Re: What ?
I can give you an example. A start up is launching a product and there is a rumour that a key MCU is going out of stock everywhere.
The owner only managed to secure 1000pcs when sent an order to the factory to build a first batch.
Couple of months later, turns out the demand for the product is great and that 1000 is going to sell quickly.
Time for a second slightly bigger batch. Now, the factory says they no longer have the MCU. They can still make the product, but you'll have to solder it yourself. You place an order anyway and then look for MCUs.
Panic sets in and your see distributors set lead times for over a year. You think you are going to sell 5k units easily so you place back order for 5000 MCUs and in the meantime call brokers if they have any stock left.
You manage to score 2000 at double the price just enough for the second batch. You found a local shop that will solder the MCUs. Crisis averted.
In the meantime cost of living crisis and sales are steadily going down. You learn that another part that your product uses is sold out everywhere, so you think you are going to wait this one out.
Then suddenly a box of 5000 MCUs shows up at your door.
What do you do? Do you flog it on eBay or do you keep a hold of it just in case?
Multiply that by thousands.
Then you have scalpers seeing that certain MCUs are in demand and also placing orders hoping to resell at premium.
In the meantime other businesses are either closing, because you cannot sustain paying for an office and a team for over a year without being able to build any products - or trying to develop for MCUs that are available in reasonable quantities. Mind that other businesses are doing exactly the same and so the alternative MCUs also go out of stock shortly.
In the end businesses end up with stockpiles of MCUs and no products to sell.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
