14 DAY TRIAL // Following reports of “systemic pollution” from Chinese environmentalists concerning business with polluters, the primary manufacturer of unibody casings for Apple's notebook computers has now confirmed it will shut down some of its operations due to environmental concerns.
Taiwan’s Catcher Technology has issued an emergency announcement confirming that it will be closing part of its plant in China’s Suzhou province to meet regulator instructions.
Local residents complained of bad odors prompting Chinese regulators to take action against the one of the world’s biggest makers of metal casings for notebooks. Sales for October will be cut down by a fifth, according to a report by the Financial Times. Apple’s supply will undoubtedly be affected.
Catcher Technology president, Allen Horng, said: “Shipments to our customers will inevitably be affected. We already asked them to make adjustments to their (casings) procurement.” This not only spells bad news for he current MacBook lineup, but also for the rumored refresh ahead of the holiday season.
It is unknown who Apple can turn to in order to produce unibody casings at the yield rates imposed by customer demand, but it is reasonable to assume that shipments will take a temporary hit at the very least.
For now, Apple’s International online stores show no delay in shipping times for MacBook Pro and MacBook Air orders. In the U.S., for example, the company promises to ship your MacBook Air the next business day. That may change in the coming weeks.
Commenting on the shutdown, Jenny Lai, head of Taiwan research at HSBC, said “even assuming its competition can somehow make up for the supply shortfall with additional output while Catcher’s production is disrupted, we believe the news is generally bad for the overall [PC] sector.”
The FT report also recalls that Apple’s 2010 audit named no less than 80 facilities as engaging in irresponsible storing or handling of hazardous chemicals.