Procurement Pro has published its November/December 2026 issue, an electronica special timed for the show at Messe München from 10-13th November.
The issue leads with ‘The Trust Gap’, Procurement Pro‘s research report on data automation maturity across the electronics manufacturing and distribution ecosystem. It is joined by features on legacy semiconductor supply, the memory squeeze, frontier AI, supplier screening, and Germany’s push for chip resilience.
The Trust Gap: the industry can move data, but can it trust it?
Ask an electronics manufacturer or distributor whether it is automated, and the answer is almost always yes. Ask what happens to the data once it arrives, and the picture gets more complicated.
Based on in-depth interviews with 15 organisations – eight distributors, six manufacturers, and one industry trade association – carried out between May and September 2026, the report finds that the industry has largely solved the problem of moving data, but not yet the problem of trusting it.
Key findings include:
- Maturity varies widely. Self-reported automation ranges from around 10% to over 90% of the workflow, with most distributors at 20–40% and aiming for 60–80%. Company size is not a reliable predictor
- Digital is not the same as automated. At least half of distributors still have a manual step between receiving supplier data and publishing it
- Data quality, not technology, is the main barrier. Distributors repeatedly cited data quality and normalisation, inconsistent formats, partner readiness and legacy systems
- Clean data sells. Half of manufacturers said accurate data is a sales lever, as a part that isn’t on the digital shelf doesn’t make it into the design
- AI amplifies what it is given. Half of distributors expect to use AI or agents in the coming year, but only where the data and processes underneath are sound
The report also sets these findings against wider industry surveys from McKinsey, the Distribution Strategy Group, and Precisely and Drexel University.
Download the free digital PDF of the report here: https://www.orbweaver.com/report/the-trust-gap/
Paige Hookway, Managing Editor, said: “The technology to automate the supply chain exists. What our research shows is that the industry is now building the trust to use it, and that starts with clean data. Whether you’re heading to electronica or following from your desk, I’d encourage everyone to download the report.”
Also in this issue
- Hotspot: Germany – Editor Lucy Barnard looks at Germany’s search for supply chain resilience, from Infineon’s €5 billion Smart Power Fab in Dresden to the ESMC project
- How Europe’s chip strategy is reshaping the supply of legacy semiconductors – Bill Bradford, President of Flip Electronics, on what the EU Chips Act means for OEMs relying on older-generation chips
- Time to get sensible about how much memory you really need – David Pashley, CEO of Direct Insight, on designing around record memory prices and long lead times
- Frontier AI models vs. procurement software – Gopinath Polavarapu, Chief Digital and AI Officer at JAGGAER, argues that 2027 planning should focus on governance and traceability, not model choice
- What’s next? Forecasting 2027 – Adam Fletcher, Chairman of ecsn and IDEA, shares his approach to business forecasting
- Building trust without long-term contracts – Nigel Copely, Group Sales Director at Cyclops Group, on what buyers should look for when screening suppliers
- The other end of the lifecycle – Mobius Materials on bringing procurement discipline to excess and obsolete stock
- Wireless at the industrial Edge – Omdia’s Saloni Gankar and Paul Pickering on matching radio, processor, security and power to each industrial workload
- Supplier Spotlight: Fusion Worldwide – a profile of the independent distributor as it marks 25 years in business
Pick up your free print copy at the Electronic Specifier booth, B4.570, at electronica 2026.
ProcurementPro Magazine: Issue 16
