https://www.techpowerup.com/287076/the-new-chip-shortage-is-passive-components
 
If you thought that the chip shortage was bad, then the building shortage of passive components, such as capacitors, resistors, inductors and so on, is going to have you in tears. Due to lockdowns in Malaysia and Indonesia, where most of the well known Japanese aluminium capacitors are made, the factories of Chemi-Con, Nichicon and Rubycon have been shut down for most of July and August. The three companies together control some 50 percent of the capacitor market and it's expected that the current situation in Malaysia will lead to a reduction in capacitor shipments by 30 to 60 percent.

At the same time, the increased demand for everything from computer parts to renewable energy technology has ramped up demand for these components. Some of that business has been picked up by Taiwanese and Chinese manufacturers, but whereas in the past you could get your order in some four to six weeks, the lead times are now three to six months and that's if you're lucky. DigiTimes is reporting that several Taiwanese component makers have seen a YoY revenue growth of 20 percent or more for the first half of this year.
 
This has in turn led to some of the Taiwanese capacitor manufacturers eyeing buyouts of their suppliers to be able to provide a more streamlined and secured manufacturing pipeline, where they don't have to worry about their competitors buying up stock from their suppliers. The shortage isn't expected to ease in 2021, although if things improve in Malaysia and Indonesia, 2022 might see better supply of these vital components, but right now it's anyone's guess what will happen in the longer term.
 
Forgive me if I'm not overly optimistic for 2021 for parts supplies. 
 

Passive components aren't chips. Title fail.

*Shady dude in the alley*
 
"Hey buddy...  what you need?  I got caps, resistors, transistors,.."

it wasn't the slave labor problem there are plenty of people in 3rd world countries that don't have jobs... labor shortage isn't it
 
the issue was cutting back of companies and size of companies to be lean and mean - high profits with smaller footprint
maximize profit per unit - something oligoplies and monopolies do
 
don't have oversupply because that brings down profits while increase costs
so they keep it close to shortage to keep prices high - like oil compnaies
 
now it bites them in the arse because they can't make up demand  - because fabs , mining sites and chemical plant increases  and higher refinements take time to build...like years to get up and running 
ie ecological studies, permits go ahead, build(higher workers which are in short supply) then hire workers for plant - same issue shortages... then you get the shortages on materials for your product
 
it doesn't happen overnight it takes time to ramp up each thing ....so i think you won't see this go away for 3-4 years
 

howdyho1
Time to dust off the rotary dial phone and Atari 800 in the attic...

Maybe carburetors make a comeback?

Malaysia aluminum disruption adds to global chip shortage
 
Industry sources tell Digitimes that shipments of aluminum capacitors from Malaysia could decrease by between 30 and 60 percent due to the Covid situation there. Lead times have increased to over six months. Some orders from those Japanese companies have started to spill over to Taiwan and China-based suppliers
 
The lockdowns in Malaysia have also affected the supply of ceramic capacitors, which are essential for circuit boards. A shortage of display driver chips this year could affect the manufacture of everything that comes with a screen. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) thinks the global semiconductor shortage will likely last into 2022.
 
https://www.techspot.com/...bal-chip-shortage.html
 
 
PS: it affects more than electronics
 
Shipping delays and supply chain woes impacting this year's holiday shopping
 
Bottom line: Manufacturers, retailers, and consumers have all been plagued by chip shortages since the introduction of Covid-19 last year. These shortages are now being compounded by shortages of products ranging from plastics to the shipping containers used to move goods around the world. As a result, consumers who rely on online shopping to ensure availability may be losing their advantage.
 
Since 2020, the world's semiconductor shortage has severely impacted the ability to consistently manufacture and purchase goods ranging from computer hardware to automobiles. Not to be outdone by 2020, 2021 has introduced several additional factors that have further strained the already struggling global supply chain. It's no longer just a semiconductor shortage; consumers are now battling pandemic variants along with a shortage of skilled workers, plastics, containers to ship manufactured goods, and even the ports needed to bring these goods to market.
At this point, pandemic-related shortages and worker availability come as little surprise to most. The other factors, however, continue to stack up and compound an already painful situation. Steel shipping containers, for example, have become a commodity themselves. But it's their availability, not quantity, creating the issue. Early in the pandemic, canceled trade routes contributed to containers being stranded and unavailable. Today, the ongoing demand to replenish inventories to pre-pandemic levels has driven a spike in container utilization.
 
....
 
Erratic weather patterns have also impacted supply chain availability. Raw materials required for some plastic production, such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and monoethylene (MEG), have been in short supply since 2020. Chemical supplies were further constrained following this year's Gulf Coast ice storm, which adversely impacted the world's largest petrochemical complex, located in Texas. These chemicals are used to produce anything from consumer electronics to food packaging, and the impact from their lack of availability is still being felt across several industries today.
 
https://www.techspot.com/...ting-year-holiday.html
 
 
 
seeing that we haven't got rid of covid yet and more variations will probably come with more twists(they learn a new trick every time)
 
id say we aren't thru covid for at least another year or two
 
blame the un-vaccinated and the unmasked  - you are keeping the virus alive

rjohnson11

ty_ger07
Passive components aren't chips. Title fail.

I would say that since chips are interdependent on passive components the article is more or less titled correctly.

I'd say it was a comprehension fail. I believe the intention was to acknowledge as fact the chip shortage we have been experiencing for some time, and compare it to the (possible) coming passive component shortage, so the comparison is to the *shortage* not the *chips*. That is not intending to say that passive components are chips, but that 'chip shortage' is a term that stands by itself, and can be applied to other shortages. For example, one could say the possible coming passive component shortage is the 'next toilet paper shortage'... except the toilet paper shortage was short-lived and driven primarily by panic buying, so not quite the same.
 

I would certainly love to continue the conversation here but its already gotten way too against TOS and im afraid any proper answer i give will get me banned for life,, which for the sake of a personal opinion is just not worth the hassle.

Hoggle
I am just wondering how this will effect almost everything since these are used in pretty much everything now days in the home. Or at least the higher end items in the home.

It will cause problems across a lot of industries and how long it will last is up for discussion.  There have been warnings about this for a year or more and production increased 11% but demand is up 15+% (Source: SemiMedia and Onlinecomponents).

redrek43
Always something lately. Hoping things clean up by mid next year

More than likely late 2022 or beginning of 2023. 

I guess that bailed out money is working for these corporations in their favor, they dont have to worry about profits whatsoever.