Moselle North. Shortage of electronic chips: local retailers impacted

For several weeks, a shortage worries the electronics sector. The Covid-19 epidemic having delayed production schedules, electronic chips and semiconductors necessary for cars or computer components are increasingly difficult to find. So, many heavy goods vehicles in the automotive sector shut down certain production lines, for lack of chips to complete the vehicles, like the Ford plant in Sarrelouis which announced the end of production of its Ford Focus model for one month.

Locally, professionals in the electronics sector are not hiding anything about the situation and their concerns. “Today, there are many references that we no longer find or that we no longer have”, comments this seller of the PC Plus store in Thionville. Mainly impacted: graphics cards, essential components of any computer. “There are certain references, in particular the cards from the previous generation, that our suppliers can no longer provide us with, quite simply. Today we have no choice but to focus on complete computer assemblies over retail parts when stocks run out. “

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“On arrival the parts are more expensive”

However, other products are missing, such as printers, webcams. “With the first containment, we recorded strong demand for certain products. Models have never returned to stock. Fortunately, according to this professional, if price increases can be observed, “the wholesalers have agreed not to abuse”, as one might have feared. On the internet, however, some references see their prices explode.

For Fabrice Maufay, director of MAT Electronics in Volstroff, these problems date “from October, November. Normal supply lines are drying up. We are forced to go through brokers (or brokers, Editor’s note) who manage to get their hands on stocks. Obviously, on arrival the parts are more expensive. “If the engineer recognizes it, the shortage mainly affects so-called” active “components, such as microcontrollers, drivers …” It seems that there is also a problem with certain passive components, such as capacitors, resistors. According to him, the fault is a concentration of production within a few factories which, when problems arise, deprives customers of other sources of supply.

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