Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1477844
70 SMT007 MAGAZINE I SEPTEMBER 2022 ing some semiconductor products that are return- ing to normal as well. But we also see some that are not. Microcon- trollers is a great exam- ple of a subcategory that continues to have low availability in the market, with extremely long lead times and extremely high demand as a result. What we glean from this is that we're not in the same mar- ket conditions that we were in, say, nine months ago, but there are defi- nitely categories that are normal with others showing signs of recovery. Shaughnessy: Right. What we're hearing is that by Christmas, we may not be back to 100%, but the supply chain should be in much better shape by the end of the year. Schoenfelder: Yes, I think the trend is that most categories that are not in the semiconductor space are operating at something that's close to normal lead time, and normal demand and supply. But semiconductors are just lagging now. Shaughnessy: So, the EDDI is free to down- load, and you just have to register and provide your email, which seems like a fair trade. Schoenfelder: Yes. I don't think I'm talking out of school here to say that sometime soon we will launch this as a self-service tool on our portal. We wanted to get to market quickly with this reporting because we think it's really valuable. For now, users can register with an email, and we will send you a PDF on a monthly basis, but in the future we'll make it self-service so users can access EDDI directly from our site. S h a u g h n e s s y : We l l , I signed up for it, and it has a lot of timely informa- tion. Even though we're seeing improvements, the supply chain is still a little wacky right now. Schoenfelder: It's interest- ing, Andy, that things have become so challenging in some aspects of managing the supply chain that indi- viduals who may not have had to pay attention to these market conditions, s u c h a s e ng i n e e r s a n d designers, now need to take these considerations into their day-to-day work. e EDDI is free and accessible indus- try insights, with very low barriers, and it can be influential in a designer's decision-making. Shaughnessy: A designer recently told me, "We probably should have been double- and triple- sourcing components all along, but we never had to." at's one trick that's not going away, right? Schoenfelder: Yeah, every company should have an alternate source strategy. Having your finger on the pulse of availability in the market, particularly relative to your demand require- ments, is critical. I think the EDDI is a tool that can help assess where there is opportunity and where there is risk present. Shaughnessy: Very good. Is there anything else you want to add, Dan? Schoenfelder: at's it for now. I appreciate the time, Andy. Shaughnessy: anks for taking the time to talk to us, Dan. SMT007 Dan Schoenfelder