Old News Now: Taiwan Flooding Causing MAJOR HardDrive Price Increases 1

[kjv1611]

You can use this Google Search to see the various related items about this event.

So I guess it started with, at least, a Typhoon named Nammadol which hit Taiwan hard, causing terrible flooding there, before moving into China in August.

Apparently, since that time, all sorts of manufacturing facilities in Taiwan have had to postpone production until the flood subside in their areas.

So, I read a few articles over the past few weeks about hard drive manufacturers not being able to meet demand currently, such as the CEO of Seagate, I believe it was, who talked to one of the Tom's Hardware reporters. This isn't the same article, but another one, I think a little more recent - I forget - on the same topic:

http://www.tomshardware.com/news/HDD-THailand-Seagate-Western-Digital-DEll,14104.html

So, anyway, out of curiosity, with a little nervousness in my stomach, I browsed to NewEgg.com to see what the WD Black 320GB 2.5 hard drives were going for there. YIKES!!! Just a few months ago, I had purchased at least 2 or 3 of these for folks whose drives had crashed, and paid around $60 each, different times... been paying that for those now for probably 1+ to 2 years.

Today?? $120 ON SALE, and no free shipping!!!! So twice the price, on sale, and paying shipping! That's a 200% increase in just weeks.... maybe months... b/c I hadn't looked at them in a while.

So just to tell you - if you've not been watching, keep this in mind... be ready to pass the news along to anyone you do PC repairs for, to advise them that.. "this bill is going to hurt, and it wont' be my fault."



"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

 

[BadBigBen]

Thanks KJV1611,

I am glad that I am stocked up already with a few 1 TB drives... but yes, we at worked already felt the impact...


Ben
"If it works don't fix it! If it doesn't use a sledgehammer..."
How to ask a question, when posting them to a professional forum.
Only ask questions with yes/no answers if you want "yes" or "no"

 

[goombawaho]

I find it odd that drives already produced and on the shelf have suddenly gone up in price. Like that 250GB drive that used to be about $60. It's just funny how that works. Normally when the store pays more to order something it's reflected in the on-shelf price AFTER they arrive.

Of course I'm being facetious. Money grab by greedy %)#%#@_#)&@)...

 

[kjv1611]

Same way with gas prices.

--Monday Headline -->"Fear grips oil markets based on possible tumult in middle-east"
--Tuesday Headline -->"Gas prices surge to new heights."

Oh, surely, the idea of possible unrest caused fear, which somehow affected the oil supply, and I guess the gas stations themselves also have their own tap into the middle east - must be some kind of plumbing under our streets - and each has their own refinery...

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

 

[JimInKS]

I am worried about what the quality will be like after all these flooded manufacturing sites are back on line.

 

[goombawaho]

Don't worry about a little dirt/mud from the flooding being inside the drives when they assemble them. I think it will be okay......

Seriously - I don't know how they could possibly clean those rooms so that they will once again be "clean rooms". The mind boggles.

I would say that knocking the building down to it shell would be required, but I don't know.

 

[xit]

I got a follow up email just today from Western Digital telling of the progress they have made in clean up & decontamination efforts. Here is part of it

We re-started production of hard drives this week in one of our buildings in Bang Pa-in, one week ahead of internal schedules. This facility had been submerged in some six feet of water since October 15, the estate was pumped dry on November 17, main power was restored on November 26 and production restarted November 30;
We have removed all submerged slider manufacturing equipment from the Bang Pa-in facilities and have commenced decontamination and restoration of our remaining buildings in Bang Pa-in;
We expect to recommence head slider production in Bang Pa-in in the March 2012 quarter (Q3 FY'12) and also begin production in a new WD slider fab location in Penang, Malaysia, in the same time frame; and
Our other Thailand hard drive facilities at Navanakorn remain under approximately two feet of water. The industrial estate is expected to be pumped dry within ten days at which point the work of decontamination and refurbishment will commence.

I want to assure you that WD's sharp focus on quality will be maintained throughout our recovery process. We will not sacrifice one of the most important attributes we deliver to you on a daily basis for the sake of fast recovery.

 

[kjv1611]

Thanks for sharing!

"But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 15:57

 

[goombawaho]

Skeptical at best. Have you ever seen a house that has had flood waters in it?? It's like totally trashed - dirt, mud, sediment. Power washing would scarcely clean all the gook off.