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92 SMT007 MAGAZINE I APRIL 2024 SMBs Now Dominate the Electronics Manufacturing Industry Small and medium businesses (SMBs) are vital to the electronics industry. ey provide many of the products and services that larger businesses and consumers depend on. SMBs make the printed circuit boards that are found in almost all electronic devices. ey also design and manufacture the electronic com- ponents that go into these devices. In addition, SMBs provide assembly, packaging, and other services to the electronics industry. e grow- ing trend of SMBs providing contract manufac- turing services is due to an effort to avoid finan- cial investments in production lines and take advantage of the design expertise and manu- facturing capabilities of the service providers 8 . from all over the world, and the lines between original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), contract manufacturers (CMs), and origi- nal design manufacturers (ODMs) are oen blurred. is complexity makes it difficult for companies to know where their products are, and it makes it easier for criminals to introduce counterfeit parts or to steal IP. In addition, the constant pressure to innovate and bring new products to market quickly can lead to short- cuts in the supply chain that can create vulner- abilities. e electronics industry is taking steps to improve supply chain security. e U.S. gov- ernment has also been working to raise aware- ness of the issue and has taken action to pro- tect the U.S. supply chain. Table 1: Value and quantity of global customs seizures of counterfeit ICT products, 2011–13 6,7 Figure 2: SMBs play a significant role across industries and particularly in developing countries.