Chip Shortage Repercussions Continue

We all probably remember the headlines during the pandemic about supply chain issues and semiconductors — or chip — shortages. We may have experienced it personally if we tried to purchase any kind of vehicle or many consumer electronic products over the last few years. On the business side of things, we were also seeing delays in wide-format printer deliveries thanks to both the shortages in chips and the back-up in the ports.

But we’re well past the pandemic. These issues should have been sorted out by now, right?

Not quite.

Epson SureColor P9000

According to an article by Graham Scott, Vice President of Global Procurement for Jabil, “Global semiconductor shortages are not ending yet, but there are some mixed signals ahead for 2023. Based on market data and conversations with our customers, we expect the market for components like analog, microcontrollers, FPGA, and discretes to be constrained well into 2023; lead times for basic semiconductors still extend past 40 weeks, on average, and high-end components are in excess of 52 weeks.”

In a briefing in May, Marc Aguilera, product manager, SureColor P-Series Printers at Epson America, explained that due to a continuing chip shortage, Epson UltraChrome HD and HDX ink cartridges of all sizes will transition to a different design with new part numbers starting June 1, 2023.

This change will impact the Epson SureColor P6000, P7000, P8000, and P9000 printers worldwide.