Decryption and possible solutions for industries
82% of French companies are facing supply chain problems linked to shortages of materials*. Since the summer of 2020, the shortage of electronic components has become one of the major problems that manufacturers must face and learn to reorganize. According to governments, the situation is not expected to improve before 2023. What are the origins of this crisis? What solutions can industries consider?
Why this shortage of electronic components?
The pandemic has changed behavior in work and leisure: we have seen a sudden increase in the consumption of laptops due to teleworking, but also in video games, followed closely by the adoption of 5G. Electronic chip producers therefore initially focused on these markets, but when at the end of the pandemic the automobile industry resumed, accentuated by the excitement of the electric car, demand literally exploded. Global production can no longer keep up.
Although it was the automotive and IT industries that set the scene on fire, all sectors that depend on electronic technology are affected: aeronautics, transport, nuclear, pharmaceuticals, etc. virtually no sector is spared.
Other factors have also contributed to aggravating this shortage, such as the obstruction of the Suez Canal for several weeks, or the Chinese energy crisis in 2021. And let’s not forget that this crisis also has geopolitical roots due to the divides Asia / USA and currently the war in Ukraine which amplifies the impoverishment of raw materials.