Taiwan's leading MLCC maker Yageo saw its revenues for September and the third quarter of 2017 hit record highs of NT$3.001 billion (US$98.78 million) and NT$8.369 billion, respectively, due mainly to the supply chains of Apple's new iPhone devices gradually moving into high gear, according to industry sources.
Hitting a new monthly high for the third consecutive month, the company's September revenues represented an annual growth of 23.3% and a monthly increase of 7.1%. Shipments to Greater China, Asia-Pacific, Europe and North America in September were all up from August. Demand for the firm's MLCCs (multi-layer ceramic capacitors) from the automotive electronics, industrial products, mobile communication, distribution outlets, EMS, computer and consumer electronics segments also all surged from a month earlier, the sources said.
The firm's third-quarter 2017 revenues of NT$8.369 billion soared 12.8% on quarter and 16.6% on year, and its combined revenues for the first three quarters of 2017 amounted to NT$22.607 billion, up 7.5% from the same period of 2016.
The company has expressed optimism that its revenues and profits are very likely to set new records in the fourth quarter of the year, given the lingering tight MLCC supply, strong shipment momentum for new smartphone models, and the rising ratios of higher-margin shipments to automotive electronics and industrial production sectors.
Industry sources said that automotive electronics are emerging as a new niche market for MLCC products, as the growing popularity of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) has prompted leading global automakers to actively develop autonomous cars and new-energy vehicles in 2018. To cash in on the substantial market potentials, many makers of passive components in Taiwan, Japan and South Korea are aggressively stepping up production of auto-use passive components such as MLCC, inductors, resistors and protective components, including Taiwan's Yageo, Walsin Technology, Prosperity Dielectrics, Thinking Electronics and Chilisin Electronics, Japan's TDK and Taiyo Yuden, and Korea's SEMCO.
Article translated by Willis Ke
