A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Myanmar on Friday, March 28, shaking neighboring countries including Thailand, China and Vietnam — and came close to shaking up the technology industry.
Thailand and Vietnam are major production sites for companies like Intel, Seagate, and Western Digital. So far, these companies have not reported on damages and supply disruptions in their chains (at least, there are no appropriate filings with the SEC), but Taiwanese companies with manufacturing capacities in Thailand are indeed checking whether their capacities were disrupted and halting plants if they were, according to China Times.
Taiwanese tech companies — including manufacturers of servers, consumer electronics, PCBs, and even satellite components such as Chicony, Delta Electronics, Zhen Ding Tech, and Inventec — responded swiftly to the Myanmar earthquake. Most operate factories in Thailand and, despite strong tremors, reported no injuries or major damage.
Actions included temporary shutdowns, equipment checks, and staff evacuations, with operations resuming shortly after safety was confirmed. In fact, many of these companies are expanding production capacity in Thailand as part of their Southeast Asia shift from China. Many current facilities are located far from the quake’s epicenter and remained largely unaffected, at least according to the report.
ODM manufacturer Inventec said its Thai operations in Samut Prakan and a nearby rented laptop factory were unaffected and running normally. Keyboard maker Chicony confirmed all staff were safe and production was ongoing. Quanta Computer confirmed no immediate problems but would issue updates if anything changed. Zhen Ding (Zhishen) and surveillance tech firm Vivotek also reported no damage or disruption at their Thailand sites.
Delta Electronics carried out a full evacuation at its Thai plant after feeling tremors; the company confirmed structural safety within an hour, and resumed normal operations. Lite-On also reported no impact from the quake.
King Yuan Electronics, an outsourced semiconductor assembly and test company, and c Global Communication, satellite communications, reported no damage at their Thai facilities. Their plants in Rayong and Chonburi were inspected and declared safe, and operations continued without interruption.
Major PCB makers in Thailand also reported no disruption. Zhen Ding Tech said its Prachinburi facility was unaffected and running as usual. Compeq confirmed brief evacuations but no operational issues. Unimicron was not impacted due to its distance from the epicenter. Thai Lin confirmed full operational continuity and employee safety.
Asia Optical stated that its Yangon site in southern Myanmar and its northern Myanmar subcontracted plants, all single-story structures, were unaffected. Its subsidiary, Asia Tech Imaging, confirmed no issues. Contract manufacturer Kinpo said its Thai production lines were operating normally with no injuries or construction delays.
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source: https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/can-earthquake-in-myanmar-disrupt-pc-hardware-production-manufacturers-are-checking-out
