TOKYO -- The world's largest maker of automotive microcontrollers -- the electronic brains that control millions of vehicles built by major automakers -- is shifting production from a key crippled plant to two other plants, but it will take months before shipments can start.
The move by Renesas Electronics Corp., which controls 41 percent of the global automotive chip market, signals months of shortages of the highly specialized parts, already in tight supply before the March 11 earthquake in Japan. Japanese and North American automakers could face production shutdowns if the pipeline runs dry.
Renesas will move production from its Naka plant, which built 25 percent of its chips, to one plant in Singapore and one in western Japan. The transfer could take up to two months. The Naka plant won't resume partial operation until July.process for microchips can take up to two months, meaning it could be four months before those new sites are shipping finished products.
A modern vehicle uses 30 to more than 100 microchips, essential in such things as parking brakes, engine control units, entertainment systems, stability control and power steering. They are highly complex and often use-specific, which means they can't easily be re-sourced.
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