Benzinga | Apr 12, 2021 05:18AM EDT

WISeKey Says Investing in Supply Chain Transformation, Increasing its Semiconductor Manufacturing Capabilities to Support Exploding Demand

WISeKey International Holding Ltd. (NASDAQ:WKEY) today announced it is significantly investing in its supply chain transformation to better and faster serve its customers. The Company is simultaneously impacted by the current semiconductor shortage situation and a tremendously growing order backlog.

While most industries are dramatically impacted by the current semiconductor shortage, market analysts predict the same situation will continue into 2022. According to experts, this shortage is the combination of several factors. The global consumer demand dropped during the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and the semiconductor industry had to significantly reduce its manufacturing capacity to mitigate consequences on profitability; however, the worldwide lockdown had an unforecastable positive effect on the high-tech products market: tons of new laptops, monitors, smartphones, routers, modems and gaming consoles have created a surge in chips across industries that low inventory and limited production capacities haven't been able to resorb.

Billions of WISeKey's secure chips are embedded in high-tech products and goods to protect data, communication and firmware against cyberattacks. This includes routers, modems, energy smart meters, drones and medical devices, to mention a few. As a fabless company, WISeKey trust a network of subcontractors and partners to provide its most prestigious customers with the best leadtimes and service. While the Company's book-to-bill ratio is exploding, it has to challenge its existing supply chain and find short and long term solutions to maintain and even continue to raise the bar on service quality. These solutions involve continuous negotiations with current suppliers and investments to diversify sourcing, including relocating some of the processes to minimize transportation and environmental effects.

"WISeKey has been selected by global companies as their digital trust partner," said Carlos Moreira, Founder and CEO of WISeKey. "Our VaultIC and other secure chips are massively used in many sensitive applications that require not only a unique technology expertise but also a perfect supply chain. We are again demonstrating reactivity and agility to provide our customers with the best business continuity in spite of the current chaotic semiconductor crisis."