GP, thanks for the detailed information. The only other thing I've seen so far is a brief note posted on CNNfn that I've pasted below. Might be interesting to see how this shakes out over the next few days as more information is made available.
NEW YORK (CNNfn) - Tuesday's massive
earthquake in Taiwan could at least temporarily
impede the ability of U.S. computer companies to
assemble and ship their products, possibly driving up
prices just prior to the holiday season, analysts said.
While most firms cautioned it is much too early to
measure the quake's impact on their supply chains,
analysts said Tuesday that early reports indicated
the semiconductor chip sector could see a significant
slowdown in production anywhere from one week to a
month.
That could prove particularly troublesome for
computer manufacturers, whose high-turnover supply
chain generally results in only a small backlog of
available products.
Currently, about two-thirds of the world's
integrated chips are assembled in Taiwan, while
three out of every four companies relying on outside
manufacturers utilize Taiwanese chip makers,
according to industry estimates.
"It's not a non-event," said David Wu, an analyst
with ABN Amro in San Francisco. "The whole PC
supply chain is so tight, there really is no excess
supply. Whenever there's a hiccup like this, there's
no cushion to fall back on."
"All of those foundries were running at capacity in
the beginning of a real upsurge in the semi-conductor
cycle, so I would expect it to have some impact,"
agreed Christopher Davis, a portfolio manager for
Davis Selected Advisors.
Two largest chip makers unscathed
Still, while they acknowledged analysts' fears,
industry officials said any disruption would be little
more than a minor glitch in the supply chain.
By late Tuesday, Taiwan's two largest chip
makers -- Taiwan Semiconductor and United
Microelectronics Corp. -- were reporting little
structural damage to their facilities or the products
inside.
Jodi Schelton, executive director of the Fabless
Semiconductor Association, an organization
representing chip makers unaffiliated with specific
computer manufacturers, said the biggest problem for
those companies right now is the lack of electricity.
"At the moment, I'm thinking the worst case
scenario is these factories are down for about a
week," she said.
Analysts are slightly more cautious. They note
demand for semiconductor chips has been so high
recently that manufacturers haven't been able to keep
up, raising concerns that even a couple of weeks of
disruption could influence prices.
"Near-term, I wouldn't look for it to impact the
consumer too much," said Wendy Ambramowitz, a
semiconductor analyst with Argus Research in New
York. "But there could be some moderate price
swings" if the facilities stay off-line for too long.
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