Nearly 90% of the products are irreplaceable, delivery time has doubled, and Nexperia chips have locked up European automakers
Nexperia's products mainly include diodes, transistors, and basic chips! Some products cost only a few cents, but such cheap "chips" have caused severe impacts on global car production!
German automotive parts manufacturer Bosch and ZF have shortened working hours in some factories. For example, Bosch's factories in Ansbach and Braga, Portugal have reduced production scale.
Japanese Honda and Nissan have announced partial shutdowns and reduced production of certain models. For instance, Honda's factory in Mexico and the Qijun model in Honda's domestic market.
If NVIDIA and Intel's high-end chips are the brain, then Nexperia's products are the components. A car has hundreds of Nexperia components. One out of every five cars globally uses Nexperia's products.
Previously, most automakers, including European ones, treated Nexperia's components as non-strategic products and had not found other alternative suppliers. Moreover, it is difficult to replace Nexperia's chips in most cases.
Data from software company Luminovo shows that among the 54,449 Nexperia products it collects, 88.9% have no direct alternatives. 9.1% of the parts have multiple alternative suppliers, and 2.3% have single-source alternatives!
Not to mention that even if an alternative is found, testing and certification are required, which can take several months or even years.
Europe's largest electronics manufacturing company, Zollner Elektronik AG, said that the delivery cycle has doubled, currently around three months. The company expects delivery dates to be extended further and face quota distribution. It is unlikely to improve in the short term.
Although China has granted export exemptions to compliant companies since early November. However, for some companies, their concern is how much capacity can Nexperia in China recover after the wafer supply is cut off at the Dutch headquarters? Will the license applications be approved? When will they get the goods?
There are reports that only companies registered within China can make purchases, and payments must be made in RMB.
Components at Service CEO Dominic said that the situation in German industry is deteriorating daily, and dealers' inventories are now almost depleted.
Previously, Chinese Nexperia stated that inventory was sufficient and could last until the end of the year or even longer. And it was confident in meeting all customers' needs next year.
However, the company has not provided test data for its wafer alternatives. After several times when the quality of Nexperia's products was problematic at the Dutch headquarters, it is understandable that customers are concerned.
Dominic said that the current situation is like a fire that keeps burning. As one problem is solved, another immediately emerges.
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce's latest statement blamed the Dutch government, claiming that its inappropriate intervention and court's wrong ruling led to the global supply chain crisis. And it has shown no constructive attitude during negotiations.
The Dutch side expressed willingness to continue communication, but denied the related news about a reconciliation agreement on rare earths and semiconductors between China and Europe.
Despite China's efforts to ensure the recovery of supply from Chinese Nexperia, the uncertainty remains significant for automakers.
Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847950042516627/
Statement: This article represents the views of the author.