Tough Supply Situation ahead for SONY CMOS Image Sensors

Tough Supply Situation ahead for SONY CMOS Image Sensors

Due to the recent heavy earthquakes on Japan’s Kyushu Island, production of various semiconductor manufacturers, especially in the Kumamoto area, has been interrupted. SONY’s manufacturing site for CMOS image sensors and other CMOS components like Micro OLED or LCOS displays has been affected. SONY is currently undertaking serious efforts to re-ramp production as quickly as possible. As of this week the back-end processes like assembly and testing in the Kumamoto fab are back to work, and the wafer fab areas will be started sequentially as of today. Although there was a delay in the supply of components to SONY from certain third-party suppliers that also have manufacturing facilities in the Kumamoto region, inventory adjustments have been made and a timeframe for regaining supply levels is now in place, so no material impact is anticipated on SONY’s business operations.

Axel Krepil, head of the Image Sensor Sales Division of SONY’s dedicated distributor FRAMOS: ‘We have been informed by SONY; production has been resumed and semi-finished goods, kept at different production stages; will be finished during the course of the next months. So we are expecting at least a few partial shipments to cover immediate needs of our customers. Additionally, our high inventory level helped customers to keep up production to at least a certain level’.

But the supply situation for all rolling and global shutter CMOS image sensors for the industrial and security/surveillance segments will remain tough. FRAMOS is expecting further updates related to the supply situation and to individual orders within June. During FRAMOS’ upcoming Image Sensor Tech Days in Munich (May 31, June 1), SONY will inform about the actual supply situation. SONY will participate with six delegates and speakers – four of them from SONY Japan. This is a unique chance to talk to SONY representatives directly and ask all related questions.

Stay Tuned with FRAMOS. Sign Up for our Monthly Newsletters

Contact Us

Salutation*
First Name*
Last Name*
Job Title*
Company*
Email*
Phone*
Country*
What FRAMOS product or service would you like to know more about?*
By submitting the request, your data will be processed to get in contact with you and answer your questions. For more information about the processing of your data, please take a look at our  privacy policy.

Contact Us

Salutation*
First Name*
Last Name*
Job Title*
Company*
Email*
Phone*
Country*
What FRAMOS product or service would you like to know more about?*
By submitting the request, your data will be processed to get in contact with you and answer your questions. For more information about the processing of your data, please take a look at our  privacy policy.