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Supply Chain Recovery Threatened by New COVID Lockdowns in China

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The supply chain recovery threatened w/new China COVID lockdowns
Some of the 21 million residents of Chengdu, China submitting to daily COVID testing [EPA/Shutterstock, NY Times]

Like being forced to watch a rerun of a movie you never liked in the first place, China is back to closing major cities around the country as a new round of COVID infections has emerged. China continues to maintain a “zero-COVID” policy of government-ordered aggressive measures designed to stamp out any new outbursts of coronavirus infections. But the impact of this policy is disastrous to the local and global economies – threatening to snuff out the recent signs of a recovery in the supply chain.

See how China’s shutdowns leave the supply chain recovery threatened

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Gettin’ Tough Out There – Sony Cuts Net Profit Outlook for Current Fiscal Year

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Sony PlayStation 5 games

Late last week, Sony Group announced that they were cutting their net profit forecast for the current fiscal year, fiscal 2022 which ends March 2023. Why are they trimming their profit expectations? It appears that Sony is experiencing its version of a post-COVID Peloton/Netflix sales decline as video game sales are weakening and its costs related to a recent acquisition are rising.

See more on the declining profit forecast at Sony

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Yamaha Corp Warns of Continuing Chip Shortage

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Shizuoka, Japan-based Yamaha Corporation – the world’s largest musical instrument maker that also offers pro, commercial, and residential audio gear is warning markets that the global chip shortage – while improving marginally lately – is still creating challenges that constrict manufacturers’ ability to achieve production goals. It is the first such warning I’ve seen from a company well known for acoustic pianos – but whose electronic instruments and audio gear generate more revenue.

See more of what the Yamaha President had to say about chips

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Massive Population Shifts Coming; India to Overtake China in 2023

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This month, the United Nations released its report on the latest global population trends and it delivered quite a few surprises…and even a bit of a shock. The data shows that major population shifts are coming…and coming soon. First, in a bit of a surprise, we learn that by November 15 of this year, the world population will total 8 billion people. The U.N. says that, in the world we hope to build, that population number will represent “8 billion opportunities to lead dignified and fulfilled lives.” But it also represents 8 billion reasons to remember “our shared responsibility to care for our planet.”

And, in a bit of a shock, we learn that by next year, China will be replaced as the most populous nation in the world by India, whose rate of population growth supersedes China’s. Surprised?

Learn more on the population shifts around the globe

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Chip Makers Threaten to Scale Back U.S. Plans Citing Inaction by Congress

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President Biden meets with industry leaders and chip makers
President Biden meets with business leaders to discuss building semiconductor production in the U.S. [Photo: AP]

Major American and Asian chip makers warned this week that they may scale back their planned investments in building U.S. semiconductor production if Congress doesn’t finally move forward and pass the CHIPS Act. The CHIPS Act is legislation the administration seeks to build up a more robust U.S.-based semiconductor supply chain.

Learn more on chip makers pulling back on U.S. fab projects

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With Demand Slack & Inventory Levels Building, Samsung Cuts Procurement

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Samsung logo

Is an Industrywide Slowdown in Tech Beginning?

Samsung Electronics is taking action to hold back on procurement orders and asking suppliers for concessions, such as delayed deliveries, order reductions, and more in the wake of a concerning buildup of inventory. While the action is said to be temporary, concerns over a slowing global economy make it difficult to determine how long the company will deem these actions are necessary.

See more on Samsung’s actions to cut inventory buildup

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Former Sony Chairman Nobuyuki Idei Dies at 84

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former Sony chairman Nobuyuki Idei
[Photo: Nikkei]

Nobuyuki Idei, former chairman and group CEO of Sony Group, has died at the age of 84. The cause of death was attributed to liver failure. His passing was announced by the company on Tuesday. Idei leaves a bit of a mixed legacy, contributing greatly during the company’s formative years but leaving during a challenging time. He is a significant part of the history of the technology industry.

Learn more about former Sony head Idei and his leadership

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Foxconn Raises Outlook for Year, Cites Improving Supply Chain Situation

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A Foxconn factory

Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., better known as Foxconn, the world’s largest contract manufacturer, surprised many on Tuesday when they announced they were raising their outlook for the quarter and for the year based on what they say is improving supply chain stability in China. The company is one of the largest suppliers for many companies, including Apple, Inc.

See more on what Foxconn is seeing in the supply chain

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AKM Fire Update 3: Yet Another Step Towards Recovery, Co. Launches New Flagship Chip

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New AKM AK4499EX flagship DAC

Asahi Kasei Microdevices (AKM), part of the Asahi Kasei Corporation, and one of the world’s most significant providers of integrated circuits, particularly digital-to-analog converters (DACs) and analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), launched a new flagship stereo DAC at the IPS/High End 2022 Show last week in Munich, Germany. It is yet another notable milestone in the company’s long journey to recovery after the horrific impact of the signal event of the pandemic supply chain disaster in 2020 – a massive factory fire that destroyed a key production fab, first reported in our industry by Strata-gee.

But…can the company recover quickly enough to make a difference?

See more on this impressive new AKM DAC

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Osaka District Court Approves Onkyo Bankruptcy Petition for Two Subsidiaries

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Onkyo Home Entertainment Co. Ltd. (Onkyo) has announced that its two consolidated subsidiaries – Onkyo Sound Co. Ltd. (ONS) and Onkyo Marketing Co. Ltd (OMC) – have filed for bankruptcy. The company said that it had petitioned the court to begin bankruptcy proceedings for these divisions and has received judicial approval to begin the bankruptcy process from the Osaka District Court in Osaka, Japan.

See more on the bankruptcy of these Onkyo subsidiaries

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