The COVID-19 pandemic has brought sustained systemic shocks to the global SMT Solder supply chain. In the early stage of the outbreak, many countries implemented cross-border logistics controls, causing large-scale stagnation of sea, land and air transport routes. Cross-border circulation of core production materials such as tin powder, high-purity Flux and special alloy raw materials was completely restricted. Many domestic enterprises deeply engaged in high-end solder have long relied on imported high-purity raw materials from overseas, and directly faced the production crisis of raw material supply disruption in a short period of time.

The capacity fluctuations of the downstream electronic manufacturing industry have also been transmitted layer by layer upward to the solder production link. Factories in various regions have suspended production in stages, and the delivery rhythm of terminal complete machine orders has been completely disrupted. Solder Manufacturers cannot arrange production according to traditional monthly and quarterly plans, and the fluctuation range of market orders continues to widen. Many enterprises have experienced the chaotic situation of alternating inventory backlog and temporary material shortage rush work. The uncertainty of overall production and operation has been infinitely magnified.

Under the continuous supply chain pressure, mainstream solder enterprises in the industry have quickly implemented a series of practical response plans. Most large-scale production enterprises have adjusted the original inventory management mode and built a strategic safety inventory system in a targeted manner. Enterprises have directly extended the conventional stock preparation cycle of core raw materials from the original 1 month to more than 3 months. It can effectively avoid sudden supply disruption problems caused by regional lockdowns and cross-border logistics shutdowns.

The reconstruction of the raw material procurement system is also the core direction of industry adjustment. In the past, many high-end solder raw materials were highly dependent on single supply channels in Japan, South Korea, Europe and the United States. The repeated outbreaks of the pandemic have exposed the fatal shortcomings of a single supply chain. Enterprises have begun to actively develop domestic compliant high-quality raw material suppliers, and gradually complete the localized substitution of imported raw materials. After the multi-source supply model was implemented, the basic supply chain risk resistance capability has been substantially improved.

The personnel control restrictions brought by the pandemic have forced the solder industry to accelerate the automated upgrading and transformation of the production end. Some traditional solder production processes rely on manual proportioning and manual screening, and the absence of personnel will directly stop the production line. Enterprises have carried out targeted unmanned transformation of key processes such as powder processing, Solder Paste mixing, filling and discharging. During the special period when plant personnel are restricted, the production line can still maintain basic continuous production operations.

The technical service model for terminal SMT customers has also completely changed. In the past, process debugging, defect analysis and parameter optimization all required engineers to be stationed on site for docking. During the pandemic, cross-regional travel was restricted, and offline technical support was basically stagnant. Enterprises have successively built and improved a remote technical support system, solving customer-side process problems through real-time video connection and remote equipment diagnosis. It has maximized the guarantee of the yield and capacity stability of downstream placement production lines.

The practical experience of several years of the pandemic has completely reshaped the supply chain layout logic of the SMT solder industry. In the past, the industry's supply chain model that pursued extreme low cost and high turnover has been eliminated. The combined strategy of distributed warehouse layout, multi-regional decentralized supply and nearby localized production has become the unified new normal of the entire industry. This brand-new supply chain system has enabled the entire solder industry to have stronger anti-fluctuation and anti-risk capabilities.