ST responds to news that chip factories have been shut down due to outbreak in Malaysia
[Guide by Bie Ge Bite] STMicroelectronics' latest response, the situation of the Malaysian factory on August 18.
It is reported that on August 17, Xu Daquan, a senior executive of automotive electronics company Bosch China, issued a message saying that because of the serious epidemic in Malaysia, a semiconductor chip supplier located in Muar, Malaysia was asked by the local government to close some production lines until August 21 day. Bosch ESP/IPB, VCU, TCU and other chips will be directly affected. It is expected that the supply will be basically out of supply in August, which will have a huge impact on China's automotive industry.
Related people speculate that the semiconductor chip supplier may be STMicroelectronics (ST). Later, STMicroelectronics also confirmed that this is STMicroelectronics' semiconductor chip packaging plant in Malaysia. STMicroelectronics, as a leading automotive chip manufacturer, may further drive the shortage of the automotive chip market. Xu Daquan also broke the news that “more than 3,000 employees at the Muar factory have sacrificed more than 20 due to the epidemic, and hundreds of people have been infected, facing the test of life and death.”
According to reports, in order to control the new crown epidemic, Malaysia has "closed the country" for two weeks starting on June 1. The "total blockade" measures originally scheduled to end on June 28 will be extended again. However, the number of patients with new coronary pneumonia in Malaysia is still increasing, and the number of new patients in a single day for 31 consecutive days has exceeded 10,000. The latest epidemic report shows that on August 18, Malaysia’s existing confirmed cases reached 252,147. The new crown epidemic has had a great impact on the local semiconductor industry. Wang Shoutai, chairman of the Malaysian Semiconductor Industry Association, said: "Some factories have been infected, causing the factories to be closed."
Malaysia's latest outbreak report
Data shows that Malaysia is one of the semiconductor export markets in Southeast Asia and even the world. About 50 global semiconductor giants have set up packaging and testing or component manufacturing plants in Malaysia, including Anshi Semiconductor, Renesas Electronics, STMicroelectronics, Infineon, etc. Among them, Malaysia's semiconductor packaging and testing business occupies nearly 13% of the global market share. In 2019, Malaysia exported a total of 372.7 billion ringgit (equivalent to 569.5 billion yuan) of electronic products and related parts, which also accounted for nearly 38% of the country's foreign trade exports that year.
At 17:40 pm on August 18, STMicroelectronics China issued a statement on the situation of its Malaysian factory on August 18 through its official account, suspected to respond to the previous rumor that the Malaysian factory was forced to close due to the epidemic.
STMicroelectronics stated that due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak in Malaysia, the Malaysian government has taken a number of control measures for companies operating in the country, including personnel movement control, headcount restrictions and additional hygiene procedures. STMicroelectronics' plant in Muar, Malaysia has also continued to be affected by the new crown epidemic and the above prevention and control measures. With the consent of the local health management department, a department of the Muar factory in Malaysia was quarantined on August 16 and resumed operations on August 18.
In addition, STMicroelectronics also stated, “We are well aware of the importance of our normal operations to many industries around the world. Since the beginning of the epidemic, STMicroelectronics has always put the protection of the health and safety of employees first. In recent weeks, we have In Muar, additional anti-epidemic measures have been taken to protect the health and safety of employees, including comprehensive factory disinfection, continuous large-scale testing, and in-depth vaccination activities.
