Several Apple, Tesla suppliers suspend production in China amid power pinch

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Updated 27 September 2021
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Several Apple, Tesla suppliers suspend production in China amid power pinch

  • Concraft Holding Co Ltd, a supplier of speaker components for Apple's iPhone and which owns manufacturing plants in Suzhou city
  • Foxconn had to "adjust" a small part of its capacity there, which includes the manufacture of non-Apple notebook computers

Several Apple and Tesla suppliers have suspended production at some Chinese factories for a number of days to comply with tighter energy consumption policies, putting supply chains at risk in the peak season for electronics goods.


Two major Taiwanese chipmakers, however, said their China facilities are operating as normal.


The development comes as tight coal supplies in China and toughening emissions standards have triggered a contraction in heavy industry in several regions, dragging on the country's economic growth rate, analysts have said.


Apple supplier Unimicron Technology Corp late on Sunday said three of its China subsidiaries stopped production from midday on Sept. 26 until midnight on Sept. 30 to "comply with the local governments' electricity limiting policy".


The Taiwanese maker of printed circuit boards said it did not expect significant impact as other plants would make up production.


Eson Precision Ind Co Ltd, an affiliate of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd (Foxconn), in a statement said it suspended production from Sunday until Friday at facilities in the Chinese city of Kunshan.


Concraft Holding Co Ltd, a supplier of speaker components for Apple's iPhone and which owns manufacturing plants in Suzhou city, said it would suspend production for five days until noon on Thursday and use inventory to meet demand.


Chipmakers United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd told Reuters there was no impact at their China plants.


"UMC's Hejian fab in Suzhou is currently running at full capacity utilization of 80,000 plus wafers per month," said the Taiwanese firm, whose clients include Qualcomm Inc.


Two people familiar with the matter told Reuters that facilities in Kunshan of contract manufacturer Foxconn have seen a "very small" impact on production.


Foxconn had to "adjust" a small part of its capacity there, which includes the manufacture of non-Apple notebook computers, one of the people said, adding that the company has not seen any impact at other major production hubs across China.


The second person said the company had to move some of the Kunshan workers' shifts in late September to early October. Foxconn, a major Apple supplier, declined to comment. 


Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 10,906

Updated 30 sec ago
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 10,906

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Tuesday, losing 77.62 points, or 0.71 percent, to close at 10,906.44.

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR3.95 billion ($1.05 billion), as 36 of the listed stocks advanced, while 226 retreated.

The MSCI Tadawul Index decreased, down 8.78 points or 0.59 percent, to close at 1,480.07.

The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 223.18 points, or 0.96 percent, to close at 23,095.58. This comes as 19 of the listed stocks advanced, while 46 retreated.

The best-performing stock was National Medical Care Co., with its share price up by 3.88 percent to SR128.40.

Other top performers included SHL Finance Co., which saw its share price rise by 3.09 percent to SR16.70, and Saudi Steel Pipe Co., which saw a 2.72 percent increase to SR38.56.

On the downside, the worst performer of the day was Saudi Enaya Cooperative Insurance Co., whose share price fell by 9.98 percent to SR7.22.

Saudi Fisheries Co. and Arabian Contracting Services Co. also saw declines, with their shares dropping by 9.33 percent and 6.88 percent to SR48.60 and SR107, respectively.

On the announcement front, Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies Co. has announced it has been awarded a significant contract by the Jeddah Amana Municipality to carry out the operation and cleaning of stormwater and surface water networks.

The contract, valued at SR108.46 million, pertains to work in the sub-municipalities of South and Al-Malisa under project number 19979.

The scope of work will be carried out over a duration of 60 calendar months. According to a bourse filing, the financial impact of this award is expected to be recognized starting in the third quarter of 2026, with further updates to be provided following the finalization of the signed agreement.

The AWPT’s share price reached SR116, marking a 1.94 percent decrease on the main market.