SIC 3676 Electronic Resistors

SIC 3676

This category covers establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing electronic resistors. Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing resistors for telephone and telegraph apparatus are classified in SIC 3661: Telephone and Telegraph Apparatus.

NAICS CODE(S)

334415

Electronic Resistor Manufacturing

INDUSTRY SNAPSHOT

In 2003 shipment values in the electronic resistors industry were $647.6 million, down slightly from $652.6 million in 2002 and down significantly from $981.7 million in 2000. By the mid-2000s, the number of companies doing business within the industry had fallen to less than 60, down from 90 in 1997. Numerous factors were working during the mid-2000s that either helped or hindered the industry. Negative factors included oversupply issues and the rising costs of materials; positive factors included the growing popularity of multichip resistor arrays and the increasing resistor demand driven primarily by robust sales in the cell phone market.

Employment of production workers in the industry declined from 12,400 in 1982 to 6,900 in 1995. A robust U.S. economy, especially in technology sectors, accounted for an increase to 8,640 by 1997. However, the number of production workers declined through 2002, reaching 3,870 workers before once again increasing to more than 4,800 in 2003. The changing workforce reflects a shift within in the marketplace, industry consolidation, advanced automation, and jobs being moved overseas.

ORGANIZATION AND STRUCTURE

During the 2000s, the states with the most firms in the electronic resistors industry were California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Texas, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Together these states have accounted for roughly half of total employment and for about half of all industry establishments in the United States.

Some of the top 10 industries and sectors buying the outputs of the electronic components and accessories industries are: radio and TV communication equipment; exports; telephone and telegraph apparatus; electronic computing equipment; electronic components, not elsewhere classified; radio and TV receiving sets; guided missiles and space vehicles; personal consumption expenditures; X-ray apparatus and tubes; and aircraft. In the mid-2000s, healthy growth in the cell phone industry was driving the industry.

There are three basic classes of resistors: fixed resistors, variable and semi-fixed resistors, and resistor networks or arrays. Fixed resistors are used for general purpose and are the least expensive because the resistance variable cannot be changed. Variable resistors can change resistance values easily, such as the volume control on a radio. Semi-fixed resistors can be changed but only by a technician and are not made for constant adjustment. Networks place multiple chips on a single board, either as a thick-film single-inline or dual-in-line. By the mid-2000s multi-chip resistor arrays were becoming widely used as a more efficient alternative to thick-film networks.

Resistors also are distinguished according to material used. The two most common types of resistors are carbon film or metal film; other higher quality materials include ceramics and tantulum. Metal film resistors have a higher tolerance and more accurate value than carbon film resistors.

One of the largest trade organizations serving the industry is the Electronic Industries Alliance of Arlington, Virginia. Known as the Radio Manufacturers Association when it was founded in 1924, the EIA had 1,300 members in the mid-2000s. The group produces a number of publications and was involved in the development of industry standards. Another large trade organization serving the industry is the American Electronics Association of Santa Clara, California. AEA was founded in 1943 and had approximately 2,500 member companies. In addition to organizing industry conferences and events, AEA publishes a variety of publications and special reports about the industry.

BACKGROUND AND DEVELOPMENT

In his Basic Electricity and Electronics, Delton T. Horn defined resistors and resistance: "A resistor is a device which opposes current in a dc (direct current) circuit; a measure of this opposition is called resistance, measured in ohms…. Ohms's Law, the relationship between voltage, current, and resistance, states that current is directly proportional to voltage and inversely proportional to resistance in a circuit." Resistance is one of the three variables of Ohm's Law, and is thus a necessary precondition for any functioning circuit. Resistors are either fixed, with a designated ohm value, or variable, with a designated range of ohm values. Variable resistors are either potentiometers, which control voltage...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT