Chip Shortage Has Manufacturers Turning to Lower-Tech Models

[dalton99a]

https://www.wsj.com/articles/chip-shortage-has-manufacturers-turning-to-lower-tech-models-11636885801

Chip Shortage Has Manufacturers Turning to Lower-Tech Models
Available, a washer like the one ‘at grandma’s’; workarounds include design tweaks and shipping incomplete products
By Austen Hufford
Nov. 14, 2021 5:30 am ET

Manufacturers struggling with a shortage of semiconductor chips are finding workarounds, executives said, redesigning products, shipping uncompleted units and focusing on older, lower-tech models.

After pushing for years to add digital features like screens and wireless connectivity, makers of appliances and vehicles are reversing, temporarily, to continue supplying products to dealers and consumers amid a shortfall in semiconductors that industry officials project will last into next year.

Boss Products typically used hand-held controls with computer chips to angle snow truck blades. The company, which is owned by Toro Co., hasn’t been able to find enough chips. So employees started looking for ways to use fewer of them. Some remembered that joysticks, without computer chips, were used to control these features until electronics became affordable and commonplace.

“Let’s go back to the old design,” said Rick Rodier, a Toro executive. “It still does the job. It was done this way for 30 years. It was reliable. It was fine. It was just a little more cumbersome to build and assemble.”

[Wounded Bear]

1. I don't think this is a bad idea...

manufacturers have been overloading products with digital features, many of which I suspect don't get used often if at all.

Simple is sometimes better.

[dameatball]

2. Fine with me.

[MineralMan]

3. Great Idea. Simple Is Good.

I remember my old 1970s washing machine. No chips. It had an electrical timer switch that controlled the cycles. There was no digital display or any such thing. You turned the knob to select your cycle, then pulled the knob out to start the washer. Worked just fine.

My new washer, however, has digital controls. It doesn't wash clothes any better than the 50 year old machine, which is still working in my previous house. The new washer has a computer, instead of a timer. I'll bet it doesn't last for 50 years, either.

[dalton99a]

4. +1. And display technology is a weak link in durability

vs.

[MineralMan]

5. Cars. Yuck!

Our new cars are far more reliable for longer periods, but have a serious weakness. Whereas older cars could be repaired by relatively untrained people, today's computer-controlled cars become essentially useless at about 100,000 miles. Repairs become completely uneconomical as a vehicle ages and has less value on the marketplace. When common repairs that come with increased miles occur, they often cost more than the value of the car, so the car gets junked.

While that doesn't affect those who can afford to buy a new car every five to ten years, it seriously affects those who rely on older used vehicles for transportation. They are less available, cost more, and cannot be affordably repaired. That's a major flaw, in my opinion.

Many years ago, I only drove cars that were 10 years old or older. I had the skills of an experienced auto mechanic, and could do my own repairs economically. Those skills became pretty useless once computerized controls became standard, since I could no longer diagnose problems and since repairing such cars became impractical and costly.

So, I finally switched to buying new cars and turning them over at the end of their warranty period. Fortunately, there are a few manufacturers that offer a 10-year, 100,000 mile warranty now on powertrains. Lord help you if you buy a 10-year-old car today, though. You're begging to be left without it when something breaks.

[SWBTATTReg]

6. Ha, kind of expected this to happen...good, old technology isn't bad technology...NT