A recent survey taken by the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) found manufacturers and distributors have seen modest overall improvement and stabilizing results. Numbers from the first half of 2020 “were much more solid than originally feared and hopes for the second half remain,” EPSNews noted.

Given the US manufacturing index increased 9.5%; “the Institute for Supply Management’s PMI reached 52.6 percent from a level of 31.8 percent in May. Any number above 50 indicates industry expansion”.

While manufacturing of components and demand for them has started to increase, the survey did note that there was concern about acquiring raw materials and issues with delivery.

While some areas of the industry are still having issues, Medical Electronics, Computers & Data Processing and Telecom Infrastructure has seen a steady demand throughout the pandemic. Defense and Aerospace electronics saw no impact from the pandemic, ECIA noted; while Consumer Electronics was heavily impacted and does not expect to change in the near future. The unemployment problems and general income issues brought on by the pandemic has stopped consumer purchasing.

As the diagram above shows, the electro-mechanical components order backlog confidence has increased substantially, followed closely by passive components; while semiconductors saw a significant decline. Concerns over quarantine orders impacting the workforce’s ability to return to work have also declined, with almost half describing it as moderate. None of those surveyed called the impact severe and a handful said they had no impact on workforce and operations.