Not really that as such. Car and truck companies had orders going into the future. When COVID came, they cancelled all those orders, because they stopped making cars and trucks and didn't know when they'd start up again. Meantime, everybody started working from home, and so every bit of electronics in your house got lots of orders....so all those chip factories got orders going 12 months into the future. When cars and trucks started being made again, turns out you have to go to the back of the queue for your orders, and it's a long queue.
It's not so much more profit, it's just that you have to wait your turn.
I'd hope that the car and truck makers learned their lessons - just in time manufacturing, buying lots of things off shore, and not managing your orders all have really bad consequences in times of supply chain disruption. But, of course, they're making massive profits and selling every car and truck they can make at full retail price with no discounting, so I'm pretty sure they learned no lessons at all.
That's the official explanation. I don't buy it.
My DIL started working from home during the pandemic, she bought exactly zero (0) new electronics. People before the Kung Flu had plenty of electronics. But when the economy turned up, the chip-makers played favorites, they sent the chips to those they had to send chips to -- Or else. People were buying new electronics more based on all the free money they were getting from the goobermint than anything else. There may have been an uptick due to the chilluns being hoome more but, again, electronis were already in the average home in big numbers.
Taiwan makes more chips than anybody else. By far. It's not even close.
Do you remember all the sabre-rattling by the ChiComs several Months ago? If not, you should. It was aimed at Taiwan who, China thinks, is still part of their Mainland Country. It isn't, of course but the ChiComs were making noises like they were going to invade.
China got all the chips they needed. We got squat.
Decades ago, we asked China about the monumental debt they owed us from WWII. They said, "So sorry. That was a different Country. go away"
Then in 1997 when Britain's "Lease" on Hong Kong Expired, the ChiComs were all over them to honor the lease they made with China a hundred years ago. The Brits did because they weren't ready for a fight with China.
Taiwan wasn't/isn't ready for a fight with them either so when China wants chips, they get chips. When we want chips we get excuses.
Foreign Governments laugh at what passes for leadership in our Country. They neither fear us nor respect us. Therefore, we're at the bottom of the list for critical supplies.
And 'Kanban' can (and most often does) mean 'Just Enough'. In the old days, Companies and corporations had the bad habit of stockpiling supplies. Millions of dollars worth sitting in warehouses earing nothing. Toyota did away with that and started doing the 'Just Enough' deal. Somebody interpreted it to mean Just in Time, which is okay, but it also means what I said.
Japanese is a very interesting language. I tried to learn some of it and failed, miserably
