Containment measures put in place by the Chinese government in an attempt to stem the COVID-19 pandemic are impacting 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook inventory.
The year 2022 will ultimately not yet be the year of the big restart for manufacturers, as the spread of the Omicron variant continues to rage in China.
Strict containment which shuts down production sites and leads to delivery delays
We already reported to you a few weeks ago that the COVID-19 pandemic in the Shanghai region had shut down all of the laptop manufacturers’ subcontractors. This had immediately led to production delays and raised fears of a machine shortage for 2022.
If Apple seemed to be getting out of it until then, despite the resurgence of the epidemic, the company will not be spared with the closure of one of its main subcontractors, Quanta, which produces all MacBooks. Pro 14 inch and 16 inch.
Indeed, since the end of March and the adoption of new containment measures by the Chinese authorities, the Quanta production site in Shanghai has been virtually shut down, with production of only 5% compared to the capacity of the production line.
Workers revolt against health measures imposed by the Chinese government
Production resumed slowly during the month of April, at 30% of the subcontractor’s capacity, and Quanta is currently working to reach 50%. Delays are already to be reported, and it now takes at least two months between order and delivery. In addition, some regions of the world can no longer be delivered by Apple.
These delays are expected to extend to the entire second quarter of 2022, and the situation is still uncertain for the second half. This is the most important for the manufacturer, since it coincides with the end of year celebrations and the launch of many new products.
In addition to these production delays, Quanta must bear the wrath of its employees who have rebelled against their working conditions and the strict containment measures dictated by the government’s zero-COVID policy. The latter are indeed forced to sleep on the spot, in addition to painful and very long working days. Riots broke out a few days ago, and the employees broke through the barriers that forced them to stay inside the building.
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Source : Tom’s Hardware
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