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NEWS & VIEWS |
Taipei,
Saturday, July 5, 2008
09:07 (GMT+8)
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Subject: Bits + chips > Passive, PCB, other |
Nvidia contract makers in Taiwan low-key over defective chip reports Jul 4, 14:20 Nvidia's Taiwan-based graphics chip contract makers are being low-key after the US chip designer informed investors on July 3 that will take a charge of US$150-$200 million related to expenses stemming from issues discovered with die/packaging materials used in previous generation notebook products. Read more |
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Chip Hope cancels fund raising Jun 30, 14:28 Chip Hope has decided to cancel its fund raising plans due to a sluggish capital market and because its vendor has agreed to revise payment terms, according to sources at the company. Read more |
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IC distributors forecast demand from notebooks to outgrow handsets in 2H08 Jun 30, 11:51 Citing order pull-in status, Professional Computer Technology (PCT), believes that IC demand from notebooks should be better than handsets in the second half of 2008, with limited affect from economic trends. WPG Holdings echoed the sentiment saying it expects stronger demand from the notebook sector in the same period. Read more |
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SanDisk adds distributors in Taiwan Newswatch | Jun 27, 14:59 SanDisk has expanded its distributor network in Taiwan from two to four from June, with the new distributors each specializing in specific market segments, according to industry players. Read more |
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Taiflex Scientific aims to double solar-module backsheet sales contribution Newswatch | Jun 26, 12:06 Through securing materials from DuPont, printed circuit board (PCB) maker Taiflex Scientific anticipates that the sales contribution from its solar-module backsheet production will increase to 8-10% by the end of the year. Read more |
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Unitech starts solar-cell production Jun 26, 11:39 Printed circuit board (PCB) maker Unitech Printed Circuit Board officially started operation at its solar-cell plant on June 25, holding the official opening ceremony at its new solar cell plant in Yilan, eastern Taiwan. Read more |
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Handset inventory digestion complete in China, says WPG Jun 26, 01:15 In light of inventory digestion and re-stocking by customers, WPG Holdings has said handset chip shipments to China should resume to the first-quarter's levels in the third quarter. Annual handset chip shipments are expected to grow by about 20% on year in 2008, according to company executives during a June 25 shareholders meeting. Read more |
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NPC sees better order visibility in 3Q Jun 25, 15:43 Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board (NPC) is more optimistic about its third-quarter performance as order visibility has improved, according to company executives during a June 24 shareholders meeting. Read more |
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WPG details handset design trends in China Jun 25, 15:26 As the largest IC distributor for MediaTek's handset chips in China, WPG Holdings' marketing vice president Chuen-Jie Lin believes that multimedia-rich handsets will be the mainstream through 2009, and growing demand for embedded USB ports, mobile TV and dual-power supplies will become key design trends in the future. Read more |
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PCB OEM Yeu Hwan to postpone fund raising on weak 2Q performance Jun 25, 15:07 Yeu Hwan Technology, an OEM service provider for inner and outer layer PCB lamination, has decided to slow down expansion due to weaker-than-expected performance in the second quarter and will postpone is planned right issue by a quarter. Read more |
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Taiflex Scientific expected to see double-digit sequential sales growth in 3Q on rising 2L FCCL sales Jun 24, 14:23 Taiflex Scientific is expected to see its third-quarter sales grow by double digits amid strong sales growth expected for two-layer (2L) flexible copper clad laminates (FCCLs) and an overall utilization rate increase for the company, according to estimates from investors. Read more |
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IC distributors see stockpiled white-box handset inventory in China Newswatch | Jun 20, 15:40 Despite leading handset chipmakers guiding a positive outlook for the second half of 2008, sources at IC distributors have revealed white-box handset inventory has stockpiled in the China market. Read more |
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NPC to see utilization rate increase to 95% in 3Q08 Jun 20, 01:05 Taiwan-based flip chip (FC) substrate maker Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board (NPC) is expected to see its utilization rate reach 95% in the third quarter, with the proportion of production dedicated to Intel's 45nm process-based substrates expected to surpass 50%, according to sources at market watchers. Read more |
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WTC anticipates growing profit contribution from new concave-type chip-R array Jun 19, 15:45 Walsin Technology Corporation (WTC) has launched a new concave-type chip-resistor (chip-R) array which it anticipates to deliver growing profits. Read more |
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NDB to raise aluminum capacitor prices from July Jun 19, 12:25 Nichidenbo (NDB), a distributor of Nippon Chemi-con in Taiwan, indicated that it plans to raise the price of aluminum capacitors by 3-10% from July in order to reflect rising material costs. Read more |
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IC substrate suppliers upbeat about 3Q Jun 18, 01:00 Taiwan-based IC substrate suppliers are mostly optimistic about the third quarter, with Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board (NPC) and Kinsus Interconnect Technology expecting strong sequential sales growths of 10-15% and 10% respectively. Read more |
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TSMT to focus expansion in China Jun 17, 15:46 Despite investors projecting Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology (TSMT) will only have a flat second quarter performance, the company plans to continue expanding, especially in China, in order to meet growing orders along with seasonality and outsourcing from panel makers. Read more |
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Handset PCB makers divergent over sales outlook Jun 17, 15:34 Commenting on the outlook for handset-use printed circuit boards (PCBs), leading makers Unimicron Technology and Unitech Printed Circuit Board expressed divergent views, with Unimicron saying a better outlook should be seen in the second half of 2008 while Unitech feels the sales outlook will only become clearer in late June. Read more |
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Yageo reiterates sales goal Jun 16, 13:48 Passive components supplier Yageo has reiterated its sales goal of reaching NT$50 billion (US$1.6 billion) in annual revenues within three years. Read more |
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Agilent acquires Unitech subsidiary Jun 12, 16:37 Agilent Technologies announced that it has acquired pretty much all of the assets of Taiwan-based Escort Instruments, an established supplier of low-cost test and measurement instruments and a subsidiary of Unitech Printed Circuit Board. Read more |
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Tripod sees extending order visibility Jun 11, 17:05 Tripod Technology has reiterated its guidance for a 5-10% sequential sales growth in the second quarter, as order visibility has been extended due to customers booking components in preparation for the high season in the third quarter. Read more |
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Memory market shows signs of a rebound Jun 6, 01:10 Demand in the memory market is showing signs of a rebound, with IC substrate supplier Kinsus Interconnect Technology and PCB maker Tripod Technology saying June-orders from the flash and DRAM segments, respectively, are increasing. Read more |
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SDI raises lead frame ASP in 2Q08 Newswatch | Jun 3, 16:12 As the price of copper has appreciated by about 8% on quarter in the second quarter, lead frame maker Shuen Der Industry (SDI) has raised the average selling price (ASP) of its products by 5-6% accordingly. Read more |
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Passive component demand likely to improve from 2Q08 Jun 3, 15:43 Thanks to good inventory digestion and recovering demand from the PC sector, passive component makers for multi-layer ceramic-chip capacitors (MLCCs) and resistors are likely to see an improving outlook from the second quarter of 2008, according to industry players. Read more |
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SDI lead frames under validation with LED makers Jun 2, 17:03 Lead frame maker Shuen Der Industry (SDI) is progressing on its LED deployments, with the company's lead frames already under validation with customers. Read more |
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Kinsus cautiously optimistic about consumer electronics sales outlook in 2H08 Jun 2, 14:45 Despite trimming its second-quarter sales guidance, Kinsus Interconnect Technology said it is cautiously optimistic about the consumer electronics sales outlook in the second half of 2008, with the rising cost of materials and exchange rate being identified as factors affecting the outlook, according to company chairman Tzu-Hsien Tung at a recent investors conference. Read more |
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LCD equipment market to double by 2010, says The Information Network Jun 2, 12:19 The worldwide market for array processing equipment for TFT LCDs will more than double by 2010 after dropping 34.3% in 2007 and 15.8% in 2006, according to The Information Network (TIN). Read more |
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Chin-Poon likely to trim sales guidance on conservative bookings May 30, 12:10 After failing to meet first-quarter performance expectations, Chin-Poon Industrial is likely to trim its sales guidance for 2008 due to sluggish demand for printed-circuit boards (PCBs) used in automobile and consumer electronics, according to analysts. Read more |
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TSIA: Taiwan semiconductor sales down with seasonal slowdown in 1Q08 May 29, 12:18 The Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association (TSIA) reported that Taiwan's semiconductor production value went up 0.4% on year and down 8.9% on quarter to NT$342.8 million (US$11.3 million) in the first quarter of 2008, in comparison to the 3.8% on-year increase and 5.1% on-quarter decline in global semiconductor value to US$63.4 billion during the same period. Read more |
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Shenmao bumping paste prices up since March May 28, 12:31 Shenmao Technology, a solder bumping paste supplier, started raising its average selling prices (ASPs) since March to reflect higher metal costs. The company has also decided not to take low-margin orders to preserve profitability. Read more |
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Sony and Nintendo add new IC substrate suppliers from Taiwan May 27, 12:23 The appreciating Japanese yen has prompted game console makers, including Sony and Nintendo, to seek secondary IC substrate suppliers from Taiwan. Industry sources indicated that Nanya Printed Circuit Board (NPC) is a new supplier for the PlayStation 3 (PS3) after Ibiden, whereas Phoenix Precision Technology (PPT) is now already a supplier for Nintendo's Wii. Read more |
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Taiwan IC distributors penetrate white-box digital camera market in China May 26, 15:08 Building on their solid foothold in the digital camera component market, IC distributors from Taiwan are aggressively penetrating the white-box digital camera market in China, with some distributors already offering competitive solutions, according to sources at the companies. Read more |
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Weak consumer electronics and PC demand to result in low sequential sales growth in 2Q, says NPC May 23, 16:22 In light of weak demand trend for both consumer electronics and PCs in the second quarter of 2008, Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board (NPC) estimates corresponding quarterly sales growth will be smaller than 5% for the quarter. Read more |
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Motherboard PCB pricing set to rise May 23, 12:28 Rising material costs are spreading throughout the PC industry. With the upcoming strong sales season for PCs, PCB makers are preparing to increase their quotes in order to pass on their rising costs to customers, according to sources at the makers. Read more |
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CCL makers expect encouraging penetration of environmentally-friendly laminate May 22, 11:27 As more electronics makers adopt environmentally-friendly materials, demand for lead- and halogen-free laminate is expected to rapidly jump in the near future, according to industry players. Read more |
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Laser Tek secures new SMD material orders May 22, 11:04 Laser Tek announced that it has secured a new contract with a leading Japan-based company to supply both top and bottom tape (in all sizes) for surface-mount technology (SMT) packaging. By securing the contract, Laser Lek anticipates a growth in corresponding market share. Read more |
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North American semiconductor equipment industry posts book-to-bill ratio of 0.81 in April, says SEMI May 22, 10:58 North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.07 billion in orders in April 2008 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill (B/B) ratio of 0.81, according to SEMI. A book-to-bill of 0.81 means that US$81 worth of orders were received for every US$100 of product billed for the month. Read more |
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Chip Hope expected to quadruple handset module shipments in 2008 May 22, 10:25 By establishing a partnership with leading China-based handset chipmaker Spreadtrum since late 2007, Chip Hope is expected to see its handset module shipments grow by a minimum of four times in 2008. Read more |
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Tripod says DRAM module substrate demand picking up May 21, 01:20 Tripod Technology, the largest supplier of DRAM module substrates in Taiwan, has reported an upturn in demand for the segment, as clients are placing orders in advance to avoid tight supply in the upcoming high season. Read more |
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PCB makers mixed toward low-margin low-cost notebook segment May 21, 01:10 Spurred by Asustek Computer's Eee PCs, the low-cost notebook market is picking up growth momentum fast. But printed circuit board (PCB) makers hold mixed views about the segment, which offers rather low margins, according to industry and company sources. Read more |
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Iteq and EMC eye respective niche markets for LED substrates May 20, 15:35 As the use of LED backlight units (BLUs) become more prevalent, copper clad laminate (CCL) makers, including Iteq and Elite Material (EMC), are pursuing business opportunities in the LED sector via their respective deployment in niche applications. Read more |
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Plastic materials distributor Unic postpones IPO Newswatch | May 20, 13:59 Unic Technology, a plastic materials distributor in Taiwan, posted filings with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE) indicating that its initial public offering (IPO) application in Taiwan has been canceled. Read more |
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Nanya PCB not worried by rumors Semco has gained validation to supply Intel FC substrates May 19, 17:03 Nanya Printed Circuit Board (NPC) has said it is not worried about the potential threat from Semco, despite speculation the rival has gained validation to supply Intel with flip-chip (FC) substrates for 45nm CPU production, stressing its competitive technological edge and its forecast for increased demand on the back of a seasonal upturn in the PC sector. Read more |
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IC distributor Zenitron expects China to account for 25% of its sales in 2008 May 16, 12:13 The role of China is continue growing at IC distributor Zenitron. The company foresees that a quarter of its sales will come from the region in 2008, and a noticeable jump in sales from this region will be seen in the coming five years. Read more |
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Kinsus trims 2Q sales guidance on weaker-than-expected handset substrate sales May 15, 12:34 In light of a lower-than-expected ordering amount that is expected to lead to flat chip-scale package (CSP) substrate sales, Kinsus Interconnect Technology has trimmed its second-quarter sales growth guidance to only 3%. Being uncertain about sales prospect for the third quarter, only a single-digit sequential sales growth is projected. Read more |
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Handset PCB sales expected to post mild growth in 2Q May 15, 11:49 Despite the second-quarter being the traditional slow season for handset sales, printed circuit board (PCB) makers project that their quarterly sales for handset-related PCBs should be flat or post a mild growth, according to sources at the companies. Read more |
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IC distributors confident over China white-box handsets sales in 3Q May 15, 01:15 After going through an industry trough in the first quarter, IC distributors recently expressed confidence over the sales prospects of white-box handsets in the third quarter, following advanced component bookings in the second quarter, according to sources at distributors. Read more |
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Chang Wha adjusts strategy to tap in LED leadframe production May 13, 15:22 Instead of the planned deployment into the LED packaging segment, Chang Wha Electromaterials has decided to adjust its strategy by tapping into LED leadframe production via partnerships with leadframe vendors, according to the company. Read more |
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ASP of CCL sustains uphill trend May 12, 12:17 As the average selling price (ASP) of copper clad laminate (CCL) sustained an uphill trend in May and is expected to continue trending upward through July, printed circuit board (PCB) makers expressed concern about an erosion in their profitability. Read more |
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WPG cautious about consumer electronics demand trend prior to Beijing Olympics May 5, 16:13 WPG Holdings is cautious about demand for consumer electronics prior to the Beijing Olympics, expecting demand from all major segments to grow by single digits sequentially in the second quarter. Read more |
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GDDR price about to rise, say distributors May 5, 12:07 As some DRAM makers allot more capacity for commodity DRAM production, the squeezed capacity will prompt a possible price hike for GDDR, according to sources at Taiwan IC distributors. Read more |
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MLCC recovery likely amid capacity expansion slow-down May 5, 12:06 A recovery in the multi-layer ceramic-chip capacitor (MLCC) industry is more likely to occur in the second quarter as leading players from Japan and Taiwan have either announced a freeze in capital expenditure (capex) or no capacity expansion. Read more |
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