The semiconductor shortage, which has bogged down the global auto industry for nearly two years, is showing signs of abating, at least for now.
Mercedes Benz AG, Daimler Truck Holding AG and BMW AG are three of the automakers that now have enough components to produce at full capacity after months of mass plant shutdowns.
The breakthrough, which came sooner than most companies anticipated, is a bright spot for an industry already grappling with inflation, while manufacturers are in the midst of a historic transition to technology. The new type of vehicle is an electric vehicle. The improved chip supply is no better news for manufacturers, but there are still some worries.
“We still monitor chip supply from week to week, but so far there have been basically no problems in production operations,” said Joerg Burzer, head of production and supply chain management. of Mercedes said. Supply problems are still “somewhere around the corner”, he said, “but nothing compared to last year”.
In the previous period, even when demand for cars exploded, manufacturers still had to cut production because factories around the globe could not supply enough chips for new-generation models. The situation is so severe that global vehicle production shows little sign of recovering to pre-pandemic levels.
Global car sales are still far from pre-pandemic times.
However, as chip supplies improved, automakers immediately increased their inventories, clearing backlogs of orders. Their focus will now turn to what consumer demand will look like amid rapid inflation and higher interest rates.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said the company needed to cut 10% of employees and that he had “a terrible feeling” about the economy, according to Reuters.
But not everyone is as pessimistic as Elon Musk. Sentiment among German carmakers improved significantly in May, according to a survey by the Ifo Institute. The survey shows a growing belief among automakers that they can raise vehicle prices to cope with rising raw material costs.
Supply of auto chips increased in part on the back of inflation and a weakening economic outlook. This reduces demand for consumer electronics, which means an increase in the amount of excess chips. Karin Radstrom, head of the Mercedes brand for Daimler Truck, said the company has now received the chips it needs to deal with the backlog of orders.
“It’s not perfect, but it’s better than last year,” Radstrom said in an interview. “I try not to celebrate too soon. We are still closely monitoring the situation.”
BMW expressed similar optimism, saying all factories are up and running and the company has not experienced any disruptions due to chip supply.
“For now, the situation has stabilized a little bit,” a company spokesman said, adding that BMW still monitors chip supplies on a daily basis and does not rule out the possibility of new disruptions in the industry. next few weeks or months.
Volkswagen, meanwhile, estimates that chip disruptions will begin to ease in the second half of 2022. However, their chip supply has now stabilized.
Harry Wolters, president of Pacccar’s DAF truck unit also admits supply has been better: “We’ve seen a better supply of parts than we anticipated five to six weeks ago. We’ve been able to ramp up numbers. assembly volume in the US and Europe”.
Waiting times for chip deliveries remain very high.
But not all companies enjoy this relaxation. Volkswagen said it still sees very limited chip availability, which is expected to impact second-quarter output. According to research by Susquehanaa Financial Group, the delivery time of chip samples in May remained unchanged, indicating that delays still exist.
Mercedes said last year it opted to buy more expensive chips to avoid shortages. Meanwhile, Ford Motor CEO Kim Farley said last month that the company would buy chips anywhere in the market.
at Blogtuan.info – Source: autopro.com.vn – Read the original article here
