Japan's electronics makers also saw a surge in capacitor orders, buoyed by a sharp recovery in auto production and an increase in orders from customers such as auto and parts makers. The world's leading manufacturers of laminated ceramic capacitors (MLCC), such as Murata Mfg and Taiyo Yuden, have a record backlog of orders.
The Nikkei daily reported Yesterday that the orders of Japanese electronic parts manufacturers surged due to the rapid recovery of auto production and the increase of orders by auto parts manufacturers to increase inventories. Murata Manufacturing Co. and other manufacturers recorded a record balance of orders.
According to the report, the main driver of the surge in orders for Japanese electronics factories is the capacitors that go into all electronic machines. Stronger-than-expected capacitor orders, especially from vehicles, flooded in as home economy demand boosted sales of PCS and digital home appliances, as well as strong demand for products such as smartphones.
As of the end of March 2021, murata's backlog of orders surged 80 percent from a year earlier to 434.3 billion yen, a record high, the report said. Murata's orders in the last quarter (January-March 2021) declined slightly from the previous quarter (October-December 2020). But it remained high at 516.2 billion yen.
MLCC's order backlog at the end of March 2021 surged 70% from a year ago to 107.2 billion yen, hitting a record high. Alps Alpine's electronic parts business had an order balance of y58.7 billion at the end of March, up 50% from a year earlier, to an all-time high. TDK president Naobao Ishiguro said the strong momentum in orders is expected to continue to decline, and "revenue is expected to increase further between April and June."
The shipment of electronic parts in Japan recorded the largest increase in history, and capacitors broke records
Japan Electronics Information Technology Industry Association (JEITA) released statistics on May 31 pointed out that the global shipments of Japanese electronic parts factories in March 2021 increased by 17.1% from the same month last year to 361.1 billion yen, showing an increase for the seventh consecutive month, due to surging demand in China, Europe and the United States. Monthly shipments exceeded the 300 billion yen mark for the seventh consecutive month, hitting a new high of 361.3 billion yen since November 2018 and the largest increase since 2014, when JEITA's official website has data for comparison.
In March, the shipment volume of capacitors increased by 21% from the same month last year to 123.8 billion yen, showing an increase for the 10th consecutive month, and the monthly shipment volume exceeded 100 billion yen for the 7th consecutive month, setting a record high since 2014, according to JEITA website.