Each year, North American manufacturing facilities are pressured anew. They are pressured to do more with less; to provide better service, faster; to rein in costs but increase quality -- and to do it in the face of increasing competition and less-certain economic conditions.

Gerry Fay, Chief Global Logistics & Operations Officer, Avnet: If all electronics OEMs had the same supply chain needs, my job would be fairly simple: Map out a standard process and take a nice long lunch. But, there is no "one-size-fits-all" strategy for managing the global electronics supply chain.

Historically, inexpensive fuel, lenient trade agreements and cheap labor drove globalization and allowed companies to seek cost-effective production throughout the world. But with fuel costs expected to remain high indefinitely and labor costs in third-world countries increasing, companies are now recalculating the benefits of global outsourcing.