Inventec has five certified production bases dedicated to automotive product manufacturing, enabling the company to establish a presence within the supply chains of automobile vendors based in Europe, the US, and China, according to Lino Li, VP of the company's automotive business unit.
Li stated that Inventec shipped 5 million electronic control units (ECU) in 2022 and is cautiously optimistic about follow-up development. His optimism stems from the clear vehicle electrification trend and opportunities brought on by the transformation of the automotive supply chain ecosystem, while still being cautious about the impacts of the overall economic environment.
Inventec established its automotive electronics business unit in 2017. Chairman Sam Yeh said the company estimates revenue from its automotive business will reach NT$2 billion (US$62.39 million) in 2023 and NT$10 billion in the next three years.
Inventec's current customers include European, American, and Chinese automakers. It plans to enter the Japanese market in 2024.
During the Global Auto Chips Executive Summit held on September 7 at SEMICON Taiwan 2023, Li said the automotive industry is currently undergoing three big changes: vehicle electrification, the accelerated innovation of new technologies, and the introduction of vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology.
The result of these changes is that the cost of electronic products in vehicles rises every year, from 4% in 1970 to 20% in 2000 and 35% in 2020. That number is expected to reach 50% by 2030.
This has brought about a paradigm shift, according to Li. Previously, brand manufacturers sought out the help of tier-1 suppliers. However, in the face of rapid vehicle electrification and their insufficient familiarity with electronics products, electronics manufacturers earned a new position within the supply chain and not just as OEMs.
Inventec has factories in Taiwan, China, Mexico, and the Czech Republic, all of which have obtained ISO 26262 and ISO 21434 certifications—its factories in Taiwan and China have also completed ISO 21448 certification.
Inventec has more than 350 automotive-related engineers and 10 SMT PCBA product lines dedicated to automotive product production.
Inventec is the world's largest server motherboard maker. It ships 14 million servers each year and accounted for 21% of global server shipments in 2022. The company also produces a variety of electronics products and is expected to provide customers with comprehensive and diverse automotive solutions.
Despite being a well-known name in electronics manufacturing, it is a relative newcomer to the automotive industry. Therefore, it has partnered with chipmakers such as NXP Semiconductors to build up its reputation.
Inventec's automotive electronics layout focuses on ECU-related areas, including smart mobility, user experience, vehicle computing, communications connections, etc.
Article translated by Eifeh Strom
