Event | Industry News | Supply Chain | Ukraine/Russia Conflict
Russian Gold & Silver Banned from Global Markets
March 29, 2022 – Russian gold and silver refineries have been banned from the largest global trading markets in gold and silver. The London Bullion Market Association (LBMA) and the Chicago Merchantile Exchange (CME) have both announced a suspension on Russian gold and silver from…
COVID-19 Impact Updates | Event | Industry News
China’s Zero Covid Policy Continues to Impact Manufacturing
March 24, 2022 – China’s zero-COVID policy is continuing to have a substantial impact on the production efforts of key manufacturers in the general electronics and automotive part industries. This policy has forced shutdowns in the critical manufacturing hubs of Shenzhen and Changchun. On top…
Industry News | Regulation and Compliance updates
Oeko Final RoHS Exemptions Report (Pack 24)
March 23, 2022 – The Oeko-Institut has recently published a final report studying the renewal requests of eight (8) exemptions: 5(b), 18(b), 18(b)-I, 24, 29, 32 and 34 of Annex III and 34 of Annex IV of Directive 2011/65/EU (Pack 24). These studies and recommendations…
Industry News | Supply Chain | Ukraine/Russia Conflict
Ukraine Invasion Results in Raw Materials Price Surge
March 11, 2022 – The price of multiple raw materials, including Crude Oil, Palladium, Nickel, Aluminum, and Copper have skyrocketed to the highest they’ve been in the past decade as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia and Ukraine have a dominant position in the…
Event | Industry News | Supply Chain | Ukraine/Russia Conflict
Electronics Chipmakers Cut Ties With Russia
March 9, 2022 – Global chipmaking companies, including the giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, have begun to sever ties with Russia. The United States and several of its allies have announced sanctions on Russia with the goal of limiting their military advancements by putting a…
Event | Industry News | Regulation and Compliance updates
U.S. EPA Extends PIP (3:1) Compliance Deadline
March 9, 2022 – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) extended the compliance dates for PIP (3:1) to October 31, 2024. The EPA initially planned to have a full understanding of the impact of the prohibition prior to issuing the January 2021 final rule, however, that…
Intel to Acquire Tower Semiconductor for $5.4 Billion
March 7, 2022 – Intel Corporation has announced its acquisition of Tower Semiconductor, a leading foundry for analog semiconductor solutions, for $53 per share in cash. This acquisition represents a total enterprise value of approximately $5.4 billion. With an unprecedented global shortage across the chipmaking…
Event | Industry News | Ukraine/Russia Conflict
Ukraine Invasion Impact Summary
February 24, 2022 – This morning Russian military forces began their invasion of Ukraine with a combined land, air, and sea assault. This is serving up to be one of the largest invasions since WWII. As a response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, global stock markets have…
Contamination Forces WD to Lose Over 6.5 Exabytes of Flash Memory
February 21, 2022 – A contamination of materials at two Western Digital manufacturing plants has caused a loss of at least 6.5 exabytes of flash memory storage. These could have grave consequences on pricing and supply – experts predict a spike in SSD prices of…
Canadian Trucker’s Protest Bottlenecks Cross Border Trade
February 19, 2022 – Canadian truckers protesting COVID-19 mandates blockaded and forced a shutdown of multiple border crossings across the US-Canada Border. Most notably, the Ambassador Bridge which is a critical supply route between Windsor, Canada, and the United States have been impacted. This bridge…