Samsung China chip production faces disruption from Korea trucker strike

Seoul: Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor production in China is facing disruption from South Korean truckers blocking exports of a key chip-making material as part of a strike, the Korea International Trade Association (KITA) said on Tuesday.

In the first concrete sign that the week-long strike has begun impacting chip production, KITA said a Korean company that produces isopropyl alcohol (IPA), a raw material for cleaning chip wafers, is facing complications in shipping the product to a Chinese company that in turn supplies wafers to a Samsung Electronics chip factory in China.

KITA said in a statement that a week’s worth of shipments of have been delayed.

Samsung Electronics did not immediately comment. It produces NAND flash chips at its plant in Xian, China.