I design circuits for a living. Lately many semiconductors are hard to get as the supply, rightly so or not, slowed with the pandemic.
There's a new business model "Semiconductor Pirate". I can thing of two companies that are founded on it.
They research parts that are in demand and buy out all of manufacturer's inventory at once. They mark it up 100 fold and sell it on the open market. The manufactures issue a 50 week lead time thereafter. We OEMs have no choice but to pay it - oops there goes the profit margin.
I am inclined from here on not to design in any chips/module that are highly integrated - back to future I guess.
Has anyone else experienced this?
There's a new business model "Semiconductor Pirate". I can thing of two companies that are founded on it.
They research parts that are in demand and buy out all of manufacturer's inventory at once. They mark it up 100 fold and sell it on the open market. The manufactures issue a 50 week lead time thereafter. We OEMs have no choice but to pay it - oops there goes the profit margin.
I am inclined from here on not to design in any chips/module that are highly integrated - back to future I guess.
Has anyone else experienced this?
Same problems here!
I designed a MEMS sensor into a new product. It's a $2 part but is part of the core functionality of the product. Now that part is out of stock EVERYWHERE and the manufacturer is saying >52 week leadtime!
Trying component brokers came up with some offers at over $60 a piece! We cannot sell the product with that kind of markup! Luckily our component disty came to the rescue and we have enough stock for the next production run. Will be discussing with our disty about keeping buffer stock in future.
-Len.
I designed a MEMS sensor into a new product. It's a $2 part but is part of the core functionality of the product. Now that part is out of stock EVERYWHERE and the manufacturer is saying >52 week leadtime!
Trying component brokers came up with some offers at over $60 a piece! We cannot sell the product with that kind of markup! Luckily our component disty came to the rescue and we have enough stock for the next production run. Will be discussing with our disty about keeping buffer stock in future.
-Len.