According to Bloomberg News, the global semiconductor shortage is spreading to companies that provide equipment for manufacturing chips, and one of the chip packaging equipment suppliers warned of delays in shipments.
According to EVP Chan Pin Chong of Kulicke & Soffa Industries Inc., the average delivery time of packaging equipment has doubled to six months. The company is the world’s largest chip packaging and testing service provider.
Bloomberg continues to point out that chip manufacturers and their partners are now trying to expand their production capacity to meet the growing demand for chips, but they are hindered in this process, partly because they have difficulty getting them from suppliers like Kulicke&Soffa. equipment. Companies including Innolux Corp. and Asustek Computer Inc. have also warned recently that the supply of chip packages is tight.
Chong said: “Chips are essential to our equipment, but the number of chips is insufficient.” He added that the imbalance in the global semiconductor market may continue until the end of 2021 or early next year.
The warning is the latest sign that the chip shortage is spreading. Due to the lack of important parts, automakers have to idle their factories, and consumer electronics manufacturers are slowing down production. Samsung Electronics this week became the biggest technology giant to warn of “serious imbalances” in semiconductors, saying that austerity conditions may pose problems for its business in the next quarter.
What is the cause of the “chip shortage”?
U.S. strategy and safety experts say that the main reason for the shortage of automotive chips is that the global pandemic of the new crown virus has led to a surge in demand for Electronic products, which in turn has induced chip manufacturers to shift to the production of more high-end electronic products. On the other hand, automakers underestimate the speed of economic recovery, and cut orders for chips during the epidemic are also an important factor.
Timothy R. Heath, a senior researcher at RAND, a well-known American think tank, said that the shortage of chips in the market is due to the surge in demand for electronic products and the continuing difficulties in chip manufacturing technology. Part of the reason for the surge in demand for electronic products is also the impact of the new coronavirus pandemic.
“The pandemic of the new crown epidemic has caused people to stay indoors or work at home, and correspondingly increase the demand for various consumer electronic products. This increase in demand conflicts with the continued limited supply of chips, and the production of chips is technically The difficulty is very high. Therefore, it is not easy for chip manufacturers to suddenly increase production,” He Tianmu said.
Denny Roy, a senior researcher at the East-West Center, a research institution based in Hawaii, also said that the main reason for the shortage of chips is the pandemic of the new crown virus, which has led to consumer electronics products. Caused by the surge in demand. People buy more computers, electronic entertainment equipment, etc. because they work remotely or avoid going out for social activities.
Rao Yi added: “The second reason is the trade war between the United States and China. The restrictions on Chinese products in the trade war have prompted some companies to stock up on chips, thereby reducing global chip supply.”
At the same time, some experts pointed out that the occurrence of the “chip shortage” in the automotive industry was caused by major automakers’ misjudgment of market demand and production strategies brought about by the economic restart.
James Lewis is the senior vice president and strategic technology project director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), a public policy think tank in Washington.
Lewis said: “Automakers underestimated the speed of economic recovery and cut orders for chips. Chipmakers switched to supplying the production of other consumer devices; consumer devices are more profitable anyway.”
According to Lewis' analysis, there is no loose or excess capacity in the current US chip production system; therefore, it is difficult to switch products back to automobile production.
“But car companies, especially those that rely on’just-in-time production’, are in trouble. It may take three to five months to solve this problem,” he said.
The so-called just in time manufacturing refers to a production strategy adopted by manufacturers in order to avoid waste caused by excessive production, waiting time and excess inventory.
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