Ok, I know it's been stated over and over again here, even with pictures, but there is no "increase production" button.
I have some experience of industrial production in a vastly smaller scale, and even there the lead times are prohibitive. For example, let's consider some of the things it actually takes to manufacture a Wii:
-plastic casing, which is probably pressure cast and requires molds. You know, you can only produce so much casts with a set of molds. Now, the lead times for new aluminium molds (which I have experience of) are anything from 40 days to half a year. Before you can start production, you need test casts and there almost always are things that need to be revised, so even a simple thing like a plastic casing can easily have a lead time of 3 months before you can actually start mass production.
-circuit boards have far shorter lead times, as they require relatively little tooling work. Still, to start mass producing them takes weeks even if you're extremely lucky. And there can be unforeseen problems with the component suppliers which can cause delays. For example, I know for a fact that the EU legislation concerning hazardous materials has caused electronic component suppliers a lot of headache as they have had to change manufacturing methods and materials to ones that are often less suitable for the components, resulting in reduced quality and problems in the finished products.
-manufacturing capacity and contracts, and this is one of the biggies. I don't know who manufactures Wiis, but mass production of that scale is not something you can do everywhere. There are a couple of companies specialized in contract manufacturing, and most of their capacity is used by the cell phone companies. The manufacturing negotiations and contracts are not a walk in the park, and asking for quotations is a process that takes probably monts as the contract manufacturers live by a measly 2-3% margin so they really need to make sure they get their price right or they'll lose money. And nobody wants to lose money. To get from asking quotations to negotiating a contract requires a lot of work, meetings and all that, and takes easily a few months even if you're pressing it. And only after a contract can you start ordering molds and toolings, unless Nintendo themselves own the molds which I highly doubt.
-yet another things is that forecasting demand is always something you want to do conservatively, but not overly so. However, given the current sellout situation of Wii, it's hardly fair to blame Nintendo for not upping their production enough. Sure, they have a lot of liquid assets now, but that is entirely thanks to their success in running the company. In a sellout situation there is no reliable way to measure demand, and, given that, upping production from 1,2 million to 1,8 million per month, a 50% increase, is actually incredibly ballsy. Not to mention that they have upped production already before that.
So, to outline what I think of these cries of "N needs to produce more" is that the people crying have absolutely no idea how contracted mass production actually works. Neither do I, but at least I know more than them. I admit that there are ways to cut some corners, but the bottom line is that it still takes months to start new production, and then it takes time for that lot to arrive in the stores. And along that route there are literally thousands and thousand of things that can go wrong and halt the entire process.
