Chipmaking Machines Face a Crunch of Their Own
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A massive shortage of semiconductors over the past two years wreaked havoc in many sectors. There weren't enough machines to make the chips, either. To fix the problem, firms announced billions of dollars of capital spending for new facilities. But before these have even come online, there's already a glut.Companies don't seem too perturbed, though, nor do investors. Some chip machinery maker stocks(1)are trading at heady valuations. They are finding comfort in the backlog of orders that will tide these firms through the troughs. Those that aren't sitting on cushy buffers will wait it out as they've done in years past. SEMI, the industry association, projects a 17% drop in front-end process equipment. For others that cut wafers into chips, or the back-end process, sales are likel...