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COVID-19 Impact Updates | Event | Supply Chain
Chinese Industrial Hub Shutdown due to COVID-19 Concerns
February 24, 2022 – In an effort to combat the spread of COVID-19, a strict lockdown has been imposed in the Chinese city of Suzhou. Suzhou is a technological hub and key manufacturing location for semiconductors. Home to manufacturing facilities for several global firms including Samsung, Bosch, Eli…
Contamination Forces WD to Lose Over 6.5 Exabytes of Flash Memory
February 21, 2022 – A contamination of materials at two Western Digital manufacturing plants has caused a loss of at least 6.5 exabytes of flash memory storage. These could have grave consequences on pricing and supply – experts predict a spike in SSD prices of…
Event | Supply Chain | Ukraine/Russia Conflict
Ukraine-Russia Conflict Impact Summary
February 7, 2022 – Tensions between Russia and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) continue to rise as a result of the imminent threat of invasion by Russian troops on the border of Ukraine ensue. In December 2021, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov issued a…
Event | Industry News | Supply Chain
Tracking U.S. Tornadoes’ Effect on Supply Chain
Tornadoes swept across the Midwest US this week, causing fatalities and massive destruction on key manufacturing hubs, including General Motors, Amazon, Toyota, and FedEx. The death toll rose to 74 in Kentucky this week, following a series of fatal tornadoes that hit multiple US states…
COVID-19 Impact Updates | Industry News | Supply Chain
Chip Shortage Forces Automakers to Remove Features
Revenue reports have shown that automakers have lost up to 21% in sales in Q3 when compared to 2020. In an attempt to combat falling revenue numbers due to the global semiconductor chip shortage, automakers are removing popular electronic features from their current lineup of vehicles. It’s important for…
Product Updates | Supply Chain
Be Alerted To Events That May Disrupt Your Supply Chain
The electronics industry manufacturing market has been devastated by chip shortages and supply chain disruptions in the past year. Manufacturers have been struggling to keep up with the increasing demand for electronic devices. However, supply chain impacting events, such as natural disasters, disease, and power…
Chipmakers Race to Build Factories Amidst Shortages
Relief to the chip shortage is coming – but how soon? Electronics chip makers have shifted gears in an attempt to combat the global chip shortages. Top manufacturers, such as TSMC and Samsung, are looking to invest tens of billions of dollars into building new chip…
The Impacts of Lithium Prices Surging
Lithium prices are skyrocketing in 2021 due to the demand for lithium-ion batteries in electric vehicles and household electronics. In October 2021, prices for lithium carbonate reached over 165,000 yuan per ton, the highest it has been since April of 2018. Year-to-date gains have been extended…
Power Shortages Forced China Factories to Halt Production
Power outages in China have put millions of homes into darkness and temporarily shut down factories. The Chinese government has also temporarily shut down power to several major semiconductor foundries with intention to regularly suspend industrial electricity supplies. These measures are being imposed as a…
Record-Level Aluminum Price Spike in 2021
The raw cost of materials of aluminum has reached a 10-year all-time high in pricing. And according to three data sources, it is predicted that the price of aluminum will continue to increase significantly over the next several years. Market Forecast for Aluminum Prices Importance…