Flat electronic component orders reflect industry’s ‘wait and see’ attitude, ECA says

Component orders during Q1 reflected the "cautious approach being applied across many segments of the industry," Bob Willis, ECA president, says.

By Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News -- Electronic News, 4/11/2008

Electronic component orders flattened in March following ups and downs over the past five months.

That’s according to the Electronic Components Association (ECA), an industry group that represents the electronic components industry and the technologies, materials, and supply chain associated with it.

The 12-month average also remained relatively flat, according to the ECA’s monthly index.

“Component orders during the first quarter reflected the cautious approach being applied across many segments of the industry,” Bob Willis, ECA president, said in a statement today. “The March order report indicates what might be a ‘wait and see’ attitude as companies consider what is in store for the coming months.”

Indeed, the ECA is not the only electronics supply chain organization that has reported a “wait and see” stance. In a recent interview with EDN, NEDA (National Electronic Distributors Association), a trade association representing authorized distributors, commented that the economic situation is weighing on the minds of distributors, as anxiety rises as to whether there will be any fallout in the electronic-component marketplace.

“They [authorized distributors] are not seeing a big fall off yet in sales, but everybody is concerned and watching other sectors,” Robin Gray, executive VP of NEDA, said.