Hi  Rudy,

Interesting comments.

If you think about what has happened over the last decade or so, one can see that the PCB has been reduced to a commodity even though each one is custom. A "custom commodity" now there is an oxymoron for you...;-)

With most OEMs, it seems that buyers are rewarded (or at least historically have been) for getting the best price, not the best value.

Seems also that the OEMs have done much to create this mentality. As soon as they gave up manufacturing and turned to outside, they began to demand price cuts from folks who spent money on the R&D to develop technologies that they (the OEM) used to have to spend.

The producer/developer had obviously hoped to hold the line on price for a while with the product and thus recoup some of that development cost. If the producer balked, the OEM simply transferred the technological knowledge, (which they felt they owned), to the next lower tier on the food chain. Not having any R&D to recoup, the next guy in line would immediately make it for less. I have heard variations on this story several times from different folks over the last 6-7 years with household names in the role of the villain.

Seems like now that some of the seeds of ruin many OEMs have sowed are now taking root. If one does not treat their vendors ethically, why should they expect them to act ethically in return?  

I am not condoning the actions of the wayward vendors but it seems clear where they got at least some of their lessons in business ethics.

All the best in the new year.

Peace,
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