Taiwan's Delta put chip orders in early, impact of shortage limited

TAIPEI, March 17 (Reuters) - Taiwan's Delta Electronics Inc 2308.TW, a supplier of power components to companies such as Apple Inc AAPL.O, said on Wednesday it had put its orders in early and so was not seeing much impact from global tightness in chip supplies.

A surge in demand for consumer electronics has driven a global chip shortage that has idled car factories in particular, and earlier this month Taiwan computer maker Acer Inc 2353.TW said the problem could damage the PC industry.

The chip shortage, which has prompted panic buying, is further squeezing capacity and driving up costs of even the cheapest components of nearly all microchips, according to industry experts.nL1N2L92KF

But Delta Chairman Yancey Hai said they had planned early.

"We're not affected at the moment. Our orders went to chipmakers very early. So the impact for us is so-so," he told reporters on the sidelines of a company event in Taipei.

Delta, whose shareholders include Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, makes devices that control the flow of electricity in a range of products such as smartphones, gaming devices, personal computers and servers.

Taiwan's tech firms, a key part of the global supply chain, have boomed on the back of demand for tablets, laptops and other equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has forced millions to work and study from home.

Delta, which produces around 65% of its products in China, saw its third-quarter net profit rise an on-year 63.6% to T$8.39 billion ($296.53 million).

($1 = 28.2940 Taiwan dollars)

(Reporting by Ben Blanchard, editing by Louise Heavens)

((ben.blanchard@thomsonreuters.com;))