Dell said the personal computer industry was experiencing a shortage of laptop batteries, partly because of a recent fire at a major supplier, but that the company was working with other suppliers to limit price increases.
Dell, the world’s second-largest maker of personal computers after Hewlett-Packard, also said Tuesday that prices of its batteries sold separately to be used as replacements or for surplus power had gone up because of the shortage caused partly by the fire March 3 at the LG Chem plant in Ochang, South Korea.
LG Chem is one of the largest South Korean battery makers. The fire contributed to a worldwide battery shortage that could affect as many as 40 percent of second-quarter shipments at Asustek Computer, a top Taiwanese PC maker, Asustek also said Tuesday.
A spokesman for Dell, which is based in Round Rock, Texas, declined to say what percentage of total Dell sales was attributable to separately sold battery packs, but the amount was likely to be minimal.
Dell’s main products are fully assembled desktop and laptop PCs and business server computers.
Laptops accounted for 30 percent of revenue in Dell’s most recently completed quarter, the same percentage as desktop PCs. Software and peripherals, which include battery packs, made up 17 percent.
“The industry is experiencing battery supply constraints because of these problems,” said the Dell spokesman, Jess Blackburn.
“Therefore, pricing is being impacted by current availability. But we are working with our partners throughout our supply chain to reduce the impact on our customers.”
He said, however, that the cost for people ordering extra batteries had gone up.
LG Chem competes in the notebook battery business with Samsung and Sony, among others. LG Chem has said it expected its plant in Ochang to start production again in two to three months.
A spokesman for Hewlett-Packard, Mike Hockey, said that HP was in…
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