Taipei, April 6 (CNA) Several Taiwanese manufacturers in the Chinese city of Kunshan have decided to remain closed for at least another two days, as health authorities there have extended a citywide lockdown due to an increase in COVID-19 cases.
Unimicron Technology Corp., one of the leading printed circuit suppliers in Taiwan, said Wednesday that production at its subsidiary plants in Kunshan will remain suspended at least until April 8.
Kunshan, which lies about 30 miles west of Shanghai, had imposed a lockdown from April 2-6, but as of Wednesday, the order had not been lifted, and health authorities said mass COVID-19 testing of the city's population was underway.
Many Taiwanese manufacturers of PCBs and other components for consumer electronics, automobiles and other products have subsidiaries in Kunshan, where COVID-19 cases have been on the rise.
Unimicron said it was waiting for Kunshan authorities to give a new order regarding the lockdown, before it could decide on resuming production in the Chinese city.
The company said, however, that its financial situation was not likely to be adversely affected by the suspension of production.
Two other Taiwanese PCB manufacturers, Elite Material Co. and WUS Printed Circuit Co., also said they had decided to keep their production plants in Kunshan closed at least until April 8.
WUS Printed Circuit said it had already notified its clients about shipment changes due to the production halt and would continue to abide by the COVID-19 prevention regulations in the city.
According to market analysts, the Kunshan lockdown is likely to disrupt the global supply chain, as orders back up, and companies like Unimicron that supply Apple Inc. may be affected.
Some 20-25 percent of Unimicron's total production and 30-40 percent of Elite Material's is based in Kunshan, according to Taiwanese media.
