A fire broke out in a German factory of chip machine manufacturer ASML last night. No one was injured, the Dutch company reports. The extent of the economic damage is not yet clear.
“It is too early to say anything about the damage and whether the incident will have any impact on production for this year,” ASML writes. “It will take a few days to do a thorough investigation and make a good estimate.”
Due to the chip shortage, ASML’s factories are running at full speed. A potential slowdown in ASML’s production could further exacerbate that shortage.
ASML is the world market leader in chip machines. The type of machines for which parts are made in Berlin, the company even had 90 percent of the market. The factory was purchased in 2020 as part of the acquisition of Berliner Glas.
Investors reacted shocked to the reports about the fire. The most valuable company in the Netherlands lost 0.7 percent of its value on the stock exchange today. When the trading day started, before the news about the fire, the company was still in profit.
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