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NEWS & VIEWS |
Taipei,
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
12:20 (GMT+8)
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Subject: Bits + chips > Passive, PCB, other IC components |
Depreciating Korean won driving down MLCC prices Dec 1, 12:12 The depreciating Korean won has been benefiting Korean passive component exports while driving prices down in the passive components market, according to industry sources. Read more |
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CCL makers 4Q08 profitability to be crippled by oversupply and price drops Nov 28, 17:11 Copper clad laminate (CCLs) suppliers Iteq, Taiwan Union Technology (TUC), Hwa Woei Laminate, Uniplus Electronics and Elite Material (EMC) are coming under strong pressure from oversupply and falling copper prices, which are expected to undermine their fourth-quarter profits, according to industry sources. Read more |
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PCB maker Uniflex to form strategic alliance with Boardtek Nov 27, 17:14 PCB maker Uniflex Technology has agreed to acquire Boardtek Electronics' Yangzhou plant in China, while Boardtek will take a 10% stake in Uniflex through private placement, according to company sources. Read more |
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Pegatron at risk of inventory buildup, say IC distributors Nov 27, 16:47 Pegatron Technology is said to be facing a stock oversupply because shipments to Asustek Computer have not been as good as expected. Supplies intended for IBM and Lenovo have also exceeded demand, according to IC distributors. Read more |
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Fire breaks out at TPT PV module plant in Pingchen, no damage reported Nov 27, 16:26 A fire broke out at Taiwan PCB Techvest's (TPT's) Pingchen plant in Taiwan during the morning of November 26. The fire was controlled immediately and resulted in no injuries to personnel or damage to production equipment, said the company. Read more |
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Passive component sales to drop 30% in November, says paper Newswatch - Nov 26, 14:15 Passive component makers Yageo, Walsin Technology and Holy Stone have seen orders shrink in November. Industry players estimate passive component sales this month are to drop 20-30% sequentially, and decline for the fourth quarter will be at least 20%, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report. Read more |
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FPCB maker Flexium business stable despite economic downturn Nov 26, 12:19 Flexible PCB (FPCB) maker Flexium Interconnect has had significant sales growth since September and continues to have strong orders in November, according to the company. Flexium estimates November sales to stay flat compared to October and expects sales in the first quarter of 2009 to have on-year growth and remain the same level with the fourth quarter this year. Read more |
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Chip inductor supplier King Core sees sharp decline in orders from notebook clients in November Nov 26, 01:00 Taiwan-based chip inductor supplier King Core Electronics, which has reported strong operating profits for the first 10 months of 2008, has seen a quick chill in orders from notebook clients in November. But the company is optimistic that demand will rebound in December, with margins remaining above 40%. Read more |
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Semiconductor distributor Niching to see sales up while profits drop in 2008 Nov 25, 16:28 Although Semiconductor distributor Niching Industrial has seen sales growth in 2008 thanks to strong shipments of memory module and memory card substrates, profits have declined due to worse-than-expected income from driver IC flexible PCBs (FPCBs) influenced by panel output reductions. For its 2009 outlook, Niching expects testing sales to be benefit from the merger between Hitachi and Casio. Investors estimate Niching's 2009 sales are to remain level with 2008. Read more |
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Taiwan cable terminal makers face pressure due to falling copper prices Nov 25, 16:13 Although falling global copper prices should have helped Taiwan-based cable terminal makers see their costs drop, the sharp decline in demand across the IT industry has caused clients to delay orders, while some have even demanded price-cuts, according to industry sources. Read more |
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PCB maker Chin-Poon suspends China expansion plan due to sagging market demand Nov 25, 15:56 PCB maker Chin-Poon Industrial has suspended expansion plans for its Changshu plant in China due to internal forecasts that PCB demand is to remain sluggish at least until the first quarter of 2009. The company plans to secure mid- or long-term loans from banks in order to maintain sufficient cash during the weak economic times. Read more |
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Passive component demand falls sharply in November Nov 25, 14:53 Passive component makers expect to see large sales declines in the fourth quarter because of sharply decreasing demand. Read more |
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Protection devices supplier Polytronics expects explosive growth for LED heat sink substrates in 2H09 Nov 24, 15:16 Protection devices supplier Polytronics Technology expects that overall sales will decline 10% in 2009 due to weak demand for printed circuit boards (PCBs) and motherboards, but in the second half of 2009 LED heat sink substrates will see explosive growth. Read more |
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Weak market means even price-cuts are having no impact on handset PCB or PV module orders, say makers Nov 24, 12:14 PV module orders have dropped 20% and demand for handset PCBs has also been sluggish in the fourth quarter due to production cuts by panel makers. However, cutting prices would not help bring in more orders because the market is too weak, according to PCB makers. Read more |
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PCB industry to fall 15-25%, says NPC Nov 21, 15:13 Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board (NPC) has forecast PCB industry sales are to fall 15-25% in the fourth quarter due to decreased retail demand for IT and communications products in the US. Institutional investors expect NPC to perform better than the industry average, with an up to 15% sales decline, because of its diverse product mix and close ties with first-tier customers. Read more |
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CCL maker Iteq settles patent dispute with Isola Nov 20, 16:11 Isola USA filed patent infringement complaints against Taiwan-based copper clad laminate (CCL) makers Taiwan Union Technology (TUC) and Iteq in September. Iteq has settled with Isola, the company recently announced, while TUC is still in litigation. Read more |
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Smartphones continue to spur FPCB maker sales in 4Q08 Nov 18, 14:53 Flexible PCB (FPCB) specialist Career Technology is expected to enjoy revenues growth of 20-25% sequentially in the fourth quarter of 2008, buoyed by increasing orders from smartphone manufacturers, according to company sources. Handset applications account for more than 60% of Career Technology's overall FPCB output at present. Read more |
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Walsin sees high-capacitance MLCC as key sales driver in 2009 Nov 18, 12:16 Passive-component maker Walsin Technology expects its high-capacitance multi-layer ceramic-chip capacitor (MLCC) product line will be a key growth driver for the company's sales in 2009. According to Walsin, inventory clearing for high-capacity X5R MLCCs has already taken place since earlier this year, enabling prices to now stabilize. Read more |
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Taiwan CCL makers face falling demand and price cuts Nov 17, 16:58 Taiwan-based CCL makers including Elite Material, ITEQ, Taiwan Union Technology and Uniplus Electronics are facing decreasing demand from PCB makers and pressure to lower CCL prices due to continued falls in international copper spot pricing, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Compeq sees falling orders for rigid-flex and handset PCBs Nov 17, 15:58 Compeq Manufacturing hit record consolidated revenues of NT$2.981 billion (US$90 million) in October 2008 mainly due to booming sales of rigid-flex PCBs and handset PCBs. But orders for the two product lines have decreased since the beginning of November 2008, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Passive component maker Walsin Technology to lay off 400 workers before year-end Nov 14, 16:08 Passive component maker Walsin Technology plans to lay off 400 employees before the end of this year amid mounting operating losses and a gloomy business outlook, according to the company. Read more |
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Notebook PCB makers HannStar Board and GCE push back expansion projects for 2009 Nov 14, 15:24 Having downward adjusted their fourth-quarter guidance recently, the two major Taiwan notebook PCB makers – HannStar Board and Gold Circuit Electronics (GCE) – have also decided to push back their expansion projects for 2009 due to poor order visibility, according to sources at the companies. Read more |
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Kingmax affiliate to expand CMOS image sensor packaging capacity Nov 14, 14:56 Backend service provider Kingpak Technology, a member of the Kingmax Group, has set a goal to expand its monthly capacity for CMOS image sensor (CIS) packaging and testing from 2-3 million units to the four million mark, according to the company. Sales from the CIS packaging segment account for 60-70% of Kingpak's total revenues at present, said the company. Read more |
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Passive component sales to decline over 11% sequentially in 4Q Nov 13, 13:53 Combined revenues of Taiwan-based passive component makers are expected to decline 11.5% sequentially in the fourth quarter as slow sales of end products have squeezed demand for passive components, according to market sources. Read more |
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Semco becomes top-two FC-CSP substrate supplier Nov 13, 01:00 Korea-based flip-chip chip-scale packaging (FC-CSP) substrate maker Semco has gained market share from Japan-based Ibiden to become one of the top-two players in the market, according to industry sources. Read more |
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SMT solution provider TSMT to see 10% sales decline in 4Q08 due to gloomy LCD industry Nov 12, 15:52 Taiwan Surface Mounting Technology (TSMT), a LCD surface-mount technology (SMT) production solutions provider, estimates its fourth-quarter sales to decline 10% because of panel makers' production cuts. Read more |
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IC substrate maker Kinsus to see sales decline more than 15% in 4Q amid weak order volumes Nov 12, 12:06 IC substrate maker Kinsus Interconnect Technology expects to see a sales decline of more than 15% in the fourth quarter, while its utilization rate will be in the 65-70% range and its gross margins will drop to 25%, down four percentage points from the third quarter, due to weak order volumes. Kinsus indicated its sales in November and December will drop by 15-20%, and its lead time has been reduced to four weeks, without a buffer period. Read more |
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Nichicon acquisition of Fujitsu capacitor business has limited impact on prices Nov 11, 16:43 Taiwan solid capacitor makers are happy to see Nichicon's acquisition of Fujitsu's capacitor business, as the buyout will help consolidate the industry. However, it has had a limited effect on stabilizing prices, according to industry players. Read more |
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IC distributor sales down in October with weak holiday season demand expected Nov 11, 16:03 IC distributors WPG Holdings, Zenitron, Yosun Industrial and WT Microelectronics all saw 5-10% sequential sales declines in October. Market watchers estimate the IC distributors' sales may fall over 10% in the fourth quarter. Read more |
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PCB maker GCE braces for sales decline in 4Q08 on HDI orders cut Nov 11, 12:21 PCB maker Gold Circuit Electronics (GCE) expects to see 10-15% sales decline in the fourth quarter after customers asked to delay October shipments of high-density interconnect (HDI) boards for handset and MP3 player applications. Since HDI boards are high-margin products, GCE's fourth-quarter margins are also expected to drop three percentage points to about 15%, according to the company. Read more |
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PCB makers Tripod, HannStar Board and GCE to see 5-10% sales decline in 4Q due to weakening notebook and handset PCBs Nov 11, 01:00 PCB industry players indicated PCB orders have dropped dramatically since October, as customers are seeking to delay shipments amid a weakening economic outlook. Even notebook PCB makers that maintain a more optimistic outlook, such as HannStar Board, Gold Circuit Electronics (GCE) and Tripod Technology, all have adjusted their fourth-quarter guidance downward. Read more |
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Japan-based passive component supplier Nichicon to acquire Fujitsu's solid capacitor business, says Zenitron Nov 7, 16:31 Fujitsu's distributor Zenitron indicated that Japan-based Nichicon is going to acquire Fujitsu's capacitor business, while market watchers commented that the acquisition of Nichicon and Fujitsu will stabilize product prices in the market and help related IC distributors expand their product lines. Read more |
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IC substrate maker PPT expected to see 10% decrease in 4Q08 revenues Nov 7, 16:06 IC substrate maker Phoenix Precision Technology's (PPT's) October sales declined 0.3% from September. The company holds a conservative view about fourth-quarter sales since order visibility is only one month and packaging company's Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) and Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) both expect to see sales decline in the fourth quarter. Investors estimate PPT's fourth-quarter sales are to drop by 10%. Read more |
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Second-tier IC distributors to temporarily close business in December Nov 6, 15:48 Second-tier IC distributors are to temporarily close down business in December to avoid the effect of bad debts from customers, according to market sources. Read more |
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Passive component maker Cyntec reports record October sales thanks to strong shipments of power chokes Nov 6, 15:33 Passive component maker Cyntec has reported record sales in October thanks to strong shipments of power chokes, despite that October is traditionally a weak month for the segment. Read more |
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PCB maker HannStar Board shortens lead times amid declining sales in 4Q Nov 5, 11:40 Due to weak order volumes for notebook PCBs, fourth-quarter lead times of HannStar Board have decreased from four weeks to three weeks. The company said sales for the fourth quarter may decline from the third quarter. Read more |
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Stronger demand seen for rigid-flex PCB in 2H08 thanks to high-end handset and CE products Nov 4, 12:22 Although sales of high-density interconnect (HDI) boards were not as good as expected in the the third quarter due to weaker handset shipments, the performance of rigid-flex PCBs was relatively outstanding driven by demand for high-end handsets and consumer electronics (CE) products. Industry players also expect to see significant growth of rigid-flex PCB shipments in the future. Read more |
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IC substrate makers expect 5-10% sales decline in 4Q Nov 4, 11:52 A double-digit decline in fourth-quarter demand for packaging and testing products is expected due to weak orders for IC substrates. Institutional investors forecast Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board (NPC), Kinsus Interconnect Technology and Unimicron Technology will see a 5-10% sales decline in the quarter. NPC and Phoenix Precision Technology (PPT) are both slowing their capacity expansion plans in response to weaker demand. Read more |
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More troubles for Yageo concerning its acquisition of Ta-I Nov 3, 16:55 While sources have indicated that Yageo chairman Pierre TM Chen is currently being investigated by Taiwan's Investigation Bureau for suspicion of insider trading and breach of trust concerning Yageo's investments in passive component maker Ta-I Technology, Yageo has responded to the claims by filing a note with the Taiwan Stocking Exchange (TSE) that indicated that official document from the investigation authority stated that the government raid on the Yageo office on Friday, October 31 was in only in relation to Yageo's investment Ta-I and other issues concerning securities and exchange law. Read more |
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Passive component maker WTC reports income decline in 3Q08 due to fierce MLCC price competition Nov 3, 15:55 Walsin Technology Corporation (WTC) has reported sales for the first three quarters of 2008 at NT$7.11 billion (US$216.9 million), down 0.4% on year. After-tax net income was NT$205 million and EPS NT$0.31, down 83% on year. Operating income was NT$318 million, down 62% on year due to weak market demand and decreased prices of multi-layer ceramic-chip capacitors (MLCCs). Read more |
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IC distributor WPG expects to see stable performance in 4Q08 while outlook for 2009 is uncertain Oct 31, 12:40 Fourth-quarter sales of WPG Holdings are expected be stable, reaching NT$34-36 billion (US$1.04-1.1) with a 5.5-5.8% gross margin and 2.1-2.3% operating margin, according to company spokesperson Cliff Yuan. Read more |
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Yageo 3Q sales up 12% Oct 30, 15:00 Passive component maker Yageo had net profits of NT$613 million (NT$0.27 EPS) in the third quarter, up 53% from the previous quarter. Gross margins in third quarter were 21.2% and were impacted by an ASP drop. Nevertheless, the improvement on production processes and organization led operating expenses to fall to NT$792 million. Read more |
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Notebook PCB makers conservative about capacity expansion in 2009 Oct 29, 17:01 Because of weak market demand amid a slowing world economy, PCB makers HannStar Board and Gold Circuit Electronics (GCE) both failed to meet their third-quarter shipment targets and other notebook PCB makers are conservative about capacity expansion plans for 2009. Institutional investors estimate capacity growth of notebook PCBs in 2009 will be no more than 15%, despite the fact global notebook shipments are expected to grow at a brisk pace over the next two years. Read more |
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Unimicron to freeze capex for next year Oct 29, 12:04 PCB maker Unimicron Technology is conservative about the fourth quarter due to decreased orders for handset, networking and IC applications and the company has frozen its capex plans and suspended recruitment to confront the weak economy. Read more |
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China export companies bad debt ratio a worry for Taiwan IC distributors Oct 29, 01:00 According to official reports from the China government, the average bad debt ratio seen by China-based export enterprises has reached 3.3%, totaling over US$3.28 billion. Concern about a possible wave of bankruptcy among these export companies is growing among IC distributors in Taiwan, prompting them to turn away business in order to lower the risk of facing bad debts themselves. Read more |
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Cyntec reports record net income thanks to healthy shipments in 3Q Oct 28, 12:22 Passive component maker Cyntec has reported third-quarter net income at NT$271 million (US$8.07 million), up 76.4% sequentially and up 20.4% on year with NT$1.48 earning per share (EPS), representing a company's record and meeting its expectation due to strong shipments of power chokes. Cyntec's consolidated sales for the third quarter were NT$1.31 billion, up 33.3% sequentially and up 29.4% on year. Gross margins were 31.7%, representing slight growth compared to the second quarter. Read more |
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Next-generation Intel Nehalem CPU to increase consumption of FC substrates Oct 28, 12:12 The number of substrate layers for the next-generation Intel Nehalem-based CPU has been decided, according to industry sources, with 12 layers being the maximum, double the current number of layers. In addition, the larger substrate area is expected to increase flip-chip (FC) capacity consumption by 15-20% in 2009. Read more |
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IC distributor WT Microelectronics reports 16% net income decline in 3Q Oct 27, 16:20 IC distributor WT Microelectronics reported consolidated sales growth in the third quarter but net income declined NT$29 million (US$0.87 million) or 16% from the second quarter due to the writing off of bad debt and losses from a dramatically fluctuating exchange rates. Read more |
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PCB maker NPC expected to see 10% sales decline in 4Q Oct 24, 17:02 According to Nan Ya Printed Circuit Board (NPC), demand for traditional PCBs and wire-bonding substrates is falling but shipments of flip-chip (FC) substrates remains relatively strong. With only 3-4-week order visibility, NPC expect its sales, as well as utilization rate, in the fourth quarter will decline and the company offered no range certainty for the expected drop. Institutional investors estimate sales of NPC in the fourth quarter will decline sequentially by about 10%, depending on demand during the holiday season. Read more |
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Passive component players seek to reduce burden of China workforce Oct 24, 16:24 Japan-based leading passive component maker TDK is planning to cut about one-third of its workforce in China, according to market sources, meanwhile Taiwan-based Yageo and Cyntec have opted to take other measures to reduce the burden of labor costs in the region. Read more |
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