Supply Chain

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has upended auto supply chains, hitting everything from aluminum used in car panels to key materials for microchips. (Source photos by AP, Reuters and Getty Images) 
Business Spotlight

From chip crunch to war: Automakers grapple with supply chain woes

Geopolitical turmoil sparks questions over long-term supply of key EV materials

25 March 2022
TSMC plans to set aside 1% to 2% of its revenue for green initiatives.
Supply Chain

TSMC says up to 2% of revenue will go to green initiatives

Chipmaker sets sights on renewables as energy use accounts for 60% of emissions

23 March 2022
Winbond Electronics Chairman Arthur Chiao Yu-cheng says he expects the Ukraine war to have a long-term impact on inflation and consumer spending. (Source photos by Cheng Ting-Fang) 
Semiconductors

Taiwan chipmaker Winbond sees 'long-term' impact from Ukraine war

Apple supplier eyes EV, smart agriculture, cybersecurity as growth catalysts

23 March 2022
Xiaomi believes that the global chip and component shortage will be resolved within the second half of this year. (Photo by Karina Nooka)
China tech

Xiaomi says chip shortage to 'fundamentally' ease in second half

World's No. 3 smartphone maker sets 2022 sales target of over 200m devices

22 March 2022
Cars roll off assembly lines at Toyota Motor's Tsutsumi plant in the central Japanese city of Toyota. The automaker's supply chains have been disrupted by major earthquakes earlier this week.
Natural disasters

Toyota and Subaru idle plants as quakes disrupt supply chains

Wednesday's temblors in northeastern Japan impact auto industry

19 March 2022
Ocean Network Express, Japan's largest container ship operator, was previously taking new bookings to Vladivostok via Busan.
Supply Chain

Japan's top container shipper halts new bookings to Russia

ONE follows European players out as sanctions over Ukraine squeeze demand

18 March 2022
Foxconn introduced what it called a "closed-loop management process" to comply with Shenzhen's COVID-19 rules at campuses that include both employee housing and production facilities. (Source photos by Getty Images and AP) 
Technology

Foxconn partially restarts production in locked-down Shenzhen

Apple supplier says shortages, inflation and tensions will tamp profit growth

16 March 2022
Luxshare is building chip systems-in-package (SiP) for Apple's AirPod earbuds. (Source photo by Reuters and Manami Yamada)
Supply Chain

China tech champions Luxshare, Goertek move into chip assembly

Shift adds to Apple leverage with suppliers, advances Beijing's policy goal

16 March 2022
Clockwise from top right: Japanese trade minister Koichi Hagiuda meets virtually with Indian trade minister Piyush Goyal and Australian trade minister Dan Tehan on March 15. (Photo by Satsuki Kaneko)
Supply Chain

Japan, Australia and India target Indo-Pacific supply-chain code

Agreed principles will establish data-sharing and transparency standards

16 March 2022
Nissan seeks to keep its production uninterrupted by assisting suppliers in production management and procurement. (Photo by Ryotaro Yamada)
Supply Chain

Nissan, Daihatsu scramble to shield suppliers from Ukraine war, COVID

Staffing help, advance payments on table to keep supply chains humming

15 March 2022
SK Innovation and partner Ford Motor also look to build two electric vehicle battery plants in the U.S. (Photo courtesy of SK Innovation)
Automobiles

SK Innovation to build EV battery plant in Turkey with Ford

Partners add local group Koc to supply up to 750,000 vehicles a year

15 March 2022
MediaTek's bluetooth unit Airoha is preparing for an IPO with a preliminary listing on Taiwan's Emerging Stock Market. (Photo courtesy of Mediatek)
Semiconductors

Taiwan's MediaTek to list flagship Bluetooth chip unit

Airoha's $3.3bn valuation could lead to island's biggest chip IPO in years

14 March 2022
Shoppers browse Apple products in Ho Chi Minh City. Vietnam has increased production for the iPhone maker, with suppliers moving from China and Taiwan and hiring local Chinese speakers. (Photo by Lien Hoang)
China tech

Help wanted: Tech firms in Vietnam seek Chinese speakers

Apple suppliers, garment makers fleeing China-U.S. tension hire bilingual talent

14 March 2022
A medical worker collects a swab from a resident at a makeshift COVID testing site in Shanghai on March 11. 
Coronavirus

China's new COVID lockdowns hit Apple suppliers

Restrictions imposed in Shenzhen, Shanghai after COVID spikes

14 March 2022
Taiwan is trying to protect its vital tech industry by stemming outflows of workers and information to China.
Semiconductors

Taiwan's raids on Chinese chip companies: 5 things to know

Some companies fear 'overly protective' regulations against hiring by Chinese

11 March 2022
Taiwan is cracking down on Chinese companies that hire local engineers and other tech-industry employees in violation of regulations.
Semiconductors

Taiwan raids 8 Chinese tech companies over alleged talent poaching

Investigation comes as island grapples with severe chip staffing shortage

9 March 2022
Sushi restaurants are reviewing their menus as ingredients grow scarce and prices rise. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai) 
Food & Beverage

Japan sushi shops face seafood cost hike as Russia sanctions bite

'Scramble for crab' begins after airspace closed to Russian exports

9 March 2022
Hydrofluoric acid is used in the etching process for semiconductors.
Semiconductors

Daikin tech helps cut China reliance for chipmaking material

Purifying process developed for mineral used in etching chemical, HCFC refrigerant

9 March 2022
The 5G iPhone SE will look like a refreshed version of the iPhone 8 and have a 4.7-inch display with a home button. (Photo courtesy of Apple)
Technology

Apple unveils 5G iPhone SE to peel away Android users

New Mac Studio and iPad Air show transition from Intel processors near complete

9 March 2022
Revenue from shipments of Sharp's VR displays came to more than $200 million in 2021, based on an estimated cost of around $50 per unit. (Source photo by AP) 
Technology

Japan's Sharp bets on VR hardware as 'metaverse' takes off

Foxconn unit ships over 1m displays for VR headsets each month for Meta, others

8 March 2022
McDonald's Japan last embarked on wide-ranging hikes in 2013. It raised the price of a hamburger to 120 yen from 100 yen, only to lower it back to 100 yen in 2014.
Food & Beverage

McDonald's Japan hikes prices on rising food costs

Increases hit 20% of in-store menu and nearly all deliveries

5 March 2022
Foxconn is supplying electric buses in the city of Kaohsiung in southern Taiwan. (Photo by Lauly Li)
Supply Chain

Foxconn to build first battery plants for EVs in southern Taiwan

iPhone assembler making push in strategic components as competition intensifies

3 March 2022
Traffic lights stop functioning during a blackout in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, on March 3. (Photo by Lauly Li)
Energy

Taiwan hit by widespread power outages

Two biggest cities and iPhone processor production hub affected

3 March 2022
Technicians test a 5G network base station in Gansu Province, China.
5G networks

China's 5G network to reach 2m base stations this year

Beijing envisions new mobile services in manufacturing, medicine and education

2 March 2022
Toyota's Takaoka plant, which halted production on March 1. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)
Automobiles

Toyota stoppage highlights supply chain vulnerabilities

Cyberattacks on key links can shut down any manufacturer

1 March 2022