Supply Snarls Disrupt Chips and Ships as Higher Costs Abound

The knotted supply chains that have dogged manufacturers the world over through the pandemic are showing few signs of a quick unwind even as the public-health crisis eases, adding fuel to the global inflation debate.

Costs continue to climb as shipping containers and semiconductors remain in short supply, a dynamic that’s hurting both production and distribution. The latest victim: Samsung Electronics expects the crunch to pose a problem next quarter while, separately, it is considering skipping the introduction of a new Galaxy Note — one of its best-selling models — this year.