Since the first half of April 2026, delivery lead times for CNC systems shipped to China by Japanese suppliers including FANUC and Mitsubishi Electric have moved from the normal one to two months to six months or longer, with several models effectively unavailable. Industry surveys attribute the shortfall to upstream shortages of PCB and semiconductor components, as capacity is prioritised for AI server production.
The concentration of the supply base makes the effect unusually wide. FANUC alone accounts for roughly 35.4% of China's CNC system market, and together with Mitsubishi Electric the two cover about half of domestic demand, so the shortage reaches several thousand machine tool builders downstream.
What it means for buyers
The practical consequence is planning risk. Machine configurations that depend on imported systems now need lead time built into the quotation stage, and delivery commitments on orders already signed may need to be re-negotiated.
Industry estimates put the annual shortfall at 50,000 to 100,000 units, which is opening a validation window for domestic CNC systems. Suppliers with mature multi-axis and turn-mill platforms are being evaluated as second sources — a qualification process that normally takes years and is now being compressed.
