Infineon production disruption German auto industry suffers the worst supply shortage in 30 years

According to foreign media reports, chipmaker Infineon Technology (Infineon Technologies) said production disruptions at its two plants had affected deliveries to core car customers, and the German auto industry was facing its worst supply shortage in 30 years.

It is reported that a new wave of novel coronavirus epidemic forced the temporary closure of an Infineon factory in Malaysia, after Infineon's plant in Austin, Texas was temporarily closed in June because of the Texas storm. The two shutdowns mean that Infineon is less able to profit from strong demand for everything from smartphones to cars in the third quarter than its European rival (STMicroelectronics).

Referring to the automotive industry, which accounts for 2/5 of Infineon's sales, Reinhard Ploss, Infineon's chief executive, said severe supply constraints across the value chain had hampered the recovery. "the current chip inventory is extremely tight, and terminal demand is being delayed. All in all, it will take time to restore the balance between supply and demand. In our view, the chip shortage will last until 2022. " Ploss said.

Inventory is at an all-time low, Ploss said. "our chips are being shipped directly from our fab to end applications." Under such circumstances, any blockade imposed by the government, such as the temporary blockade of Infineon's production base in Malacca, Malaysia, due to the epidemic, is particularly serious.

Infineon faces losses of up to tens of millions of euros as the Malacca plant is expected to return to full capacity this month, which will be included in its fiscal fourth quarter, which ends September 30, 2021, Ploss said.

Ifo, an economic research group, confirmed the seriousness of the situation and said the German car industry and its suppliers were facing the worst chip supply shortages in 30 years. About 83 per cent of companies are affected, up from 65 per cent in April, according to a survey. Oliver Falck, an analyst at Ifo, also said, "the semiconductor shortage will last for some time."

Infineon will be able to increase production of specialized power management chips with the opening of a new plant in Velage, Austria, although it still relies heavily on Asian contract manufacturers, which are operating at full speed.

Infineon's revenue rose 25 per cent year-on-year to 2.72 billion euros ($3.23 billion) in the second quarter, keeping its revenue forecast at 11 billion euros for the fiscal year to September 30. at the same time, the guidance of the division's performance margin was slightly raised to more than 18 per cent.