Reuters | March 16, 2011 | Niklas Pollard and Tarmo Virki
* Possible tech sector equivalent of Lehman Bros -analyst
* Ericsson sees no material impact on Q1 sales
* Alcatel-Lucent says has enough inventory for now
* Chipmaker STMicro sees possible Q1-Q2 revenue hit
(Adds STMicro sticking to guidance, analyst quote)
STOCKHOLM/HELSINKI, March 16 (Reuters) – Top mobile telecom equipment makers joined automakers in warning of a damaging supply squeeze as the impact of Japan‘s devastating earthquake spreads, adding to fears for a sector hampered by shortages.
Japan, home to around a fifth of the world’s semiconductor production, has seen factories producing everything from chips to car parts closed following Friday’s earthquake, threatening supplies to manufacturers across the globe. [ID:nL3E7EF450]
Most are making contingency plans, scrambling to source key components elsewhere while working out how much inventory they have available to keep production going and for how long.
Ericsson (ERICb.ST), Alcatel-Lucent (ALUA.PA) and chipmaker STMicroelectronics (STM.PA) all warned of a likely impact on supplies on Wednesday, echoing fears raised in the auto industry, where the closure of major Japanese car and parts plants could affect U.S. carmakers in as little as two weeks. [ID:nLDE72E1HW]
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