© Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (illustration purpose only)
Components | September 16, 2021
Passive components see increasing lead times
Capacitor, resistor and inductor markets all showed signs of increased demand in August 2021, with lead times for all three product lines reaching new heights.
Lead times increased in August 2021 by 2.1 percent, writes Dennis M. Zogbi, Paumanok Publications, Inc., in a TTi MarketEye Report. This follows a 3.4 percent month-to-month increase in July 2021, which has subsequently taken capacitor demand and lead times back to 2019 levels. Lead times for all capacitors increased on a month-to-month basis, but tantalum, aluminium and plastic film markets remain more challenging when compared to MLCCs.
Lead times for MLCCs showed increasing lead times in August compared to July 2021, with lead times for the 0603 and 1206 EIA increasing and remaining unchanged for the larger other chip case sizes. Primary sources are forecasting a 15 percent increase in MLCC sales for the September 2021 quarter (on a quarter-to-quarter basis).
Tantalum capacitor lead times continued to be among primary concerns in August 2021, as lead times continued to extend for multiple product lines and the price of tantalum approached USD 100 per pound. This is due to the pandemic’s impact on the supply chain from Central Africa, where the majority of ore is sourced globally. In August 2021, the lead times for both the conductive polymer type and the manganese type tantalum capacitors increased, with all case sizes and styles now at 40-week lead times.
In August of 2021, resistor market lead times increased by 5.8 percent on a month-to-month basis. The supply chain for resistors remains impacted by massive price increases in raw materials such as ruthenium and the availability of alumina substrates and cores, the report continues.
The thick film chip resistors category registered a solid 30-week lead time for all chips in August 2021 as supply chain issues with ruthenium continued to plague the industry, along with “short-term” shutdowns of factories in Malaysia and the Philippines. The price of ruthenium stood at USD 725 an ounce in August 2021. The price is now 20 times what it has traditionally been (USD 44/oz) and remains a serious problem for manufacturers.
Markets for thin film resistors continued to show a tightening across the board in August 2021, and in the prior months, in response to tightening thick film chip markets.
Discrete inductor demand increased sharply in August 2021, rising 13.75 percent – a huge jump, following spikes in both July and June. Factories in Malaysia and the Philippines have been impacted by the pandemic and have idled production, resulting in supply chain disruptions and changing lead times. The increase in demand is seen for all types of discrete inductors across the board.
More information can be found at TTi MarketEye and Paumanok Publications, Inc.
More information can be found at TTi MarketEye and Paumanok Publications, Inc.
Ferrotec to add manufacturing capacity with new plant in Malaysia
Ferrotec, a global supplier of materials, components, and precision system solutions, is establishing a new manufacturing facility at Kulim Hi-Tech Park, Kedah, facilitated by the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA).
Skeleton targets the Polish market – teams up with ZPUE
Supercapacitor specialist, Skeleton Technologies, and ZPUE, a Polish manufacturer of electrical devices for electrical power distribution utilities, have entered into a commercial agreement to provide energy storage solutions to the Polish market.
Sponsored content by Fusion
Manufacturers Reassess their Supply Chains
Prevailing obstacles since the COVID-19 Pandemic in 2020 have manufacturers reassessing their supply chain strategies. The following major disruptions that occurred entering 2022 added to existing setbacks, or created new ones altogether:
ERP partners with Flip to fulfill EOL and Obsolete component solutions
Flip Electronics has signed a franchised distributor partnership agreement with ERP Power (ERP) to distribute its End-of Life (EOL) semiconductor products.
Foxconn and DNeX build and operate wafer fab in Malaysia
Dagang NeXchange Berhad (DNeX) and Foxconn subsidiary Big Innovation Holdings (BIH), plan to set up a joint venture company to build and operate a new 300mm wafer fab in Malaysia.
Imec and semiconductor partners target greener chip manufacturing
Nanoelectronics research and innovation center, imec, says that it has managed to pool together stakeholders from the semiconductor value chain – from companies such as Apple and Microsoft, to suppliers, including ASM, Kurita, SCREEN and Tokyo Electron – to participate in its Sustainable Semiconductor Technologies and Systems (SSTS) research program.
SiPearl reaches milestone – 100 employees
The European chip designer has exceeded 100 employees across its six sites in France (Maisons-Laffitte, Grenoble, Massy, Sophia Antipolis), Germany (Duisburg) and Spain (Barcelona).
Arrow names Jörg Strughold as president EMEA components
Arrow Electronics announces that Jörg Strughold will take over as president of its components business in EMEA. He succeeds Martin Bielesch who has decided to leave the company.
€14 billion to attract semiconductor players to Germany
EUR 14 billion in state support is the German governments new strategy to attract more chipmakers to the country.
10 different companies have expressed interest in Toshiba
Back in April 2022, Toshiba Corporation announced that it had resolved to solicit proposals on strategic alternatives from potential investors and sponsors. The Japanese company is seeking to enhance its corporate value and has since the announcement been holding discussions with the potential partners.
Avnet breaks ground on German expansion
In order to better serve its customers’ local and global needs, Avnet is expanding in two locations in Germany. Avnet Embedded broke ground on a new manufacturing site in Eschbach and Avnet EMEA plans to build its third European logistics centre in Bernburg.
Viettel & Qualcomm team up on 5G infrastructure development
Viettel Group and Qualcomm Technologies plans to collaborate and develop a next-generation 5G Radio Unit (RU) with massive MIMO capabilities and distributed units (DUs). This focuses on helping to expedite the development and roll-out of 5G network infrastructure and services in Vietnam and globally.
Applied Materials opens Montana expansion – create 200 new jobs
The company has opened its latest expansion in Montana, a new semiconductor manufacturing center set to create 200 jobs in the Flathead Valley.
How to easily select the right frequency generation component
Question: What is the right frequency generation component for my application?
Bell Semiconductor is suing companies left and right
In late April, Bell Semiconductor, a Pennsylvania-based technology and intellectual property licensing company, filed lawsuits against Micron, Infineon, Nvidia and seven other companies alleging infringement of one of its patents.
Can pre-owned equipment be the way out of the shortage?
The global semiconductor supply chain remains under immense pressure. However, major investments are being made to increase capacity and fortify the supply chain for the future – but we wont feel the effect of these investments for years. Adding to the issue, there is not enough chips for the chipmaking machines.
CN Rood takes over ABtronix
Test and measurement equipment supplier, CN Rood, expands its position in both Scandinavia and the Belelux via the acquisition of ABtronix, professional T&M equipment.
STMicro supplies SiC tech to Semikron for EV power modules
STMicroelectronics has revealed it is supplying SiC technology for the eMPack electric-vehicle power modules from Semikron.
Henkel opens new application center in Silicon Valley
Henkel is opening its Application Center in Santa Clara, California designed to support product development for the company's high-tech customers in the Silicon Valley region. The application center will help expedite proof-of-concept initiatives for electronics advances.
Continued strong demand for Infineon amid global uncertainties
The German semiconductor power house continues to perform well, reporting a 22% revenue increase for the second quarter of 2022.
Allegro MicroSystems' CEO to retire – successor already appointed
Allegro MicroSystems' President and CEO, Ravi Vig, is retiring. Mr. Vig, will retire, effective June 13, 2022, from his roles as President, CEO and a member of the board of directors, which he has held since 2016.
Load more news