The latest results of the Electronic Component Sales Trends (ECST) survey from the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) finds electronic components continue strong surge upwards in April and May is forecast to continue the strong momentum in the supply chain.
As expected, the index saw a jump in points of 17.2 points between March and April for the ECST overall index score. Sale sentiment in all three major categories to reach scores ranging between 113 and 131. Semiconductor saw an index score soar by more than 31 points to hit 131. Passive components and Electro-mechanical components both increased by 11 and 9 points, respectively, in April.
The forecast for May is for sustained upward momentum in these three major categories with semiconductors falling slightly from the April high, ECIA said.
Consistency achieved
After numerous months in 2023 where distributors, manufacturers and manufacturer representatives were on completely different wavelengths in terms of index survey results, in 2024 these groups have been more aligned.
In the April survey, these groups continued consistency as manufacturer representatives have aligned with the other groups following a pattern of much more conservative scores up to February. The forecast for May is for manufacturer representatives to deliver the strongest scores of the year, ECIA said.
Improving end markets
In April, end markets improved only slightly with every segment but one reaching 100. May looks even better with the component score outlook looking like it will top 129.
The automotive end market stagnated in April at around 98 while avionics/military/space, medical and industrial electronics had positive sentiment in April, all registering above 120. The May outlook has the automotive end market surpassing 120 and other end markets continuing strong momentum as well.
About the ECIA ECST report
The ECST survey provides highly valuable and detailed visibility on industry expectations in the near-term through the monthly and quarterly surveys. This “immediate” perspective is helpful to participants up and down the electronics components supply chain. In the long-term, ECIA shares in the optimism for the future as the continued introduction and market adoption of exciting innovative technologies should motivate both corporate and consumer demand for next-generation products over the long term.
The complete ECIA ECST report is delivered to all ECIA members as well as others who participate in the survey. All participants in the electronics component supply chain are invited and encouraged to participate in the report so they can see the highly valuable insights provided by the ECST report.
The monthly and quarterly ECST reports present data in detailed tables and figures with multiple perspectives and covering current sales expectations, sales outlook, product cancellations, product decommits and product lead times. The data is presented at a detailed level for six major electronic component categories, six semiconductor subcategories and eight end markets. Also, survey results are segmented by aggregated responses from manufacturers, distributors and manufacturer representatives.
Interested in reading the entire ECST report? Click here for more information.
