for us to make this product in the united states. we re not making enough of it now. we have to make more of it, and the only way that you do that is to have more plants. reporter: the chip plant is set to open in 2025. that s three years from now. and since time is money, business owners like mr. patel say they ll keep working the supply chain until the chips are stacked in their favor. garrett: there is still much more news ahead on tonight s cbs evening news. the first images of a navy jet crashing in the south china sea. and the wisconsin prosecutor has the final word on what happens to kyle rittenhouse s rifle.
major chip-production plants in asia and ports got overwhelmed, the ripple effect was felt worldwide. the shortage even put the brakes on car production. these unfinished ford trucks went from the production line to parking lots, waiting for chips before heading to the dealership. globally, about eight million fewer cars were made, costing auto makers an estimated $210 billion in revenue. to keep working, patel says they ve gone to plan b and c then d. sometimes we ve had to second source chips. we ve had to go out to the marketplace and do the best we can in terms of getting whatever chips are out there. reporter: the shortage isn t expected to ease soon, but there are positive signs. ( applause ) like intel s announcement this month it will build a $20 billion chip plant near columbus, ohio. ohio, you weribility for intel. reporter: ohio governor mike dewine says it s a matter of national security. well, i think it s important
according to the c.d.c., the seven-day average of new cases in the u.s. cropped below 600,000 for the the first time in three weeks. meanwhile, daily deaths are above 2200 for the first time since february of last year. supply chain shortages have hit virtually every industry, but it s the microchip shortage that s having the biggest impact. cbs omar villafranca reports some u.s. manufacturers are running low with less than five days inventory. reporter: this is where you would be installing circuit boards and chips. reporter: at optimal design, just outside of chicago, a shortage of one of the smallest components is causing big headaches. sometimes we ve had to scale back production because of chips are, frankly, unavailable. reporter: and these are the actual chips. saj patel s company engineers and builds everything from virtual reality headsets to the brains of barbecue grills. we have smart grills now. reporter: and every one needs chips to work. when the pandemic sh