Career Technology and Unitech Printed Circuit Board both expect demand for PCBs to rebound in the second quarter of 2012. End-market demand has been disappointing in the fourth quarter of 2011 despite the period being the traditional peak season, according to the companies.
Both firms also expressed similar views that demand for flexible PCBs (FPCB) has been less optimistic in the fourth quarter. FPCBs are mainly used for portable touch-screen devices such as smartphones and tablets.
Career Tech president Wu Yung-hui admitted that order outlook for the fourth quarter is unpleasant. Orders received thus far turned out weaker than expected, Wu said. A rebound of demand is unlikely to take place until the second quarter of 2012, Wu indicated.
Career Tech's revenues for the ongoing fourth quarter might see a slight decrease sequentially, according to market watchers, which blamed a weakening macroeconomic environment for the conservative forecast.
Unitech president Hsu Cheng-hung remarked that customers remain cautious about building inventory amid the economic uncertainty, hinting at a particularly weak fourth quarter of 2011. But demand coming from the handset sector is expected to pick up in March 2012, and rise through the third quarter of the year, Hsu said.
Unitech's revenues are likely to see flat sequential growth in the fourth quarter of 2011, according to Hsu. Hsu previously estimated a 5% increase.
Career Tech and Unitech have both reported sequential drops in revenues for October 2011.
Article translated by Jessie Shen
