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■ Inotera to build Taoyuan plants
Inotera Memories Inc (華亞科技), Taiwan's fourth-largest maker of computer-memory chips, plans to build two chip factories in Taoyuan, company president Charles Kau (高啟全) said yesterday.
Inotera, a joint venture of Infineon Technologies AG and Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技), will build its third and fourth plants in Taoyuan, where the chipmaker's headquarters are based, Kau said by telephone.
The plan has to be approved by Inotera's board, Kau said, declining to give details on the schedule and size of the investment. The company will start preparing the ground for the factories this year, he said.
Inotera is expanding its computer memory-chip production after rivals such as Powerchip Semiconductor Corp (力晶半導體) and Samsung Electronics Co shifted to more profitable flash memory semiconductors used in consumer electronics such as mobile phones.
The company opened its first factory in April 2004, and said it will start operating its second in the second half of this year. All four factories will make chips using the more advanced 12-inch wafers. The plants would lower costs and increase the yield per wafer, compared with older eight-inch factories.

■ Acer expects sales rise
Acer Inc said yesterday it expects its notebook computer sales in the first quarter to this month to rise 30 percent to 40 percent from a year earlier, citing a successful global marketing strategy.
"The company is operating efficiently and effectively to boost sales in its major markets, including Europe, the US and the greater China region. A 30 percent to 40 percent increase in the first quarter from a year earlier has been anticipated," a company spokesman said.
Acer sold 2.85 million notebook computers in the first quarter of last year and 9.9 million in the full year. As of the end of last year, the European market accounted for about 50 percent of Acer's notebook computer sales, the US took 15 percent and greater China some 10 percent.

■ LCD shares soar after report
Shares of Taiwanese liquid-crystal-display (LCD) makers such as AU Optronics Corp (友達光電) and Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp (奇美電子) rose yesterday after Lehman Brothers recommended investors accumulate shares of the nation's flat-panel manufacturers.
"We recommend that investors accumulate display names in mid second quarter this year on the expectation of structural industry changes in the second half of the year," analysts James Kim and Naiwen Kerr wrote in a report yesterday.
Shares of the nation's largest LCD maker, AU Optronics, gained 3.3 percent to close at NT$48.10 after rising as much as 4.8 percent, while closest rival Chi Mei Optoelectronics' shares surged to the 7 percent up-limit to close at NT$33.75 on the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday.

■ KGI announces new head
KGI Securities Corp (中信證券) announced yesterday that its board had agreed to hire Sean Chen (陳沖), former chairman of Taiwan Cooperative Bank (合作金庫銀行), the nation's second-biggest lender by assets, to head the securities house.
Chen's appointment took effect yesterday, KGI Securities said in a filing to the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
Meanwhile, the government-controlled Chinese Bank yesterday announced the appointment of Wei Lung-hung (魏綸洪), currently the bank's chief vice president, as the new president of the lender, replacing Liu Wei-sang (劉衛桑). Liu was indicted earlier this month for his collusion in the embezzlement scandal.

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