Future of Pedal Building would be Affected by Component Scarcity

During the winter and spring of 2021, I found myself staring at a computer screen that was clogged with tabs from my internet browser. Each of these tabs showed the identical processor (also known as a “chip”) and the current stock quantities for a dozen different suppliers. The ongoing scarcity of this particular processor had been foretold in other industries, so when I noticed the stock was dwindling—with my curated lists of vendors at the ready—I started acquiring whatever I could.

Are you meticulous or obsessive? It’s entirely up to you. Perhaps a little of both, but the planning paid off when the first packages of the limited processors arrived at the workshop. You don’t have to be a manufacturer to understand supply shortages; they happen all the time in our modern society, even when there isn’t a global pandemic. Overwhelming demand is frequently to blame.

I was reminded of the moment in Jingle All the Way where Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sinbad go to great measures to obtain the greatest holiday season toy, Turbo Man, while on the lookout for processors. That’s how supply shortages can seem. Global economics is not one of my strong suits. I’m better at logistics for shipping. FOB, Ex Works, ISF bonds, HTS codes, and customs are all part of this underappreciated system.

Now, before you feel obligated to avoid these abbreviations, I’d like to reassure you that I’m not going to go into detail on any of it. The electronics sector has not been spared from the current supply problems, particularly in the field of semiconductors, which are primarily constructed of silicon or germanium. The Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) manufactures a significant portion of the world’s semiconductors, which are the tiny yet powerful Component that OEM businesses create their products around.