The flat panel industry has been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak, as China-based makers have major production lines in Wuhan, the epicenter of the epidemic. And as global panel production is set to be cut by 20% in February, panel...

The coronavirus outbreak is expected to prompt PCB makers to accelerate their production automation to cope with the worsening labor shortages, but PCB equipment makers still see opaque order visibility amid uncertain development of the epidemic, according to industry sources.

The global server shipments so far have only been mildly affected by labor shortages in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak, but if the epidemic cannot be contained by the end of March, the server supply chain is expected to be significantly undermined by components shortages, according to Digitimes...

Taiwan-based Tong Hsing Electronic Industries, dedicated to backend services for CMOS image sensors (CIS), has disclosed plans to double monthly production capacity to 150,000-160,000 wafers by end-2020, according to company chairman Pierre Chen.

Passive components maker Yageo has seen its inventory for MLCCs and chip resistors hit the lowest levels in nearly 10 years and will properly raise prices to reflect increased costs, according to company chairman Pierre Chen.

The coronavirus outbreak is hitting hard the smartphone market, with Chinese brand vendors facing mounting inventory pressure in their domestic market. Xiaomi reportedly is cutting IC orders for its Taiwanese suppliers. Huawei is no better...

Taiwan-based HDI PCB specialists have sustained normal production and robust shipments for handset mainboard applications in line with strong customer demand despite the coronavirus outbreak, but they may face cutbacks in orders from handset vendors in the second quarter, according to industry sourc...

Walsin Technology, a maker of MLCCs and resistor chips, has said its production lines in Taiwan and Malaysia are operating at full capacity and those in China at 70%, with shipments to clients little affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

The coronavirus outbreak is disrupting production at both assembly plants and their upstream suppliers, with components prices rising. Now MLCC and chip resistor prices are expected to increase throughout 2020. Memory pricing is also...

Taiwan-based flexible PCB makers including Flexium Interconnect and Career Technology continue to step up their deployments in the 5G antenna board segment with optimism that market demand will keep trending upward in the new-generation communication era, according to industry sources.

Prices for MLCCs and chip resistors are expected to rise through the fourth quarter of 2020 as supply will increasingly fall short of demand for 5G applications while fallouts of the coronavirus outbreak are gradually surfacing, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

Taiwan-based Topoint Technology, dedicated to PCB drill bits and drilling services, has reported that its revenues for 2019 fell 8.4% on year to NT$3.01 billion (US$98.71 million) with net earnings plunging 25% to NT$190 million after recognizing NT$97 million in losses from its subsidiary in Shanghai,...

Taiwan-based PCB makers with manufacturing operations in China's Hubei province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, have stayed calm about further postponement of production resumption to March 10 thanks to their efforts to minimize impacts on their shipments, according to industry sources.

The coronavirus outbreak may have created a temporary set in the development of 5G in China, but Digitimes Research believes construction of 5G infrastructure is a long-term bid that that will not be derailed. In fact, Taiwan's semiconductor...

Taiwan's PCB makers are facing higher risks from the coronavirus outbreak thanks to relatively heavier production deployments in China than their peers in Japan and South Korea, prompting calls for them to accelerate capacity relocation from China.

Taiwan-based PCB maker Apex International with manufacturing operations in Thailand saw its net profits register nearly flat growth in 2019, and has expressed caution about its outlook this year amid the coronavirus outbreak.

Taiwan-based Universal Scientific Industrial (USI), a unit of ASE Technology, is likely to obtain system-in-package (SiP) orders for AirPods Pro Lite, which may also benefit Taiwanese makers of SiP substrates, according to industry sources.

Global shipments of PC products (desktops and notebooks) are expected to retreat to a sliding path in the first quarter of 2020 as PC brands have slowed down their orders for ICs and related components due to the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak, according to sources from Taiwan-based IC-design...

Taiwan-based MOSFET chip specialists, which ship mainly to PC and notebook application segments, are striving for capacity support from their foundry partners particularly 6-inch ones, according to industry sources.

Taiwanese flexible PCB maker Career Technology has been approved by Taiwan's authorities to inject US$40 million into its plant in Kunshan, China to build new capacity for 5G-related applications.

Taiwan-based makers of rigid-flex boards for AirPods applications have managed to sustain normal production despite the coronavirus outbreak, but their shipments will hinge on capacity utilization at downstream assembly plants in China although market demand for Apple's TWS (true wireless stereo) earphone...

The US has been mounting pressure on its allies over its trade ban on Huawei, which has in turn been shaking the IT supply chain. The world's top pure-play foundry TSMC, with Huawei being one of its major clients, reportedly is moving...

The coronavirus outbreak in China has further tightened supply of CMOS image sensors (CIS) and chip resistors, with severe shortages set to surface and price hikes to follow, according to industry sources.

Apple has warned of iPhone supply constraints due to the coronavirus outbreak. And the iPhone is not the only Apple device whose production is being disrupted by the epidemic, as manufacturers are unlikely to start volume production as...

Automotive PCB makers in China have been impacted by the coronavirus outbreak, especially those stationed in Hubei Province, the worst-hit province by the epidemic, according to industry sources.