By Mike Sachoff - Thu, 10/30/2008 - 5:18pm.
Not loyal to providersHigh speed Internet customers like their service but 30 percent are willing to ditch their provider if they can find a more affordable service elsewhere, according to a report from J.D. Power & Associates.
Cost savings is cited by 69 percent of high-speed Internet customers and 40 percent of dial-up customers as the main reason they would consider switching providers.
"Even when customers aren't necessarily dissatisfied with their current provider, they're willing to switch to another provider if they find a better deal," said Frank Perazzini, director of telecommunications at J.D. Power and Associates.
"With the current economic uncertainty, and the introduction of several competitively priced high-speed service offerings, building customer loyalty should be at the forefront of every Internet provider's 2009 initiatives."
The study found that the percentage of Internet customers who subscribe to a cable modem service has increased to 41 percent in 2008 from 36 percent in 2007. DSL penetration has also increased to 30 percent from 27 percent in 2007. The number of Internet users that still use a dial-up service has continued to decrease and now accounts for 25 percent of Internet subscribers, a drop of 10 percentage points since 2007.
"Customers now view Internet service as a necessity -- not a luxury -- and they're looking for faster products capable of handling higher bandwidth," said Perazzini.
"As more movies, television shows and videos are being offered online, Internet users are looking for faster, higher quality connections to view content. With both cable modem and DSL service providing faster Internet capabilities than dial-up, users are interested in finding the best service, at the best speed, between the two connection types."
J.D. Powers ranked providers by region based on a 1,000-point scale. In the East region Cablevision ranks highest with a score of 650.
In the South region Road Runner was tops with a score of 670. In the North Central region WOW! Had the highest score in the survey with 702. In the West region Cox Communications was the leader with 641.
Oct 31, 2008
Broadband Users See Service As A Must
Accton and Alpha Networks report higher-than-expected profits for 3Q
Irene Chen, Taipei; Steve Shen, DIGITIMES [Friday 31 October 2008]
Two Taiwan network-equipment makers - Accton Technology and Alpha Networks - have reported higher-than-expected earnings for the third quarter of this year buoyed by shipments of business-use network equipment, according to sources at the companies.
Accton saw its pre-tax profits surged to NT$239 million (US$7.29 million) in the third quarter, compared to NT$133 million in the second quarter and NT$68 million in the first quarter.
The pre-tax profits of NT$440 million for the first three quarters translate into an EPS (earnings per share) of NT$0.8 before taxes.
Alpha Networks posted after-tax profits of NT$506 million in the third quarter, up 58% sequentially and also up 28% on year. For the January-September period, its net profits totaled NT$948 million, or NT$2.12 per share.
Supply Chain Manager of the Year: Paterson spearheads change at IBM
Supply Chain Manager of the Year: Paterson spearheads change at IBM
In his distinguished career at Big Blue, chief procurement officer John Paterson has made purchasing more global and strategic to the company, and he has turned it into a profit generator.
By James Carbone -- Purchasing, 10/16/2008
John Paterson is not afraid of change.
In fact, in his 39-year career at IBM, Paterson has been an agent of change, helping drive the transformation of purchasing from a back-office function to a strategic role that helps IBM compete in the global marketplace.
In his eight years as chief procurement officer for IBM's Integrated Supply Chain organization, Paterson has led the charge, making IBM truly a global procurement organization with procurement headquarters in China.
He also established IBM procurement services, which generates millions of dollars from other companies that outsource purchasing to Big Blue. Paterson has also developed successful supply strategies that support the changing business requirements of IBM as the company becomes more focused on providing services to OEMs rather than providing equipment.
"Sometime down the road, China won’t be the low-cost source of supply and we will be looking somewhere else, maybe Africa.”
—CPO John PatersonAt the same time, he has made sure that IBM and its supply chain meet emerging environmental standards and regulations ahead of schedule. Paterson has also driven socially responsible supply strategies and standards and influenced such standards for the entire electronics industry.
For these reasons, Paterson is Purchasing's 2008 Supply Chain Manager of the year.
Paterson's IBM career began in a function very close to manufacturing. "I started in production control materials management at IBM's facility in Greenock, Scotland and worked extensively with the procurement community in those early days," says Paterson. "I was planning parts requirements and placing the orders throughout the organization."
He worked there for three years and then went to IBM's European headquarters in Paris, where he managed various aspects of manufacturing at several IBM manufacturing locations.
In the 1970s he returned to Greenock where he served in supply chain materials management, followed by stints in purchasing, finance and engineering. He eventually ran IBM's PC manufacturing business in Europe...
In the early 1990s, he moved to the United States and created a purchasing organization for IBM's PC business. Later, when the late Gene Richter became CPO, he moved to corporate purchasing where he led direct procurement and then indirect procurement.
Oct 30, 2008
Broadband subscriptions up 14% in Europe
Denmark, Netherlands, Norway have highest penetration
Oct 29, 2008, 12:12 PM ET
BRUSSELS -- Broadband subscribers in rich nations reached 251 million by June, an increase of 14% from June 2007, according to figures released Wednesday.
Broadband penetration rates rose to 21.3 subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in the 27-nation Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Fiber subscriptions accounted for 9% of the broadband connections, overtaking even DSL/cable in Korea and Japan.
However, Denmark, the Netherlands and Norway had the highest broadband penetration rates, each over 30%. And the U.S. was the largest broadband market, with 75 million subscribers.
Oct 28, 2008
LG Display said to be top LCD panel maker in September
Siu Han, Taipei; Yvonne Yu, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 28 October 2008]Taking advantage of a weak Korean won and the LG Group's vertically integrated supply chain, LG Display shipped 9 million large-size panels in September, taking the top spot among LCD panel makers worldwide, according to market sources.
Total global large-size LCD panel shipments reached 40.2 units in September, up 3.5% sequentially and up 8.4% on year, according to market sources. LG Display ranked number one with a 22% share of total shipments, with Samsung Electronics accounting for 21.6%. Taiwan makers AU Optronics (AUO) and Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) had a 17% and 16% share, respectively.
Global LCD TV panel shipments increased 6.8% compared to August, while LCD panel shipments for monitors and notebooks increased by 1.8% and 3.6%, respectively.
Taiwan-based panel maker AUO indicated that its current market order visibility is low, and the panel maker estimates that its shipments for large-size panels will drop 5-8% in the fourth quarter.
Taiwan's international Internet bandwidth rose to over 223Gbps at end of 3Q08
Press release, October 28; Adam Hwang, DIGITIMES [Tuesday 28 October 2008]Taiwan's direct Internet connections with 19 countries (including Hong Kong and Macao) reached a total bandwidth of 223.701Gbps as of the end of third-quarter 2008, increasing by 0.55% on quarter and by 23.59% on year, according to the government-sponsored Taiwan Network Information Center (TWNIC).
HiNet had an international bandwidth of 98.331Gbps at the end of last quarter, the largest among ISPs or non-commercial equivalents in Taiwan, followed by TWGate with 22.296Gbps, SeedNet with 18.621Gbps, TFN with 15.778Gbps, EBIX with 12.465Gbps, NTT with 10.420Gbps, So-net with 7.866Gbps, ASNet with 6.244Gbps, TWAREN with 5.699Gbps and REACH with 4.977Gbps.
Taiwan's top-five partners in terms of Internet connection bandwidth, 3Q08
Country/area
Bandwidth (Gbps)
Q/Q
Y/Y
US
95.334
(4.22%)
26.75%
Japan
46.663
(1.94%)
7.97%
Hong Kong
46.249
7.04%
37.43%
China
24.786
13.71%
41.16%
South Korea
2.854
5.76%
96.22%
Source: TWNIC, compiled by Digitimes, October 2008
Oct 25, 2008
Fiber Broadband Big in Japan & Korea, Sustainable Potential for 2Wire DSL Filters
Fiber Broadband Big in Japan & Korea
In Japan and South Korea, fiber-based consumer broadband connections now represent the most popular Internet access technology, ahead of DSL and cable, according to a report issued by OECDearlier today. Around 45 percent of connections in Japan use fiber, while in Korea that number is around 39 percent – about 12.2 per 100 inhabitants.
In 30 OECD countries, DSL is still the most popular technology, with a 60 percent market share, but fiber is growing fast and now accounts for about 9 percent (or roughly 23 million) of the total 251 million broadband subscribers in OCED countries at the end of June 2008. Nineteen percent and 18 percent of subscribers in Sweden and Slovak Republic get access via broadband. In Denmark and Norway, 9 and 8 percent of connections are over fiber, respectively.
Total number of Fiber-LAN connections (Millions)
In comparison, about 3 percent of U.S. subscribers get their broadband via fiber, many of them customers of Verizon. With more than 75 million broadband subscribers, the U.S. still remains the largest broadband country. The OECD has seen a 14 percent gain in the total number of broadband subscribers since it issued a report in 2007.
If you use the broadband-subscribers-per-100-inhabitants metric, more popularly known as broadband penetration, then Denmark leads the rankings with 36.7, followed by Netherlands (35.5), Norway (33.4), Switzerland (32.7), Iceland (32.2), and Sweden (32.3). The broadband penetration number is a bit unfair, because many of the OECD countries are small and have much fewer total number of connections in comparison to larger markets and, as a result, achieve higher penetration rates more easily.
For instance, South Korea (31.2), U.S. (25) and Japan (23) rank at 7, 15, and 17 respectively, even though they have many more broadband connections than the top-ranked countries by penetration. (see chart)
Oct 24, 2008
DSL Broadband News
Comcast doubles speed of Net service
Boston Globe - United States
But demand for DSL, a slower broadband service offered by Verizon and other telephone companies, has fallen much faster. Orders for Verizon DSL dropped 81 ...Westell Technologies Reports Fiscal Second Quarter 2009 Results
MarketWatch - USA
During the quarter, a major customer announced it was running a special campaign to promote its DSLoffering. As a result, they increased their orders for ...AT&T's iPhone Mojo Won't Last, Better Fix Slow DSL
PC World - USA
At some point AT&T must begin to suffer as a result of updating its ADSL technology to deliver higherbroadband speeds. In fact, I would argue, ...Japan, Korea lead in fiber-optic broadband: OECD
Reuters - USA
... followed by DSL with 9.6 percent and cable with 3.1 percent. The only country to come close to Korea and Japan is Sweden with six fibre-optic broadband ...
See all stories on this topicAGL, Queensland Gas enter trading halt ahead of a possible ...
Business Spectator - Melbourne,Victoria,Australia
This series shows how far behind Australia is in terms of its broadband supply. The OECD identified one DSL and one cable broadband offer from each country ...Stick a fork in it: a broadband over powerline post mortem
Ars Technica - Boston,MA,USA
BPL encodes information on high-voltage and medium-voltage powerlines, and has speeds that were (at one time) competitive with cable and DSL. ...
Oct 23, 2008
High Demand Continues For Global Broadband Services
High Demand Continues For Global Broadband Services
Global broadband sub growth remains strong, attracting millions of new subscribers worldwide each month, according to a report.
Over the past 12 months, approximately 80 million new broadband subscribers signed up for high-speed access to the Internet, according to market research company In-Stat. At the beginning of 2008, DSL, mobile wireless, and cable modem service were the leading broadband access technologies, providing 93% of all worldwide broadband connections.
“The increasing popularity of online applications such as downloading music files, watching TV programming, and playing online video games, are driving demand for ‘fatter pipes’ that provide ever-increasing amounts of bandwidth,” explained Mike Paxton, an analyst for In-Stat. “Being able to use these applications, combined with the basic consumer desire to surf the net, is fueling global demand for broadband services.”
In terms of broadband access technologies, digital subscriber line (DSL) technologies continue to serve the greatest number of broadband subscribers worldwide, according to In-Stat’s figures, accounting for 55% of total broadband connections.
As of September 2008, there were 452 million broadband subscribers worldwide. In-Stat predicts that by 2012 worldwide broadband subscribers will reach 876 million, almost twice the size of the current subscriber base.
Oct 22, 2008
AT&T is Sitting Pretty with iPhone and U-verse
AT&T is Sitting Pretty with iPhone and U-verse
AT&T reported a slight boost in profits this morning, and the carrier has quite a bit to boast about, especially on the wireless side. iPhone activations reached 2.4 million during the third quarter, and 40 percent of those iPhones were sold to new subscribers who activated on the AT&T network. And despite what analysts say, AT&T also seems on track to reach 1 million U-verse subscribers by the end of the year, gaining 232,000 subscribers this quarter for a total of 781,000 signed up at the end of September.
Total revenue for the carrier was $31.34 billion, up from $30.13 billion the same period last year. That led to profits of $3.23 billion for the quarter, up from $3.06 billion from the third quarter of 2007. AT&T should retain its wireless lead with 74.9 million subscribers after gaining 2 million during the quarter. We’ll have to see how many Verizon added to the 68.7 million it had at the close of June, when it reports earnings on Oct. 27.
For the first time, AT&T also broke out the total number of wireless and wireline broadband subscriptions, signaling the growing importance of wireless broadband data. Total broadband-capable connections increased by 2.9 million in the third quarter to reach 20.7 million. Since the iPhone data plans count as a broadband subscription, many of those adds look to be iPhone related. Wireless data revenue was up by 50 percent from the third quarter of last year at $2.7 billion and accounted for 24 percent of total wireless services revenue. Postpaid annual revenue per user (ARPU) on the wireless side was $58.99.
AT&T earlier this month reorganized its business into consumer and business related segments as opposed to wireline and wireless, but still reported wireless and wireline sales separately for the quarter. The carrier is watching its landlines and DSL lines erode further, but U-verse subscriptions are taking up some of the slack on the wireline side. IP traffic is continuing to increase as part of the wireline business, with 44 percent of AT&T’s sales coming from IP services such as broadband, rather than analog phones. AT&T should welcome the digital — and data driven — future.
As telcos and cable companies report Q3 results, don't expect much to change from last quarter: The cable industry, which offers faster Internet service in most markets, should continue to dominate new subscriber sign-ups.
AT&T, which posted Q3 earnings this morning, signed up 148,000 net new broadband subs last quarter -- in line with expectations, and an improvement from its 46,000 net sub adds in Q2. But that's still down significantly from a year ago, when the telco signed up 499,000 net broadband subs in Q3.
AT&T (T) probably got a lift from its fiber-based "U-Verse" broadband service, which it offers in 69 markets. Likewise, Verizon's (VZ) broadband results, due next Monday, will get a lift from its fiber-optic FiOS broadband service. But Goldman analyst Jason Armstrong notes today that fiber-based telco service is only available in about 10% of the cable industry's footprint.
So what does that mean for the Q3 broadband market? Armstrong expects cable to represent 68% of overall net subscriber additions -- down from last quarter's 78% share, as telcos increased promotional activity, but still strong.
We'll follow this battle closely and once a few more companies report, publish a chart like we did last quarter.
iPhone Hits AT&T Margins
Strong iPhone 3G sales force AT&T to lower its full-year operating income margin forecast, but the operator says the cost is worth it
Oct 20, 2008
Apricot Computers relaunches as Netbook maker
Apricot Computers relaunches as Netbook maker
What is it about 80’s computing icons making a comeback as a Netbook maker? First, the relaunch of the Commodore brand - if by name only - with the catchy titled UMMD 8010/F. And now it’s the turn of Apricot Computers who, after being left dormant for years by former owner Mitsubishi Corporation, have re-entered the UK market with the rather nice looking PicoBook Pro.
The device meets the typical specs of most Netbooks currently doing the rounds, sporting a 8.9 inch wide screen screen (1024 x 600), 1 GB Ram, 60 GB hard drive, VGA output, 1.3 MP webcam, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, two USB 2.0 ports and a 4 in 1 card reader. The PicoBook Pro comes in two flavours: Linux (Novell SUSE Enterprise) and Windows XP...
Get an Acer Aspire One Netbook for $309, shipped
Though not quite as cheap as the Asus Eee PC from a couple weeks ago, the Acer Aspire One is one of the top-rated Netbooks (there's a contradiction in terms), and you can get it for just $309 shipped--no rebates required. Hey, they gotta do something to unload these lemons, right?
I kid, I kid. While I still don't see the appeal of a PC with a tiny screen, tiny keyboard, tiny amount of storage, mediocre battery life, and limited video-playback capabilities, at least the prices are starting to get more attractive.
This particular model comes with an Intel Atom processor, 8.9-inch screen, 8GB solid-state drive, built-in Webcam, 5-in-1 media reader, and 512MB of RAM. It runs on the Linpus Linux Lite OS and includes a three-cell battery, which Acer says is good for up to three hours. CNET got 2 hours and 14 minutes in its battery-drain test and awarded the Acer three stars out of five in its review (which called it "the best all-around Netbook we've seen for less than $400")...
Oct 17, 2008
EPA Setting Energy Standards for Gaming Consoles
Standards take effect July 1, 2010 and bring some energy efficiency to gaming.10.16.2008 — The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is trying to bring energy efficiency to the gaming world as part of it's EnergyStar program. (via Good Clean Tech)
The EPA aims to add the Xbox 360, PlayStation and Wii gaming consoles to Version 5.0 of its Energy Star program, which is due out in July 2009.
The guidelines require the systems to:According to the EPA, the new standards will take effect July 1, 2010. The EPA says this "will give game console manufacturers design lead time, while also ensuring Energy Star qualified game consoles will offer consumers significant energy savings."
- Use less than one watt during 'off' mode
- Use less than 5 watts during 'sleep' or 'auto-off' mode
- Enter sleep mode after an hour of inactivity
- Settop box and DVD/Blu-ray playback must be within 10 percent o Energy Star requirements
The new standards might not result in tremendous savings, but every bit helps today.
Power Adapters Background
Why are external power adapters important?
External power adapters, also known as power supplies, are crucial to the operation of virtually all small electronic devices. As many as 1.5 billion are in use in the U.S. — that’s about five for every person. The total electricity flowing through all types of power supplies is about:
- 207 billion kWh/year,
- $17 billion a year, or
- 6 percent of the national electric bill.
However, these devices tend to be very inefficient. Left unchecked, by 2010, the energy use from consumer electronics and small appliances could account for almost 30 percent of a typical home’s electricity bill. Encouraging the use of more efficient power adapters will help stem this growing energy consumption.
The new guidelines for power adapters will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions; in the U.S. alone, more efficient adapters have the potential to save:
- over 5 billion kWh of energy, and
- prevent the release of more than 4 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions — the equivalent to taking 800,000 cars off the road.
Consumers will soon be able to purchase a variety of products such as cell phones, PDAs, digital cameras, and camcorders that are manufactured with ENERGY STAR qualified power adapters. Products with qualified adapters will be identified by the a new ENERGY STAR EPS graphic in product promotional materials and/or store displays on product packaging, literature, and/or store displays.
Eventually, these new efficient adapters will be incorporated into a wide spectrum of products including laptops, cordless phones, office equipment, and other products, and also sold separately as replacement adapters.
Who can participate in the ENERGY STAR Adapters program?
ENERGY STAR is currently recruiting adapter manufacturers that offer ENERGY STAR qualified adapters and consumer electronics manufacturersthat make products using ENERGY STAR qualified adapters.
About ENERGY STAR
ENERGY STAR is a joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy efficient products and practices.
Results are already adding up. Americans, with the help of ENERGY STAR, saved enough energy in 2007 alone to avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to those from 27 million cars — all while saving $16 billion on their utility bills.
Oct 16, 2008
C5 Rating for $1,300 HDMI Cable, Made from Silver
In DPL parlance, that means a Class C, Level 5, where "C" is the fastest class of clock rates, and "5" represents the maximum throughput on the DPL scale.
So far, only one cable – in the Honeywell White Series -- has garnered a C5 rating, but that is only for a 0.5 meter product.
Ethereal product manager Brent McCall says that, in the Platinum Series, the company set out to find "just how good a cable could be."
The cables have conductors made of pure silver, says McCall. "There is no copper."
He explains that silver passes higher frequencies better than copper.
Prepared for the onslaught of 1440p resolutions, the HDM2 has braided shield, double-sided copper foil/Mylar shield, and two single-sided shields. The thick cable measures a hefty 23 AWG.
Silver doesn't come cheap, though. The 2-meter cable retails for $1,300.
HDMI Over CAT5 Description |
The HDMI-C5 SET consists of Transmitter and Receiver. The system can extend HDMI signals over Cat 5 / 5e / 6 FTP cable. The HDMI-C5 Series Extender solution is ideal for digital signage, public information display, and large scale demonstration, where crystal-clear, high-resolution digital video needs to be shown. This HDMI to CAT5E extender can be used with:
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HDMI Over CAT5 Features: |
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Oct 15, 2008
Computing and Consumer Electronics Devices Expand the Market for Mobile Video
The entry of a broad range of new mobile devices able to display video will have a profound effect on the mobile video market, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). The reach of new device choices will provide more markets for mobile operators, mobile broadcasters, advertisers and other content owners, the high-tech market research firm says.
Even though cellphones and smartphones will remain the predominant method of viewing mobile video, over 160 million other devices that provide mobile video over networks now in exclusive use by cellphones will be sold in the next five years.
Recent research by In-Stat found the following:
- Shipments of 3G video-capable cellphones will increase at 11.2% annual growth, reaching over 641 million by 2013.
- The number and types of devices using digital mobile broadcast networks such as ISDB-T, DVB-H, MediaFLO, and DMB-T will expand to nearly 127 million in five years. China's CMMB will make up over 12% of those devices.
- More than a half-billion devices capable of viewing Internet videoover 3G networks will be sold in 2013. Cumulative sales will approach 2 billion units
The research, "Global Cellular Video Devices: Internet Video Expands the Market" (#IN0804045WH), covers the worldwide market for devices that can support mobile video. It provides analysis of the market for various consumer electronic devices capable of receiving mobile video from a variety of sources. It includes worldwide device shipment forecasts for video-connected:
- Computing devices, such as mobile Internet devices (MIDs), ultra-mobile PCs (UMPCs), and laptop/notebook computers.
- Cellphones and smartphones, such as the RIM BlackBerry,Apple iPhone, and smartphones having Symbian, Windows Mobile, Palm OS, Android, and Linux operating systems.
- Consumer electronics products, including personal navigation devices (PNDs), portable media players (PMPs), and handheld games, such as the Sony PSP and Nintendo DS.
The forecasts cover devices that will be able to provide mobile video from mobile operators (including MobiTV, GoTV and VCast), mobile digital video (ISDB-T, DVB-H, MediaFLO, DMB-T and others), as well as devices that access the Internet over 3G networks.
Oct 11, 2008
Rush Orders in the Just-In-Time Supply-Chain, the telCade Solution
- 30,000 cables needed to be changed following an engineering change. telCade found the affordable outsource with available capacity to solve the problem.
- An engineering change resulted in a rush order for parts to meet the scheduled production slot. telCade found the manufacturing capacity, reduced ship time from six weeks to two, and met the schedule.
- Market changes antiquated millions in a manufacturer's finished goods inventory. telCade supplied the resources to rework the products cost effectively - saving the inventory write-down.
iSuppli Says LCD Sales to Hit $110.8 Billion in 2012
Study says increase in LCD sales could also boost sales of digital settop boxes.
10.10.2008 — LCD TVs will become the largest CE market by 2012 with sales hitting $110.8 billion, says a recent iSuppli report.
If this prediction pans out, worldwide LCD TVs sales will almost double from $61 billion in 2007, according to the report.
"Consumers want their electronics, in good times and in bad," says iSuppli senior analyst Sheri Greenspan.
"Because of this, the consumer-electronics market will continue its incremental growth over the next four years, driven by LCD TVs, along with consumer appliances, digital set-top boxes (STBs), digital still cameras and video game consoles."
Reasons for the potential growth include:
- Global transition to digital broadcast
- Rapidly declining prices
- Consumer preference for HD displays and thin sets
Semiconductor sales have grown 5.5%
Personal computers and cell phones drive chip sales
By Jim Carbone -- Purchasing
Eight-month worldwide sales of semiconductors were $170.2 billion, an increase of 4.5% from the same period of 2007 when sales were $162.9 billion, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association.
Global sales grew 5.5% to $22.7 billion in August from August 2007 sales of $21.5 billion and by 2.4% from July when sales were $22.2 billion. “Global sales of semiconductors remained strong in August,” says SIA President George Scalise. “Sales of personal computers and cellular handsets continued to be the principal drivers of demand.”
PC unit sales are projected to grow by more than 13% in 2008. Unit sales of cellular handsets are forecast to grow about 10% in 2008, with the strongest growth coming from emerging markets.
However, continuing price pressure on DRAMs and NAND flash memory dampened overall industry growth. Excluding memory products, semiconductor industry sales were up by 11.4% year-on-year in August. Year-to-date sales were 4.5% ahead of last year and remain in line with the SIA mid-year forecast of 4.3% growth in 2008...
Oct 10, 2008
Six Sigma: How Process Improvement Leaders Produce Profits in Recessions
How Process Improvement Leaders Produce Profits in Recessions: Meeting Proceedings
Non-members: Click here for a complimentary excerpt of How Process Improvement Leaders Produce Profits in Recessions: Meeting Proceedings.OVERVIEW
To reduce waste and inefficiencies, abundant in most companies, without hurting growth drivers is the mission of process improvement leaders. During economic slowdowns, productivity innovators dispursed throughout the organization manage costs down, switching roles during economic expansions to apply improvement tactics that drive top-line growth.Topping today's agendas from the boardroom to the front-line is the critical issue of cutting costs while maintaining quality. Sales, marketing, information techonology, product development, customer experience and process improvement leaders deploy tools, from social media to Six Sigma, in innovative ways in efforts to become leaner, more profitable organizations.
At the September 2008 Global Benchmarking Council conference, members and guests gathered to discuss insights, innovations, best practices and lessons learned to improve processes, to reduce waste and to maintain integrity during times of tight budgets and broad economic woes.
Vice presidents, directors and managers responsible for promoting quality and process improvement in customer service, marketing, operations, sales and related areas will benefit most from these case studies from leading companies and the summarized transcripts from a targeted panel discussion and two facilitated roundtable discussions.
COMPANIES AND CASE STUDIES
Case studies include speaker biographies and company background before describing key challenges company leaders faced and how they overcame them, the connection between employee engagement, customer satisfaction and quality or tailored quality initiatives for organizations. Speaker anecdotes, quotes, select slides, insights and key take-aways all liven the case studies with personal touches and graphics.
- Sanofi-Aventis gave an animated presentation on its software innovation, iTube, a social networking interface geared towards generation X and Y employees. The tool exemplifies how companies can identify with and engage their employees to prevent costly turnover of their younger sales staff to the competition as presented in "Social Media as a Tool for Employee Engagement."
- Nortel shared important points on how to connect quality initiatives to customer satisfaction by "planning the business and managing by it." Nortel has changed its processes for assessing customer satisfaction to align it directly to the company’s top business indicators, ensuring the company improves what is important to the customer and to the bottom line as shown in "The Critical Link Between Quality Excellence and Customer Satisfaction."
- Hewlett-Packard provided insight into HP’s Lean Sigma efforts and how focusing on quality, waste reduction and speed will impact the customer experience. Careful planning and execution of Lean Sigma projects and ensuring commitment of team members past project kick-off were emphasized in "Reducing Expenses while Improving Quality."
- FedEx Express elaborated on building a quality-oriented culture that starts with senior leadership direction. FedEx’s ABLE framework - assess, build, launch, evaluate - blends multiple quality methodologies and is applicable in every part of the organization, top to bottom as explained in "Quality Driven Management."
- Roche shared insights on how it applies market and customer segmentation in sales and marketing to better focus on what’s important to its key customers and how that translates into process improvement activities in "Leveraging Information Technology within Pharma Commercial Operations."
- DuPont shared learnings from its long history as a quality organization, arriving at Lean Six Sigma in 2004. The CEO and leadership team play critical roles in driving quality and in creating a custom methodology that fits the organization. 'One DuPont View' helps standardize processes across many business units as presented in "DuPont's Improvement Journey."
- InfraTrac shared perspectives on how to increase product integrity, which could save pharmaceutical companies millions by fending off counterfeits in "Cost-Effective Product Integrity."
Following the first four presentations on employee social networking, quality excellence through customer satisfaction, maintaining quality during cost reduction and quality driven management, Global Benchmarking Council members and guests divided into smaller groups for roundtable discussions and information exchanges on How Process Improvement Professionals Can Best Add Value during Turbulent Economic Times, discussing:
Implications of the Current Economic Situation on Quality Groups
Choosing and Managing Process Improvement and Quality Tools for Optimal Results
Strategic Drivers to Leverage Scale and Scope of Globalization
Challenges in Execution of GlobalizationThe second day of networking and best practice sharing featured a targeted panel discussion on Leading Cost Reduction Efforts with Both Customer and Bottom Line in Mind. Cross-industry representatives fielded questions from the facilitator and from Global Benchmarking Council members and guests on:
Case Example of a Leadership Lesson Learned
From the Customers’ Eyes: Managing Cost Reduction while Maintaining Strong Customer Relationships & Loyalty
The Current & Future State of the Process Excellence FunctionMETHODOLOGY
This report was compiled from notes taken during speaker presentations and in-depth roundtable and panel discussions at the September 2008 Global Benchmarking Council conference, "How Process Improvement Leaders Produce Profits in Recessions." For more information on the Global Benchmarking Council or to register for upcoming meetings, visit www3.best-in-class.com/gbc.GBC Conferences > 2008 > Sept 2008: Quality Excellence Conference
Industries Profiled:
Pharmaceutical; Health Care; Defense; Aerospace; Banking; Energy; Financial Services; Service; Chemical; Manufacturing; Shipping; Computer Hardware; Computers; High Tech; Research; Insurance; Telecommunications; Biotech; Publishing; Media
Companies Profiled:
Amylin; Johnson & Johnson; Johnson & Johnson Healthcare Systems; Lockheed Martin; Boeing; British Petroleum; AAA; DuPont; FedEx; Hewlett-Packard; InfraTrac; MetLife; Motorola; Nortel Networks; Roche; Sanofi-Aventis; Thomson; Upsher-Smith; Wyeth Pharmaceuticals
Oct 8, 2008
New System-Level Design Magazine, from Chip Design
Welcome to System-Level Design
What is it? SLD is new publication, portal, and community of engineering professionals, managed by well-known independent journalists and engineers and filled with unbiased content that is professionally written and edited. It is not marketing content or pay-for-play material. System-Level Design is a joint venture between Sperling Media Group and Extension Media, which publishes Chip Design.
What’s different? There are no advertisements on this site—not the flashing banners or those annoying fold-over ads that take over your screen when you run your pointer over the corner of a page. And you won’t get any marketing literature unless you specifically ask for it.
Why am I getting this? Because information is vital to your job, and after interviewing hundreds of engineers we concluded the best sources of information are people like you and your peers. At the same time, there are fewer and fewer independent publications left to provide that information, and the information in those remaining publications is less independent than ever.
Is there a catch? No. Ed Sperling (formerly editor in chief of Electronic News and Electronic Business), John Blyler (editorial director atExtension Media), and a host of other journalists and engineers are committed to providing well-researched, unbiased content. We have been and always will be independent voices. We’ll still ask the hard questions you want answered, and we’ll deliver the results to you in stories, video interviews and through research data.
Who’s funding this? Sponsors. These are clearly listed on the portal and in the newsletters, and their role is limited to providing expertise. When you think about it, they are a key part of the expertise in this field. The other part is you and your peers. Fostering discussions between these groups is informative for both sides, and our sponsors are willing to pay for those kinds of exchanges and the continued flow of independent information. A lack of independent information is clearly not in their best interest, and it’s certainly not in yours. Any material contributed by vendors will be clearly labeled as to its source, and it will be scrubbed of marketing hype. And just to make sure we keep this honest, you get to comment if you want.
What are the rules? Simple. Engage with experts and peers as you wish. Point us in the right direction for content—we want to know what you want to know, and we want to write about issues that affect your work. Keep it clean, meaning free of expletives, marketing hype and unconstructive bashing. Beyond that, we encourage a free exchange of ideas. You can even use aliases if your company is skittish about your views, and we’re comfortable quoting engineers as sources as long as we know who they are. Just don’t give away any corporate secrets.
What does it cost? Nothing except your time. And if you give us regular feedback, we guarantee that time will be well spent. Sign up today and let us know your thoughts, concerns and experiences.
Cross-Talking with TLM 2.0
The new standard isn’t perfect, but it’s a big first step toward raising the level of abstraction in system-level design.
New Challenges For Hardware Engineers
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more complicated…
Object-Oriented Programming Is Back
After years of promises and threats, it’s real. But beware of the steep learning curve.
Engineering Schools Trail Chip Design Changes
Academia has the right ideas, but getting those ideas implemented is another matter.
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