Hi all!

I found this overview of the major Power IC leaders created by Matt Lo from Richtek quite insightful.

With power efficiency and peak requirements ubiquitous to so many new products, this report provides some good insights for engineers and supply chain people on where to look for power components that best fit your needs and budget.

Check out the detailed report here.

You may also want to check out Richtek (we have no affiliation with them), as we found them to be quite innovative and cost-competitive in the power segment.

The State of Manufacturing

The Manufacturing PMI Index remained the same in November as last month at 46.7%.

The biggest change from the October report to now is that several commodities are seeing price increases, i.e., metals, electronics, plastics, etc.

The global shipping industry has been mired in a freight recession this year and the challenging economic conditions will continue into 2024, according to a new CNBC Supply Chain Survey.

The majority believe rates for full truck loads will be unchanged or reduced, while 33% expect prices to be up marginally at 5%.

However, the respondents also show expectations for a slight turnaround in freight volume in the second half of 2024.

We start off with some helpful insights from Steve Pappalardo at IMS on why Supplier Relationships matter (a lot).

"My entire career has centered around relationships—understanding people's needs and finding ways to fulfill them. Rapid prototype development is inherently people-centric due to the constant and fast-paced changes requiring direct communication.

However, the emergence of internet-based fabrication and assembly companies in recent years has introduced a potential pitfall. Ordering online, without any direct communication, might seem efficient for quick prototypes. Yet, the story often takes a different turn. After placing an order, you may experience design changes without a chance to discuss them, leading to receiving a product that doesn't match the evolving specifications.

Sometimes, the final product arrives with missing parts and discrepancies due to pad/package size incompatibilities. Such a scenario necessitates extensive rework, adding stress and causing project delays. This situation argues strongly for establishing relationships with companies specializing in proof of concepts and prototypes. Such firms have account managers for communication and dedicated documentation departments for thorough reviews, ensuring changes during fabrication and assembly are smoothly managed. This approach prevents engineers from getting involved in rework tasks, allowing them to focus on debugging designs while leaving the assembly to skilled assemblers.

While it might seem convenient to order through a website, the long-term benefits of having a relationship with a reliable assembler, fostering effective communication, and ensuring a smoother process outweigh the initial ease of online ordering."

I hope you enjoyed this guest article.

Massachusetts Innovation Network Announces 2023 Eddies Winners.

See the full winners list here. Congratulations to all startups, finalists, and winners!

The list features 37 Massachusetts companies. No surprise, most of them are Software and Life Science companies but there are two standout local hardware companies as well.

Check all the winners here.

Executives from MassRobotics and Boston Dynamics have asked state lawmakers to advance a bill banning armed robots.

Schaeffler acquires Belgian startup Aerosint from Desktop Metal. Both parties have agreed not to disclose details of the transaction.

A pair of Massachusetts lawmakers are the latest to try and make the four-day workweek a reality. The Massachusetts Smart Work Week Pilot would create a tax credit for businesses that move their workers to a shorter week for the same pay.

EU antitrust regulators raised concerns that Amazon’s $1.7 billion purchase of Roomba-maker iRobot could harm competition. iRobot's stock closed down approximately 17%, a loss of close to $200 million in value.

For 2023, we decided to switch up our process and provide Startup Spotlights each month on the best Startups with Hardware content in Boston.

If you know an exciting Startup that deserves a Spotlight, please send a brief message to Hello@newpageassociates.com, and we will consider them.

Lumafield is dedicated to facilitating the rapid resolution of humanity's toughest challenges by ensuring optimal manufacturing processes.

Established in 2019, Lumafield emerged from the collaboration of a group of engineers boasting extensive experience in the conception, production, and global distribution of impactful products.

Lumafield has established itself as a trailblazer in the realm of 3D imaging through Neptune, the inaugural accessible X-Ray CT scanner designed specifically for engineers represents a groundbreaking leap beyond traditional CT systems.

Designed to seamlessly integrate into office or workshop settings, it stands poised to transform into an everyday tool for entire engineering teams.

Boasting user-friendly AI-powered configuration, it can be utilized by anyone with minimal training, eliminating the need for a dedicated operator.

Click here to learn more about Lumafield.

In our November survey, we asked whether your company has a plan for integrating robots while considering the impact on employees.

And there was a draw at 21% with respondents saying that there's no clear plan in place or they were not aware of the company's plan in this regard.

Given that this topic keeps popping up, we'd like to know this month:

The No. 1 best U.S. city to live in is Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The list ranked 228 cities by using data from the U.S. Census, FBI, Bureau of Labor Statistics and CDC in combination with millions of resident reviews.

See which cities made the list.

A study led by Boston-based Verve Therapeutics showed for the first time that gene editing can cut high cholesterol. Junkfoodforeva

One of the largest icebergs on Earth — about 3x the size of NYC — is now adrift after being grounded in the Antarctic for over 30 years. QE2watchout

London’s iconic black cabs will soon be available for hailing via Uber as the company continues to make deals to bring traditional taxis into its fold CoolestUbersAround (Source: Tech Crunch)

Cheers and you all have a great holiday season,

Sign up HERE