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Batteries in Short Supply for Dell Laptops (International Herald Tribune) |
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Daniel Chang, an analyst with Macquarie Securities, said first-quarter
laptop-battery supply was already constrained and that the fire had driven
PC makers to other suppliers. Makers of personal computers might be able to
offset the rising cost of batteries with other components like memory whose
prices have been falling.
Dell said the personal computer industry was experiencing a shortage of
laptop batteries, partly because of a recent fire at a major supplier, but
that the company was working with other suppliers to limit price increases.
Dell, the world's second-largest maker of personal computers after
Hewlett-Packard , also said Tuesday that prices of its batteries sold
separately to be used as replacements or for surplus power had gone up
because of the shortage caused partly by the fire March 3 at the LG Chem
plant in Ochang, South Korea.
LG Chem is one of the largest South Korean battery makers. The fire
contributed to a worldwide battery shortage that could affect as many as 40
percent of second-quarter shipments at Asustek Computer, a top Taiwanese PC
maker, Asustek also said Tuesday.
A spokesman for Dell, which is based in Round Rock, Texas, declined to say
what percentage of total Dell sales was attributable to separately sold
battery packs, but the amount was likely to be minimal.
Dell's main products are fully assembled desktop and laptop PCs and business
server computers.
Laptops accounted for 30 percent of revenue in Dell's most recently
completed quarter, the same percentage as desktop PCs. Software and
peripherals, which include battery packs, made up 17 percent.
"The industry is experiencing battery supply constraints because of these
problems," said the Dell spokesman, Jess Blackburn.
"Therefore, pricing is being impacted by current availability. But we are
working with our partners throughout our supply chain to reduce the impact
on our customers."
He said, however, that the cost for people ordering extra batteries had gone
up.
LG Chem competes in the notebook battery business with Samsung and Sony,
among others. LG Chem has said it expected its plant in Ochang to start
production again in two to three months.
A spokesman for Hewlett-Packard, Mike Hockey, said that HP was in "regular
communication" with LG Chem about the battery situation.
The full extent of the impact to HP and other computer makers was "still
being determined," Hockey said in an e-mailed statement. "We are
aggressively working within the battery cell industry to secure additional
supply of battery cells."
Daniel Chang, an analyst with Macquarie Securities, said first-quarter
laptop-battery supply was already constrained and that the fire had driven
PC makers to other suppliers.
Makers of personal computers might be able to offset the rising cost of
batteries with other components like memory whose prices have been falling.
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