A Sigma employee inspects finished elements before they're installed into a lens and shipped to customers. This image was taken from our Sigma Aizu factory tour in 2019. If you think the likes of Sigma have been spared from the semiconductor shortage, think again.
While Sigma hasn’t released any notices or announcement regarding the ongoing chip shortage, Sigma CEO Kazuto Yamaki has taken to Twitter to confirm semiconductor shortages have — and will continue to — affect production of some of its products.
The information came from a quote tweet shared by Yamaki in response to a United Kingdom resident who inquired about the production and supply of three particular Sigma lenses he’s been unable to find in any local retailers. In response, Yamaki says despite continuing at full production, Sigma ‘just couldn’t catch up [to] the demand of some products in Q4 2021]. It’s the next sentence, however, that’s notable.
In it, Yamaki says ‘In 2022, supply shortage of semiconductor may affect production of some products. ’ This is the first time we’ve seen any statement of this kind from Sigma regarding potential supply chain constraints and points towards the situation getting worse, not better, throughout 2022. Yamaki doesn’t specify what products are likely to be affected but considering the context of the question he’s responding to in the tweet, it’s probably safe to say some lens production could be affected.
We have contacted Sigma for clarification and comment on the matter and will update this article accordingly if we receive a response.
. dpreview.com2022-1-8 17:47