Chipbond Technology and International Semiconductor Technology (IST) both expect their fourth-quarter 2009 shipments to likely fall by less than 20% sequentially as a result of seasonality. Chipbond said its October orders were down 10-20% on month, while IST saw a single-digit slide, according to the companies.
Both Chipbond and IST have attributed their high utilization rates in the third quarter to seasonal inventory buildup in preparation for China's five-day national holiday beginning on October 1. However, customers slowed down their pace of orders from the latter half of September.
Whether growth in the fourth quarter is likely to beat seasonal patterns depends on how customers digested their inventory during the long holiday, IST commented. IST's utilization rate is currently at 80-90%.
Chipbond estimated revenues for the fourth quarter may drop 10-20% sequentially due to the traditionally slow season. Chipbond also agreed that visibility for the fourth quarter will rely on how strong demand was during China's National Day holidays.
Chipbond has announced revenues for September slid 2.2% sequentially to NT$626 million (US$19.48 million), ending a run of on-month growth since February.
IST estimated September revenues to remain flat sequentially. The company posted revenues of NT$435 million in August, up 14.6% on year.
Article translated by Jessie Shen
