According to industry sources, shortages of chips and components for laptops have eased, but logistical bottlenecks will be a challenge for ODMs and branded factories looking to increase shipments to meet back-to-school demand.

The contracts of tens of thousands of dockworkers in the western United States are set to expire in June 2022, digitimes reported. If negotiations between employers and employees break down, the logistics crisis will worsen.

Before the Spring Festival, Acer Chairman Chen Junsheng has pointed out that the current logistics situation continues to deteriorate, not only in Europe and the United States, but also in Asia, where the container turnover rate is declining. Rail transport from mainland China to Europe is also tight, resulting in a doubling of transit times.

It is understood that Acer's laptops shipped to the US market by the end of 2021 are expected to be distributed to channels after April 2022. Not only Acer, in fact, other brand factories are currently shipping from notebook ODMs in mainland China to the United States, all to prepare for the start of school in June/July. The problem, ODMs say, is not the sea freight, but the logistics of how to get the product to the consumer after the container arrives at the port.

Dockers are required to unload the container from the ship after it arrives at the port. However, since the outbreak in the United States, the port has been short of manpower. All dockworkers with relevant symptoms, even those with mild symptoms, must be quarantined for a specified period of time. This exacerbates transportation difficulties for ports that are already short of manpower.

Additionally, the International Terminals and Warehouse Union (ILWU) is expected to sign a new agreement with the workforce in June. Whether the negotiation between employers and employees is successful will determine whether the logistics crisis will worsen. Market analysts have warned that freight rates will rise to new highs in 2022 if talks break down.