Even the second-largest producer of memory chips known as SK Hynix was not exempted from the chaos caused by the deadly coronavirus. SK Hynix has been in business with Apple supplying them RAM for quite a while. Still, because of contact between a single trainee and an infected civilian, they are ordering 800 of their employees to have self-quarantine, putting a part of the company's production at a halt. The coronavirus has already put quite a lot of industries within China at a halt because of precautionary measures for the safety of their citizens. 

 
Has the Coronavirus Crippled Tech Companies Outside China? Apple's SK Hynix Orders 800 Staff to Self-Quarantine
(Photo : Screenshot From The Adkins Group, Inc. Facebook Page)
Apple in trouble

Order from SK Hynix has become a necessary precautionary measure

According to SK Hynix one of their trainees had met a patient in Daegu, which is a city in South Korea known to be the center of the coronavirus outbreak. This led to a chain of events that would delay their production and therefore resulting in a delay in the release of certain products.

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Although SK Hynix has an 18,000 person workforce, their factories are designed to function at so much efficiency that even with 800 employees done, a possible delay in deliveries could happen. South Korea already has 104 people reported infected and has already experienced one single death just this Wednesday, Feb. 19.

SK Hynix is not the only company suffering from cases like this

There have been similar cases across the globe, especially in China, where even certain businesses have pulled out their investment just for the sake of safety. The yearly trade shows which boost China's the production and business opportunities have been canceled this year, and it looks like most companies will miss their target release dates on certain products.

Apple might be directly affected by the Coronavirus

Apple has already pulled out a couple of factories in China, and because of the additional delay from South Korea, Apple might miss its forecasts, which could result in a dip in profits. Aside from Apple, there are many other sectors of the Ttechindustry that are deeply affected by the struggling production because of the Coronavirus.

Other sectors of the tech industry are deeply affected

Smartphone production alone is predicted to go down by 12 percent year-on-year this very quarter, which means it will be the first time production has dropped that low in five years. Fiber optics will have a huge drop because of how most fiber optic suppliers are based in Wuhan. Wuhan contributed a strong 25% in the production of fiber optics. Even China's 5G rollout is expected to be affected. Video game manufacturers will be having a hard time beating the low cost of manufacturing their games and consoles in China. Even Sony's very own PS5 is having problems with the pricing.

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The crippling Coronavirus is getting stronger

 

Aside from just the public health concern of this virus, the economic status of certain sectors is also gravely affected. Tech companies are already on the move to look for more stable suppliers amidst the Coronavirus.

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