“Now is the time for the electronics industry to stick together,” say Andreas Koch and Markus Renner, managing directors of the consulting firm Perzeptron. With MiG Stock-DB, they have developed a free platform where electronics manufacturers can offer excess stock and components they no longer need. A+B Electronic, Eckelmann and Phytec, as well as other electronics companies, have already pledged their support and uploaded components for sale. Perzeptron is now calling on other companies to participate.

The purchasing departments of electronics manufacturers are faced with a procurement situation constrained by allocation and supply bottlenecks. Precious time, effort and money are lost due to the difficulty of procuring components, not to mention the customer dissatisfaction caused by late deliveries. At the same time, companies have a sizeable amount of capital tied up in excess inventory that they have accumulated due to large packaging units, production order cancellations, or for other reasons. Perzeptron’s MiG Stock-DB addresses both these challenges: Surplus component stock is entered in the database and offered for sale. Using the availability check feature of the MiG – Materials Management in Balance software, the parts inventory can be displayed, and direct contact can be made with the supplier.

Pinpointing critical components, and selecting an alternate source with a single click
MiG is a docking solution for existing ERP systems that uses dashboards for purchasing, production planning, sales and management to provide a company-wide, transparent overview of customer and production orders, the purchasing situation and work in process. Since version 4.00, it offers a fully automated availability check for components. Users can see at a glance which components represent a risk to the production schedule of a manufacturing order. With a single mouse click, they can identify where an alternate source for the critical component is available, including the price and quantity. In addition to authenticated, direct connections to broadline electronic component distributors, it also directly linkes to catalogue distributors such as DigiKey, Farnell and Mouser. MiG also provides access to anonymous Internet search results, for example from Octopart. And now, components from the MiG Stock-DB are also displayed.

3-month free trial period for ERP add-on
The latest updated version of MiG – Materials Management in Balance will be rolled out to existing customers in the coming weeks. Companies that wish to sell their excess inventories and who do not yet have a MiG license can, on request, receive a free 3-month test installation of the intelligent ERP tool with a connection to their ERP system. This will allow them to also benefit from the availability check and other functions of the software. MiG is easy to install, poses no risks, and both administrators and decision makers can start using it immediately.

Registration and component upload in just a few steps
Using the MiG Stock-DB online portal, registering and transmitting the component data is done in only a few steps: Once the account has been activated, a template is available for download, which can be used to prepare the component data in the form of an Excel list for entry in the database. Uploading is then also done through the website. By registering the vendors, Perzeptron ensures that no agents or brokers use the tool. “We are making MiG Stock-DB available free of charge to promote solidarity in the electronics industry, something that is needed more than ever right now. We want to avoid unfair price markups, which happens worldwide, because certain dealers are exploiting the component shortage and the pressure on electronics manufacturers,” say Andreas Koch and Markus Renner, voicing agreement. That’s why they also ask all participating companies to apply moderate pricing to cover their costs and only small, reasonable margins.

Statements from some of the participating companies

PHYTEC:
“The current component shortage affects all manufacturing companies. We think it is important that we, as medium-sized companies, stick together in this situation. The original idea behind MiG Stock-DB came up in a conversation with Perzeptron and PHYTEC and we are happy to see it was implemented so quickly.”

Dagmar Sünner Head of Purchasing
PHYTEC Messtechnik GmbH

A+B Electronic:
“MiG Stock-DB is a fair platform for exchanging surplus components in the electronics industry. Suppliers and buyers benefit equally. That’s why we at A+B Electronic immediately pledged our support.”

Sven Kapmeyer, Commercial Management
Assmy & Böttger Electronic GmbH

Declines in sales of up to 25 per cent, empty order books and cancelled orders: the Covid-19 crisis is having a dire impact on many electronics companies. If you’re not in the medical industry, you need to cut costs hard. However, there are also opportunities. Take the time to optimize your materials management and order processing. Build transparency and a consistent data pool. Leave Excel lists behind. If this crisis has taught us anything, it’s to value our time.

Markus Renner argues that process optimisation is the secret to higher liquidity, shorter lead times and better delivery.
Read the full article in Electronics Sourcing UK – January 2021