technology to change
in the near future.
which is a solution that can dramatically reduce production variation in
Doherty amplifiers.
ED: Does Freescale have RF circuits for
the cellular market?
RF: Yes, Freescale invests heavily in
RF power circuits to help reduce our
customers’ cycle times and increase performance and time-to-market. We have
expanded our single-stage reference
circuit design offerings to include full
PA lineups, which allow customers to
finalize their designs much quicker.
ED: Do you have RF design tools or
reference designs that help engineers
design?
RF: Absolutely. A very large portion of
our investments is in areas that help our
customers’ designers reduce the complexity and cycle time of their designs.
For example, our FET2 and MET models
for RF high-power transistors and RFICs
are nonlinear models that simulate
electrical phenomena and account for
dynamic self-heating. They were specifically developed to model high-power
RF transistors and RF ICs. Freescale’s
RF models are generally recognized as
market leading and enable our customers’ circuit designers to predict prototype
performance more accurately.
As mentioned, we also invest heavily
in reference designs. As one example
of this, we have launched a “130 ways
to get smarter” campaign based on our
130 reference designs in the RF industrial space. We will continue to produce
more and more of them, as they are a
key enabler for us and ease our customers’ design process significantly.
ED: What is the future for GaAs RF
circuits?
the figure). However, for the “next big
thing” we are making very significant
investments in our industrial and
MMIC businesses, and we see a bright
future for these application areas.
ED: What challenges have you overcome to get to where you are today?
RF: To reach my current position, I had
to overcome many barriers to being
credible as a leader. I started in electrical engineering and was one of five
women in my bachelor’s classes. By my
master’s, I was the only woman.
Upon starting at Freescale, I started
in manufacturing. I learned leadership skills working in the wafer fab and
final manufacturing facilities. In order
to progress in my career, I needed to
move to a business role. I moved into
business management and worked with
a number of very intelligent RF engineers. Over time, I began to learn the
technology and the challenges. Working closely with the team to gain credibility helped me to achieve the goals
that I was looking to attain.
ED: What new skills do you see influ-
encing the future of RF that new graduates should be cultivating?
RF: Communication skills are vital,
being able to convey ideas clearly so
others can understand them. Understand the person/audience you are
talking to and ensure that you think
through the best way to get your point
across. Be an engineer for many years
before making a shift into management.
Become an expert in a particular field
of engineering before branching out.
Work hard, and let your career develop
naturally.
ED: What do you see as the “next big
RF: The future for GaAs is very bright,
thing” in RF?
RITU FAVRE is senior vice president and
especially in lower-power applications.
We expect GaAs to receive a further
boost through femtocell markets, both
consumer and enterprise varieties.
Additionally, using this technology
platform we have developed application-specific products such as ADAM,
RF: We understand that true differen-
RF general manager at Freescale. She
tiation is needed to maintain and grow
cellular market share, and we will continue to focus there. As an example, we
believe that Freescale’s latest Airfast RF
products are best-in-class at multiple
frequency bands and power levels (see
joined Freescale in 1988 and has served
48
as the RF general manager since October
2010. She holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree
in electrical engineering, semiconductor
physics, from Arizona State University.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
Continued from Page 19
approach also uses a set of infrared emitters and a sensor packaged in a small dongle that sits in front of a laptop so it can see
a user’s fingers and hands when gestures are performed in front
of the device.
LeapMotion’s technology is built into HP’s Envy notebook
(see the opening figure). It is integrated with Microsoft Windows, enabling the user to control the interface without touching the screen. The advantages of integration are significant
since placement is fixed with respect to the screen and the sensor is hidden within the case.
3D is not a requirement for a useful image recognition tool.
Sufficient resolution and processing power are all that are
needed. Processing power can be significant so an Arduino
platform might be impractical, but heftier compute platforms
like a Tegra 3 or 4 do have the horsepower for this type of
analysis. For example, the Vital Sign Camera application from
Philips can detect heart and breathing rates using the video
stream from a conventional camera on most mobile devices.
PointGrab provides Microsoft Windows-based 3D gesture recognition using the typical built-in camera found on
most notebooks and tablets. Pinch and zoom hand gestures
can be used to interact with applications without a touchscreen interface. Its 3D precision is not as high as the 3D
5. Users of Virtuix’s Omni
walk on a low-friction
surface while wearing
3D virtual reality goggles
like the Oculus Rift.
6. Creative’s Senz3D utilizes SoftKinetic’s time-of-flight 3D imaging
technology.
devices already mentioned, but that is often unnecessary
for analyzing gestures and relative motion where visual
biofeedback is sufficient.
Systems like the Kinect that use infrared imaging do not work
well in many environments, such as in daylight where sunlight
can overpower and blind the sensors. PointGrab’s system will be
limited by the camera as well.
Dual-camera 3D imaging systems are also available, but they
have yet to scale to consumer level products. They also have
high computational requirements. Camera-only solutions can
suffer from aliasing issues in the analysis software as well.
BIOMETRIC RECOGNITION
Voice recognition and control has been around for decades
with significant improvement. It only requires a microphone
and a speaker for feedback, so it is even lower in cost than imaging systems.
Wading through automated voice call centers is no fun, but
you might find the latest interactive voice response (IVR) systems to be rather fluent and understanding. IVR is a combination of steady voice recognition improvements and the ability to
apply more processing power to the problem. Improved audio
processing also removes background noise and improves the
starting point for voice recognition software.
Voice recognition has become more common in addition to
IVR systems. It can be found on most automotive navigation
systems, and Apple’s Siri brought the world’s attention to voice
recognition on smart phones.
The challenge with voice recognition compared to image
processing is that the expectations for voice recognition are
much higher. Most people expect a system to understand the
meaning of a statement they issue and have the computer act
accordingly, whereas the current state of affairs with image recognition is more basic with pinch and zoom gestures activating
a limited set of actions.
Fingerprint recognition is used for identification purposes,
but its cost and reliability have improved greatly. Various forms
of the technology have been available for years, though it has
become more common.
Apple’s iPhone 5 is notable because its single button doubles
as a fingerprint sensor. The first swipe likely will identify the
user. An entire article could be written about the issues surrounding the iPhone 5’s sensor and security.
Fingerprint sensors are standard fare on other devices like
laptops and desktop keyboards. They can even be found on
secure external hard drives like those from Apricorn.
Biometric identification is not necessarily restricted to fingerprints. Face recognition using cameras is already available.
Applications like Visidon AppLock use the forward-looking
camera on smart phones. In the future, biometric sensor fusion
with other methodologies such as voice recognition may provide faster, more secure recognition.
49
LEADERS
ADVANCED POWER
ELECTRONICS CORPORATION
E
stablished in Taiwan in 1998, Advanced Power Electronics
Corporation became a leading supplier of MOS power discrete
and IC products over the last fifteen years by building a substantial
base of high-volume users, including all the major EMS companies who
build products for customers around the world. With a focus on multisourced manufacturing and logistics for reliable continuity of supply,
we have been ranked as one of the world’s top fifteen power MOSFET
suppliers by iSuppli.
Offering a broad range of power MOSFETs from 20V to 900V, in
popular industry standard package outlines, we continue to introduce
new products every month to address the evolving requirements of
our customers.
Using our expertise in producing MOSFETS with very low
on-resistance, we have been able to excel in the area of ULDOs, which are
linear regulators with extremely low dropout voltage. With the continuing
drive for power efficiency, electronic components operate from lower
and lower voltage rails. By reducing the drop-out voltage, these ULDOs
can maintain regulation with low input/output voltage differentials, and
so linear regulators can remain in play as a cost effective and efficient
solution for many applications.
In addition to designing, manufacturing and selling our own Power
MOSFETs, IGBTs, and power management ICs, the company is a licensee
of International Rectifier Corporation (IR®) for some planar MOSFET,
IGBT and packaging technologies.
A FOCUS ON LOCAL SUPPORT
In 2007, recognizing the need to connect more closely with
customers outside Asia, Advanced Power Electronics Corp. USA
was established in San Jose, California,
to support the Americas and EMEA
markets, including coordination of the
global activities of all customers based in
these regions.
“Our US operation enables us to provide
excellent service to local customers as well
as better co-ordinating the needs of our
multinational customers in the Americas and
Europe,” stated Ralph Waggitt, Advanced
Power Electronics Corporation’s US
President. “The decision to put this team in
place reflects the company’s commitment to
make the necessary investments to support
local design and manufacturing needs.”
With a network of sales representatives
and stocking distributors, including highservice level distributors such as element14,
we are able to quickly put our parts in the
hands of local design engineers and follow
the business all the way through to reliably
support the production wherever it may be –
global support.
IR is a registered trademark of International Rectifier Corporation.
50
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
LEADERS
KEYSTONE
ELECTRONICS CORP.
WEB
|
EMAIL |
TEL
|
FAX
|
keyelco.com
[email protected]
800.221.5510
718.956.9040
QUALITY INTERCONNECT COMPONENTS AND ELECTRONIC HARDWARE
L
eading edge technology and precision manufacturing have
defined Keystone’s performance as a world-class manufacturer
of precision electronic interconnect components & hardware
since 1950.
We manufacture precision stampings, in metallic or non-metallic
materials for all industries and are specialists in progressive dies, four
slides, wire forming, in-die tapping and high-speed blanking. Screw
machine products are made with automatic machinery and support
equipment to produce competitively priced precision turnings from
.020” to 1.00” diameters in metallic or non-metallic materials. Our
cost effective assembly procedures include: eyeleting, riveting, staking, swaging, inserting, crimping, soldering or screw insertion, with
automatic & semi-automatic operations assembling metallic or nonmetallic components into finished products.
Our full line catalog, M60.2, features products that are engineered
specifically for use by OEM Designers and Engineers who create and
develop state-of-the-art electronic products, instruments and systems.
PRODUCT OVERVIEW: Battery Clips, Contacts and
Holders; Fuse clips, Contacts and Holders; PCB Terminals
and Test Points; Spacers & Standoffs; Panel Hardware;
Pins, Plugs, Jacks & Sockets; PC Board Hardware; MultiPurpose Hardware; Terminal Boards & Strips; LED Lens
Caps & Holders.
While our catalog products meet most standard
requirements, modifications as well as custom fabrications
can be manufactured to meet customer specific needs.
52
Keystone’s design and engineering experts are fully integrated with our
in-house precision tool and die shop. Utilizing the latest CAD/CAM
and 3D modeling software, Keystone’s Custom Manufacturing Division
provides close tolerance Stamping, Machining, and Assembly, services
as part of their quality control and responsive customer service.
Keystone’s Quality System is ISO 9001:2008 certified by DNV
Certification, Inc. under the RAB and RvA accreditations. Our quality
assurance program is in accordance with these requirements and
applies to all standard and custom interconnect components and
hardware. Keystone is also RoHS and REACH compliant. Keystone has
USA headquarters with offices in Canada, Europe, Australia and Asia.
For more details, contact Keystone Sales at 800-221-5510, Fax 718956-9040, Email: [email protected] or visit www.keyelco.com on line.
ELECTRONIC DESIGN
CATALOG M60.2
THiNK Keystone Catalog M60.2.
The Newly Released 2nd Edition of Catalog M60.
Discover all of our New Products. SMT & THM
Interconnect Components and Electronic Hardware.
Designers and Manufacturers
®
E L E C T R O N I C S
C O R P.
Tel: (718) 956-8900 s (800) 221-5510 s e-mail: [email protected] s Web: www.keyelco.com
There’s a keystone in every great invention … Follow, THiNK & Learn at:
®
LEADERS
IN ELECTRONICS
LabBench
BILL WONG | EMBEDDED/SYSTEMS/SOFTWARE EDITOR
[email protected]
When Will Self-Driving Cars
Be Ready For You?
T
oyota exhibited a Lexus LS600 at the 2013 International CES in Las Vegas,along with other car
vendors that were highlighting the latest electronics
and automotive technology you can buy (see the figure). This
Lexus was different, though. The driver is optional, and it’s a
little more tricked out than your local dealer’s LS600.
Toyota’s autonomous car looks a bit like many other driverless
research vehicles, with sensors decorating its exterior. Some of
them like the laser tracking system are a bit expensive but provide
very precise results. The car also has forward and side radars and
high-definition color cameras. On-board computing power is
substantial since it handles planning as well as sensor integration.
DRIVERLESS TECHNOLOGY
Google’s driverless car has made it into the news, though
it’s been a few years since the Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency’s Grand Challenges (see “Autonomous
Vehicles Tackle The Urban Jungle” at www.electronicdesign.
com). These research vehicles now can get from one point to
another without major collisions, but they aren’t ready to mix
it up with their human-controlled counterparts yet.
Still, the latest driverless cars can do more than avoid buildings and other mobile vehicles. Pedestrian avoidance is good,
and it’s useful even in driver-controlled cars, providing an extra set of “eyes.” But we won’t see it in the mass market unless
the technology can be made reliable and inexpensive.
Google got the first license for a driverless car in Nevada
for driving research vehicles on public thoroughfares. Audi,
which got the second license, demonstrated its driverless car
at the Mandarin Oriental hotel in Las Vegas during CES. It
was essentially a robotic valet. Press the Pickup button on the
Audi smart-phone app, and the car shows up at the curb.
Toyota showed off
its self-driving Lexus
LS600 research vehicle
at the C2013 International CES in Las
No external sensors were installed on the Audi itself, so it
had fewer accoutrements than the Toyota research vehicle.
Instead, it relied on a few blue sensors from a company called
Sick in the parking lot and received information from the
network. The driverless support was limited to the parking
and pickup area, which was all that was necessary for the valet
application, along with some intelligence.
Of course, the real barrier to driverless cars will be liability
insurance. I have no doubt we’ll see driverless vehicles that
meet or exceed the performance of human drivers, but insurance still is a major hurdle.
Everyday appliances are built with safety in mind. Of
course, the standards that those devices must meet already
exist. Mapping human standards for driving to a driverless car
will take time. Unfortunately, it isn’t as simple as making
driverless cars meet human standards because these cars can’t
be held liable like people.
ADVERTISER’S INDEX
ADLINK TECHNOLOGY ..................................... 34-35
ADVANCED ASSEMBLY ..................................... 44-45
ADVANCED CIRCUITS ....................................... 28-29
ADVANCED POWER ELECTRONICS CORP. ...... 50-51
ALLIED ELECTRONICS ...................................... 14-15
ALPHA & OMEGA SEMICONDUCTOR LTD. ....... 22-23
AVNET ................................................................ 16-17
COMPAERO INC. ................................................... 8-9
DIGIKEY CORP. .......................................................FC
DIGIKEY CORP. ...................................................IFC-1
EMCO HIGH VOLTAGE CORP. ........................... 26-27
FCI NORTH AMERICA ........................................ 10-11
FRONT PANEL EXPRESS ................................... 20-21
IMAGINEERING .................................................. 38-39
KEYSTONE ELECTRONICS CORP. .................... 52-53
LINEAR INTEGRATED SYSTEMS INC................. 32-33
PEARSON ELECTRONICS ................................. 46-47
TEKTRONIX........................................................... 3&5
VOLTAGE MULTIPLIERS INC. ............................. 40-41
Vegas.
54
ELECTRONIC DESIGN

Leaders in Distribution - Distribution Resource

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