According to reports, EMS providers revealed that they have received notices from Samsung and TDK, stating that due to the strong demand for consumer electronic products, the supply of high-capacitance MLCCs is tight, especially after the demand for 5G mobile phones has risen sharply after the Chinese New Year, and informed them to be mentally prepared for MLCC price increases at any time.
Samsung and TDK are the world’s second and fifth largest MLCC suppliers. In addition, Murata’s recent average lead time for MLCC products has been extended to 3.5 months, with a maximum of 180 days, showing a significant increase in global demand.
According to industry analysts, the main reason is that the market’s demand for 5G smartphones is better than expected, coupled with the continued high demand for PCs and laptops driven by the epidemic, and the rapid rebound in the automotive market.
According to supply chain analysis, the market originally expected that the size of the 5G mobile phone market this year will increase from about 200 million last year to about 500 million. However, after the Chinese New Year holiday, the five major mobile phone manufacturers in mainland China placed orders. The estimated number of 5G mobile phones from the five manufacturers this year has reached 500 million. This does not include Samsung and Apple, which shows that the overall 5G mobile phone market demand is far stronger than market estimates, pushing up the surge in MLCC demand.
