After a good start to the year in January, the February Electronic Component Sales Trends (ECST) survey from the Electronic Components Industry Association (ECIA) in January, continued to show a solid improvement in the overall sales sentiment.
The index rose overall 4.7 points to reach 113.1 points, which is the highest score since April 2024. A score of over 100 shows growth in electronic component sales sentiment.
However, once again the actual results trailed the forecast from January by as much as 6.8 points. ECIA said the solid improvement is cause for optimism with electro-mechanical components delivering the strongest results in February with a jump of 9.2 points in February.
Mixed reactions
Other sectors were mixed in results. Semiconductors fell 5.9 points in February but still managed to wind up over the 100 threshold at 106.7 points. Passive components also fell by 5.1 points to settle at 109.6 points.
ECIA said that the good news is that all component categories sustained solid results above the 100-point threshold, indicating continued month-to-month growth.
Pessimism ahead?
The three electronic component supplier categories distributors, manufacturers and manufacturer representatives were mixed as well.
Distributors expressed growing pessimism across all categories in February and for March compared to others. Manufacturer representatives delivered the most positive scores in February and is in a strong position for March. Manufacturers were slightly negative compared to overall results but is forecast to surge to the strongest expectations in March.
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 components 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.
