Japanese electronic parts and components manufacturers expect production to stabilize within the next two weeks, although their current output is “somewhat chaotic,” a Japanese business organization representative said yesterday.
Jiro Iriye, director of the management office of the Combined Exhibition of Advanced Technologies (CEATEC), who is visiting Taiwan to promote CEATEC Japan 2011, made the remarks during a presentation to introduce the biggest consumer electronics trade show in Japan.
He said supplies of semiconductors and electronic parts and components are currently in a state of disarray, mainly because of disruptions in raw material supply chains and power rationing measures after the massive earthquake and tsunami.
A daily three-hour blackout has affected the operations of industrial zones in the Kanto area and some northwestern areas of the island of Honshu, Iriye said.
The electronics sector is trying to persuade the Japanese government to exclude industrial districts from the power rationing, he said, adding that power should be restored within two weeks, by which time production will start to recover.
Iriye said the prices of electronic parts and components had not been impacted by the earthquake, thanks to quick disaster response by Japanese companies.
He said he did not expect prices to experience sharp fluctuations, since most manufacturers in the quake-struck northeastern region had already transferred their orders to overseas factories.
Speaking of the Japanese government’s efforts to get the tsunami-damaged Fukushima nuclear power plant back up and running, Iriye said it was not expected to resume operations until the middle of next month as the authorities were still trying to prevent a meltdown.
He also advised people to refrain from visiting Japan at the moment unless it is absolutely necessary.
“If it is not an urgent matter, it would be better to wait until after May,” he said.
CEATEC will take place in Chiba Prefecture as scheduled from Oct. 4 to Oct. 8, he added.
So far, no Japanese companies have mentioned withdrawing from the fair, the organizer said, expressing the hope that more Taiwanese companies would take part.
According to the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (台灣電子電機公會), which is assisting with CEATEC’s promotion, more than two dozen local companies have registered to participate in this year’s event and all are expected to stick to their plans.
The event attracted more than 180,000 visitors last year, with 616 companies and organizations participating, of which 196 were foreign businesses from 15 countries and areas around the world, the organizer said.
It is touted as one of the world’s three largest consumer technology trade shows, along with the International CES in the US and Germany’s IFA Berlin.
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