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> I know an engineering researcher who uses a shaft position sensor chip that is also widely employed in EVs. They have been out of stock for months. That littl

by mcny 6y ago

> I know an engineering researcher who uses a shaft position sensor chip that is also widely employed in EVs. They have been out of stock for months. That little chip could have major implications for many industries and communities. > "For want of a nail..." I remember reading an article about how production of Apple Macintosh desktop computers in Texas stopped for the want of a specific kind of screw. If I remember correctly, in China they would have been able to resume work within hours in the worst case. I have no industry knowledge so no idea of this is true though.

yakz 6y ago
The story says they were delivering partial shipments of the tens-of-thousands of screws in their personal vehicles. And also, that they couldn't make as many screws as Apple wanted. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/technology/iphones-apple-china-made.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/technology/iphones-apple-...
- specialist 6y ago
  Hmmm. There's got to be more to this story. Tim Cook's Apple is a logistics powerhouse. Surely they have full control over their entire supply chain. Every detail planned long ahead of time. Which screw part was it? Quick scan of all the popular reports doesn't identify the specific screw. Why not change the design to use a more readily available screw? Why not make a one time order of a box of screws from China? Apple regularly provides the capital so their suppliers can ramp up. How much would have cost for that tiny Austin screwer suppler to double production? Probably less than the loose change found in Cook's office couch. In conclusion, I don't buy this excuse. I dimly recall another report about the struggles the Austin plant had producing the Mac Pros. Bad fit and finish. Long turn arounds because there's no surrounding ecosystem of skills, suppliers, deep experience. Etc. Nothing that Apple couldn't have fixed; they just didn't want to.
- csharptwdec19 6y ago
  > The story says they were delivering partial shipments of the tens-of-thousands of screws in their personal vehicles. Sounds about right. When my brother was green in his automotive supply logistics career, there were a couple of times he got thrown on an airplane with a carry-on of parts...
  - laurent92 6y ago
    Sounds terrible for the chain of custody (The aviation had a huge counterfeiting problem in the 1990ies).

by mcny 6y ago

yakz 6y ago

The story says they were delivering partial shipments of the tens-of-thousands of screws in their personal vehicles. And also, that they couldn't make as many screws as Apple wanted. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/technology/iphones-apple-china-made.html https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/28/technology/iphones-apple-...

specialist 6y ago
Hmmm. There's got to be more to this story. Tim Cook's Apple is a logistics powerhouse. Surely they have full control over their entire supply chain. Every detail planned long ahead of time. Which screw part was it? Quick scan of all the popular reports doesn't identify the specific screw. Why not change the design to use a more readily available screw? Why not make a one time order of a box of screws from China? Apple regularly provides the capital so their suppliers can ramp up. How much would have cost for that tiny Austin screwer suppler to double production? Probably less than the loose change found in Cook's office couch. In conclusion, I don't buy this excuse. I dimly recall another report about the struggles the Austin plant had producing the Mac Pros. Bad fit and finish. Long turn arounds because there's no surrounding ecosystem of skills, suppliers, deep experience. Etc. Nothing that Apple couldn't have fixed; they just didn't want to.
csharptwdec19 6y ago
> The story says they were delivering partial shipments of the tens-of-thousands of screws in their personal vehicles. Sounds about right. When my brother was green in his automotive supply logistics career, there were a couple of times he got thrown on an airplane with a carry-on of parts...
- laurent92 6y ago
  Sounds terrible for the chain of custody (The aviation had a huge counterfeiting problem in the 1990ies).