Shortage of important parts, strong earthquakes on the earth, accelerate global industrial layout

As an important part of the global industrial chain, the shortage of important parts and components caused by strong earthquakes in Japan is causing the global automobile, high-tech electronics, aircraft manufacturing and other industries to face the "shortage of rice" problem, and General Motors has become the first batch One of the companies that announced the suspension of production.

The analysis points out that multinational manufacturing companies that have undergone major examinations will reassess and reflect on the risks of their global supply chains. Under the background of rising logistics and transportation costs, these manufacturers will accelerate the pace of industrial transfer, and one of the paths of transfer will be to migrate from low-cost Asian countries to the United States or Latin America, which is closer to the end market.

The earthquake "shocked" supply chain began this week, and General Motors became one of the first factories to suspend production. Due to the lack of spare parts that are usually provided by Japan, General Motors' assembly plant in Louisiana in the United States suspended production from the same week, and the two factories in Germany and Spain also plan to suspend production this week. Japan's Nomura Securities expects that the impact on the automotive industry will gradually appear in the future.

Apple has also been exposed to possible shortages of key components. According to Reuters, many key parts of Apple's iPad2 are produced in Japan, and logistic disruption may make it difficult for Apple to obtain Nissan batteries and may not be able to find supply channels outside of Japan. Sony Ericsson also said that its mobile phone production will be affected by the shortage of spare parts.

According to the "Wall Street Journal" report, Boeing said last week that it is studying how to deal with the shortage of Japanese aircraft parts supply. About one-third of the components of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner are from Japanese suppliers, including the wing structure, main landing gear, and part of the front fuselage.

Griffin Lynch, head of risk management at Marsh Risk Consulting's supply chain, said that most of the supply chain problems caused by the earthquake did not come from physical destruction of production facilities, but from transport problems and lack of energy supply. For example, the disruption caused by the earthquake caused the finished product to be unable to reach the airport or port, and employees' commuting and factory raw materials supply were also affected. The frequent power outages caused by the nuclear crisis will affect the production schedule of Japanese suppliers.

Industry shifts or trend analysts pointed out that a strong earthquake in Japan may trigger a wave of multinational companies moving factories in the next three years. In addition to the risk distribution through globalization, reducing transportation costs is also an important driving factor.

The Financial Times reported on the 21st that the consulting firm Accenture’s report showed that much of the U.S. large manufacturing companies have sought to simplify the supply chain and consider Move from low-cost Asian countries to the United States or Latin America to bring them closer to the end market.

Accenture executive Matt Riley pointed out that the rise in transportation costs brought about by the soaring international oil price, the weakening of labor cost advantages in Asia, and the emergence of supply chain risks have enabled companies to migrate to their customers' locations instead of selecting raw materials. . He also said that customers’ demand for faster delivery times and greater customization has also contributed to this shift.

In addition, domestic experts believe that this earthquake may prompt Japanese companies to firmly follow the path of overseas expansion and technological exports. Some Japanese leading companies such as LCD panels, electronic products, and automobiles may spread their risks through global deployment and change their concerns due to concerns.” The "non-proliferation" strategy pursued by the "hollowing of industry." According to the analysis, in view of the overseas transfer of Japanese companies, Chinese enterprises should seize opportunities, improve product quality and technology levels, and expand China's international market share in the high-end and high-end industrial chains.

Defective Corporate Reconciliation Models While responding to the consequences of Japan’s earthquake and re-finding suppliers, companies in various countries have also found that defects in the supply chain model are an important cause of the crisis. Analysts pointed out that by accumulating inventory and decentralizing suppliers, companies in various countries can free themselves from the general anxiety in Asia and other regions.

As a high-end producer of advanced components and advanced materials, Japan has opened up an exclusive market, and Japanese companies are often in a dominant position in these industries. According to reports, 78% of the electrode materials used in the world's lithium-ion batteries are provided by Japan. About one-fifth of the world's silicon wafers for the production of semiconductors are produced in Japan. Japan also supplies about 90% of the world's BT resins. This is a Kinds of chemical raw materials for the production of circuit boards and mobile phones.

What further complicates the supply chain problem is that in the context of globalization, many companies are implementing "prompt production" supply methods. This method, also known as "stockless production," was pioneered by Toyota Motor Corp., which only manufactures and transports parts and raw materials only when it is needed. The risk is that the disruption of the global supply chain will spread very quickly, resulting in the closure of factories across the country. Moreover, many manufacturers around the world have also reduced the number of suppliers in recent years in order to obtain discounted prices at cooperating suppliers, which further aggravated the risks.

Malik, a partner at McKinsey, a consulting firm, points out that a well-prepared company should not judge suppliers' supply chain at a certain moment to judge the merits of their supply chains. They judge whether existing supply chains should be maintained for another five years. At the time, it should take into consideration rising oil prices, environmental protectionism, and regulatory risks.