Japan's earthquake shock wave fully receded in September

IHS iSuppli, a global semiconductor revenue growth market research agency, said that the electronics industry supply chain is expected to fully recover from the impact of the 311 Japan earthquake at the end of the third quarter; the agency pointed out that there are operating sites, buildings and equipment near the epicentre. Damaged electronics manufacturers are expected to resume shipments across the board in the first half of the year after the earthquake, catching up with the traditional third quarter of the electronics and semiconductor industry.

Many electronics manufacturers have gradually resumed full production after the earthquake stopped working on the same day; the biggest obstacle in the process of resuming work is damage to the infrastructure in the earthquake-stricken area and power outages. Some of the re-established wafer makers are also working towards the goal of restoring full capacity, including Renesas Electronic's plant in Naka, and Texas Instruments's Miho fab. It is difficult to restore full capacity by the end of September.

"In the history of the electronic industry chain, we have never encountered the impact of the massive earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan." said Dale Ford, senior vice president of the IHS semiconductor market research department.

The agency pointed out that the duration of the suspension of earthquakes by local electronics manufacturers in Japan varies depending on the distance from the epicentre; the farthest distance from the epicentre may only take 1-2 weeks to resume full production, but the manufacturers closest to the epicentre may fear it. It takes 4 to 6 months to return to normal and see its ability to respond to disasters.

Among them, Ford praised Fujitsu Semiconductor as the fastest and most efficient recovery among all Japanese semiconductor manufacturers; however, despite the proximity of the plant to the epicentre, the company said on June 9 that there are already five wafer fabs. Restore to pre-earthquake capacity levels. Ford said that Fujitsu was able to recover quickly because the company built a comprehensive disaster response strategy after an earthquake in Iwate prefecture three years ago.

According to the statistics of IHS, there were 14 semiconductor suppliers and 4 silicon wafer manufacturers in Japan affected by the earthquake. The agency expects that global semiconductor revenue will be strengthened in the third quarter, with a growth rate of 7.4% in the quarter, which echoes the resumption of full-scale production by Japanese manufacturers. Global semiconductor revenue growth rate showed a 1.4% decline in the first quarter, while the second quarter was a growth of 2.9, and is expected to grow by 3.1% in the fourth quarter.