• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

2

Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar

3

'Retiring backwards': How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers' golden years

1

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line

2

Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar

3

'Retiring backwards': How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers' golden years

COVID temporarily shuts down Taiwanese chip tester in latest disruption to supply chains

By
Samson Ellis
Samson Ellis
,
Cindy Wang
Cindy Wang
, and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Samson Ellis
Samson Ellis
,
Cindy Wang
Cindy Wang
, and
Bloomberg
Bloomberg
Down Arrow Button Icon
June 8, 2021, 12:44 AM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

A cluster of COVID-19 infections at a factory in central Taiwan temporarily stopped operations at one of the world’s largest chip-testing companies, the latest sign of potential disruption to a technology supply chain already struggling from component shortages.

King Yuan Electronics Co. shut down its main plants in Miaoli County over the weekend and reported 182 confirmed cases as of June 5, according to Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control. Most of those are among its foreign workers, including the factory floor staff. The government placed all 2,000 of its overseas workers, around 30% of its workforce, into 14-day quarantine, and the company has turned to temporary local workers to get its production lines running again.

King Yuan resumed operations last night at lower-than-normal production volumes, said Aaron Chang, acting spokesperson of the company. Its shares gained 1.9% Monday.

“Once migrant workers return to production lines in two weeks, the company will speed up production to make up for its loss,” he said. “The company sees no major impact on annual finances and businesses.”

Production capacity and revenue are expected to drop by 30% to 35% in June, King Yuan Electronics said in a statement to the local stock exchange.

Taiwan’s outbreak highlights the threat posed by the global technology supply chain’s reliance on a small number of key players. Taiwan’s chipmaking industry is a crucial supplier, and potential choke point, for companies across a wide array of sectors, from consumer electronics, to server farms to the auto industry.

Companies are already dealing with a chip shortage that has slowed production and shuttered whole automaking plants, prompting the U.S. and China to explore ways to boost their own domestic production.

King Yuan says on its website that it is the world’s largest pure-play professional testing company, testing semiconductors for the likes of MediaTek Inc. Its shares fell about 5% last week after the outbreak was reported.

Taiwan saw little impact from the pandemic through last year and the first few months of 2021 as it managed to keep the virus out through a mixture of border controls and quarantine measures. But the virus managed to breach the defenses in mid-April, and since spread island-wide.

Health authorities have reported more than 11,000 local cases and 260 deaths, mostly in the last five weeks. The government has imposed a soft lockdown in an effort to slow the spread, shutting schools and recreational facilities but they have so far proved reluctant to implement measures that may impact the export-focused manufacturing sector that is the main driver of the economy.

While manufacturing data indicate Taiwan’s technology exporters have been little affected so far, a report by IHS Markit last week warned that Taiwan experienced severe supply chain delays in May as companies built out their inventories in an effort to protect themselves against raw material shortages and surging costs.

Our mission to make business better is fueled by readers like you. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today.
About the Authors
By Samson Ellis
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Cindy Wang
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
By Bloomberg
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in International

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Most Popular

The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
Retail
The rise of 'conspicuous waiting': The 19th-century economic theory that explains why Gen Z posts their place in line
By Tatiana SatauaJuly 31, 2026
1 day ago
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
Personal Finance
Millennials say they’ll refuse to care for aging boomer parents—but they’ll be forced to as their inheritance shrinks to 40 cents on the dollar
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
1 day ago
'Retiring backwards': How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers' golden years
Success
'Retiring backwards': How cold economic reality forced Gen X into something like the reverse of baby boomers' golden years
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 31, 2026
23 hours ago
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
Big Tech
Tim Cook signed off on his final Apple earnings call with a warning about a ‘100-year flood’ in memory chip pricing
By Alexei OreskovicJuly 30, 2026
2 days ago
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
Success
He worked 100-hour weeks to save a nearly bankrupt boat company. At 83, he’s just turned down $400 million for it—and gave it all to charity instead
By Preston ForeJuly 29, 2026
3 days ago
Jensen Huang says this is the greatest time in history to start a business—and his advice is to stop overthinking it: 'How hard can it be?’
Success
Jensen Huang says this is the greatest time in history to start a business—and his advice is to stop overthinking it: 'How hard can it be?’
By Preston ForeJuly 31, 2026
23 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.