Handset keypad maker Ichia Technologies Inc (毅嘉科技) has managed to stand firm against the negative impact the struggling BlackBerry Ltd may have on it.
Ichia on Tuesday reported a consolidated revenue of NT$871.16 million (US$29.42 million) last month, up 3.91 percent from August and 10.48 percent from the same month last year.
For the first nine months, the company’s consolidated revenue totaled NT$6.85 billion, up 7.01 percent year-on-year, the company said in a filing to the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
Ichia, which also counts Nokia Oyj, Alcatel-Lucent SA and Sony Corp among its major customers, is among local handset components supply-chain firms that have worked to readjust their business and client portfolios in response to the softening orders from some clients.
Sales generated from the company’s flexible printed-circuit integrated components were NT$720 million last month, accounting for 82 percent of total sales and the highest level this year, while those of mechanical integrated components, including items used for BlackBerry devices’ QWERTY keyboards, were NT$162 million, lower than the previous month’s NT$217 million.
Sales of mechanical integrated components have declined to 18 percent of the company’s total last month from 25 percent in August and an average of 40 percent in the second quarter.
First Capital Management Inc (第一金投顧) said in a note that Ichia has about 20 percent of its sales exposure to BlackBerry this year, but it is increasingly focusing on its flexible printed-circuit components business to lessen the negative impact of smaller orders from the Canadian client.
The firm based in Linkou District (林口), New Taipei City (新北市), met First Capital’s forecast for the just-ended quarter.
Its revenue for the July-to-September period totaled NT$2.54 billion, up 1.48 percent quarter-on-quarter and 11.57 percent year-on-year.
For the quarter that just started, Ichia expects revenue to grow sequentially on the rising contribution from its flexible printed-circuit components business.
Shares of Ichia rose 1.99 percent to NT$15.4 yesterday, while the TAIEX edged up 0.36 percent.
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