【英语科技】电子产品需求升温难倒供货商

Manufacturers across Asia are scrambling to ramp up production of key components for electronics, as shortages have frustrated consumers and disrupted business for companies from Apple Inc. to Nissan Motor Co.

Unexpectedly strong consumer appetite for gadgets like Apple's iPad and new smartphones from HTC Corp. has stretched the capabilities of some companies that make the memory chips, touch displays and other parts found in those devices. Auto sales, too, have snapped back, straining supplies of custom chips used in cars.

Companies like Apple and Nissan are seeing the drawbacks of lean manufacturing methods, which call for carrying little inventory but make supply snags tougher to offset.

They are also victims of an overstretched global supply chain trying to meet recovering demand after the recession forced suppliers to slash production capacity and postpone plans to upgrade their facilities.

'It's extremely difficult for the suppliers to ramp up capacity suddenly, especially after a period when many firms slashed capital spending,' said Masatsune Yamaji, a senior research analyst at Gartner Research.

Toshiba Corp. said Wednesday it has started construction for a new chip facility in Yokkaichi, Japan, together with SanDisk Corp., to produce flash memory chips used to store data in gadgets like iPhones, but that plant won't be completed until the spring of next year.

Samsung Electronics and Toshiba, two of the world's biggest makers of such memory chips, say the market is in shortage, and both have plans to increase spending to boost output.

Companies have maneuvered to try to make sure they get access to key components. Last July, Apple made a $500 million prepayment to Toshiba to secure supplies of flash memory chips.

Still, Apple has been unable to meet demand for its iPad, which went on sale in April, or its new iPhone 4. Although the company has long-term contracts with major suppliers, analysts point to shortages of the gadgets' specialized touch displays.

An Apple spokeswoman declined to identify the company's suppliers or comment on the component issue. The company said last month that white versions of its new iPhone 4 wouldn't be available until the second half of July because they were 'more challenging to manufacture than expected.'

Wintek Corp., a Taiwan-based maker of touchscreens, plans to start mass production of a new production line in Dongguan, in southern China, in the fourth quarter, said spokesman Jay Huang. 'The new line is expected to alleviate the shortage to some extent,' he said.

Production stoppages can plague companies that strive to exert tight control over interwoven and highly sophisticated supply chains, considered an essential way for manufacturers to shave costs, reduce inventory risk and fatten profit margins.

The pitfalls of lean manufacturing methods, a hallmark of cash-rich and efficient companies, arise when parts either prove faulty or in short supply. Production delays or stoppages are common in the electronics and automotive industry.

-By Daisuke Wakabayashi and Lorraine Luk

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Copyright (c) 2010 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.

亚洲的关键电子元器件生产商目前都在仓促扩大生产，这类元器件的短缺，导致了消费者的需求无法得到满足，也给苹果公司（Apple Inc.）、日产公司（Nissan Motor Co.）等企业的业务造成了极大的困扰。

消费者对于苹果iPad以及宏达电（HTC Corp.）的新款智能手机表现出了令市场措手不及的高涨热情，有些生产记忆芯片、触摸屏及其他相关配件的公司的产量达到了饱和。汽车的销量也开始回升，车用定制芯片的供给也变得极度紧张。

苹果、日产等公司现在都尝到了精益生产的苦头，这种生产方式力求降
低库存，而与此同时，供货不足的问题也相对难以解决。

因为经济危机，很多供货商都急剧缩减产量，取消了设备更新计划，如今为了满足逐步复苏的市场需求，全球供应链体系陷入了极度的紧张状态，苹果、日产等公司也是首当其冲。

高德纳咨询公司（Gartner Research）资深分析师山路正恒（Masatsune Yamaji）表示，“对于供货商而言，骤然提高产量是非常困难的，尤其在目前，许多企业缩减了一段时间的开支后，需求在骤然间重新释放。”

东芝公司（Toshiba Corp.）于周三宣布，他们已联同晟碟公司（SanDisk Corp.）在日本的四日市（Yokkaichi）投建一家新的芯片工厂，生产iPhone等电子产品中用于存储数据的闪存芯片，不过该工厂要到明年春天才能竣工投产。

全球生产此类记忆芯片的两大巨头三星电子（Samsung Electronics）和东芝公司（Toshiba）表示，记忆芯片市场如今供货不足，两家公司都有计划要加大投入以提高产量。

各家公司都使出浑身解数确保关键电子元器件的供给。去年7月，苹果公司给东芝公司预付了5亿美元以确保闪存芯片的供给。

即便如此，苹果公司仍然无法保证4月份上市的iPad以及最新的iPhone 4的生产需求。分析人士指出，尽管苹果同几家大供货商都签订了长期协议，这两种电子产品所需的专用触摸屏依然处于短缺状态。

苹果公司一位女发言人拒绝透漏公司的供货商名单，也拒绝针对元器件问题发表评论。上个月，公司方面表示，白色款iPhone 4要到7月的后半个月才能有货，因为“生产的压力超出了预期”。

台湾触摸屏生产商胜华公司（Wintek Corp）发言人黄忠杰（Jay Huang）表示，公司计划于第四季度在中国南部的东莞大批量投产一种新产品。他表示，“这条新产线可以在一定程度上缓解目前这种供不应求的局面。”

建立错综复杂、高度精密化的供应链被认为是降低成本、减小库存风险、使利润最大化的必由之路，那些力求严密控制此类供应链体系的企业都可能会面临停产的困扰。

企业施行精益生产往往意味着企业现金流充裕、拥有高产能，但是当生产所需零部件出了问题或者供应不足时，精益生产的缺陷便显露无遗了。在电子产品业及汽车业界，延迟生产或停产都是非常普遍的。