Asustek Computer, one of the top two PC makers in Taiwan, said Tuesday that a global shortage of batteries for computers could affect up to 40 percent of its second-quarter PC shipments.

Asustek’s warning chases several weeks of reports, including word that month from the giant contract laptop maker, Compal Electronics, that battery shortages were causing it to limit some of its shipments.

“The shortage could affect 30 percent to 40 percent of second quarter shipments, but it looks like a short-term issue,” Kevin Lin, vice president for Asustek, said.

Lin attributed some of the shortage to Korean battery suppliers but declined to elaborate more specifically about the potential impact on the company.

Asustek gave the estimate after the close of the Taipei stock market Tuesday, when Asustek shares fell 0.56 percent to 89.50 New Taiwan dollars, or $2.97, compared with a 0.79 percent decline on the benchmark TAIEX index.

A fire that month at LG Chem halted the Ochang plant of one of the biggest South Korean battery makers,

but the company said that it expected the factory to start production again in two to three months.

LG Chem is a major supplier for Asustek’s batteries and additionally sells to U.S. clients like Dell and Hewlett-Packard. The second-largest battery maker in the country, it competes with its larger crosstown rival, Samsung SDI.

“Battery supply was already very tight in the first quarter, and after the fire, everyone started to buy from Sony and Panasonic,” said Daniel Chang, a Macquarie Securities analyst.

Chang said that the battery shortage problem could trim shipments for major laptop PC makers.

“The second quarter will definitely be affected, but it’s hard to estimate the exact impact — we are looking at a 10-15 percent gap,” he said.

Asustek, plus the world’s largest motherboard maker, competes with Acer, plus of Taiwan, in its own-brand laptop…

Original post by Chris Davies

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