COVID-19 drives laptop shortage, news by Hebei Longsheng
| Laptop availability powers down as work-from-home demand rises, imports fall A shortage of laptop computers may be emerging in the U.S. as companies seek to meet coronavirus-linked work-from-home requirements and imports fall. A recent 451 Research survey finds that 84% of companies that have increased their spending on laptop computers have also implemented expanded work from home policies. An anecdotal search by Panjiva on March 24 showed resellers SHI and CDW were almost completely out of stock. The 451 survey also found that large firms were spending more on parts and materials, 12.4% higher than small firms. Meanwhile smaller companies are more likely to show extreme views on supplier reliability, both positive and negative. Panjiva data shows that the laptop shortage may have been amplified by imports of laptops that fell 4.1% year over year in the three months to Jan 31. Seaborne import data indicates a 71.2% year over year drop in February and a 50.9% year over year decrease in the first three weeks of March. Business laptop manufacturer imports may also have fallen. Shipments linked to HP Inc. fell by 66.0% year over year in the three months to Feb. 29, while those associated with Dell and Lenovo dropped by 49.0% and 42.5% respectively. |
