Hardware Podcasts

Electronica 24: IMI's New CEO Lou Hughes on Strategic Focus, Streamlining, and Regional Excellence

EMS@C-LEVEL · 22 Nov 2024 · 17m

What this episode covers

Lou Hughes, the new CEO of IMI, explains his strategic pivot away from a China-centric model toward regional operations in Mexico, the Philippines, and Eastern Europe to navigate geopolitical risks and tariff uncertainties. He details the closure of IMI's US facility and a 40% reduction in its China footprint, emphasizing that larger, consolidated sites with lower overhead are essential for competitiveness. Hughes highlights the critical role of a rebuilt sourcing team and digital tools like Silicon Expert in managing high inventory levels and volatile supply chains, while proposing that mid-sized EMS companies pool excess inventory to mitigate risk.

Most relevant to

companies scaling up

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
IMI, Foxconn, Benchmark, SMTC
Tools
Silicon Expert
Also
Lexan

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