Wednesday, March 23, 2011

iSuppli Gets Focus From Japan Disaster

El Segundo-based market research firm iSuppli, which is now owned by IHS, has gotten major focus in the last week and a half, as the electronics industry continues to figure out the scope of damage to supply chains from the Japanese earthquake and tsunami. iSuppli issued a report earlier this week estimating that raw materials used in 25 percent of global chip product have been hit by disruption in Japan. iSuppli said Monday that one quarter of the global production of silicon wafers used to make semiconductors has been suspended, due to damage and infrastructure from the Japanese disaster. Additional impact includes the production of key printed circuit board raw materials, including copper-clad laminate (CCL), which iSuppli said equals 70 percent of the worldwide supply of the material, used in PCs, smart phones, and watches. iSuppli has been issuing regular reports on the supply chain in Japan since the disaster. iSuppli was acquired by information publisher IHS in November.