Taiwanese electronics component suppliers have set a long-term goal of gaining an indispensable status in the global car supply chain on the back of their massive efforts in development and production, market analysts said on Saturday.
The manufacturers, in particular those in the business of passive components, such as resistors, capacitors, inductors and transformers, have come up with their own strategies to penetrate the world’s car market on an original equipment manufacturing basis, they said.
Among these Taiwanese passive component makers, Lelon Electronics Corp (立隆) was one of the first players to enter the auto parts supply chain. It did so in 2006 and has come a long way in obtaining certifications for its products, analysts said.
Lelon, which provides aluminum electrolytic capacitors, has become one of the first-tier component suppliers in the car market.
Lelon’s products are largely used in audio and video entertainment systems, electric windows and air bag systems.
Lelon has secured orders from China and South Korea, analysts said. They added that its capacitors have been used in a wide range of cars assigned to high-ranking Chinese government officials, while its first-tier supplier status has allowed it to become part of the supply chain for major South Korean car makers.
Analysts said car components are expected to account for 7 or 8 percent of Lelon’s total sales this year. They said Lelon’s revenue generated from that side of its business is likely to grow between 20 and 30 percent next year, with the operations expected to make up more than 10 percent of its total sales for the year.
In addition to car component manufacturing, Lelon is planning to serve as a sales agent for components made by other manufacturers in a bid to provide after-sale services to customers in China and further cement its footing in the fast-growing market.
Lelon said it is planning to continue to push up its car component operations, hoping the business will represent 20 percent of its total sales over the next three to five years.
Holy Stone Enterprise Co (禾伸堂) is another example of a Taiwanese electronics component maker grasping a larger share of the world’s car component market.
Holy Stone’s products, including multi-layer ceramic capacitors (MLCC) and micro controller units, have been applied to entertainment systems, anti-theft devices and navigation systems, analysts said.
In the first nine months of this year, car components accounted for 26 percent of Holy Stone’s total sales and the percentage is expected to be higher by the end of the year.
Other electronics suppliers have even eyed the electric car market, with Thinking Electronic Industrial Co (興勤) having presented its temperature sensor samples to potential clients, while Nichidenbo Corp (日電貿), an MLCC supplier, is working with automakers in eastern and southern China to provide power management systems for electric cars.
Among the rows of vibrators, rubber torsos and leather harnesses at a Chinese sex toys exhibition in Shanghai this weekend, the beginnings of an artificial intelligence (AI)-driven shift in the industry quietly pulsed. China manufactures about 70 percent of the world’s sex toys, most of it the “hardware” on display at the fair — whether that be technicolor tentacled dildos or hyper-realistic personalized silicone dolls. Yet smart toys have been rising in popularity for some time. Many major European and US brands already offer tech-enhanced products that can enable long-distance love, monitor well-being and even bring people one step closer to
Malaysia’s leader yesterday announced plans to build a massive semiconductor design park, aiming to boost the Southeast Asian nation’s role in the global chip industry. A prominent player in the semiconductor industry for decades, Malaysia accounts for an estimated 13 percent of global back-end manufacturing, according to German tech giant Bosch. Now it wants to go beyond production and emerge as a chip design powerhouse too, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said. “I am pleased to announce the largest IC (integrated circuit) Design Park in Southeast Asia, that will house world-class anchor tenants and collaborate with global companies such as Arm [Holdings PLC],”
Sales in the retail, and food and beverage sectors last month continued to rise, increasing 0.7 percent and 13.6 percent respectively from a year earlier, setting record highs for the month of March, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. Sales in the wholesale sector also grew last month by 4.6 annually, mainly due to the business opportunities for emerging applications related to artificial intelligence (AI) and high-performance computing technologies, the ministry said in a report. The ministry forecast that retail, and food and beverage sales this month would retain their growth momentum as the former would benefit from Tomb Sweeping Day
Thousands of parents in Singapore are furious after a Cordlife Group Ltd (康盛人生集團), a major operator of cord blood banks in Asia, irreparably damaged their children’s samples through improper handling, with some now pursuing legal action. The ongoing case, one of the worst to hit the largely untested industry, has renewed concerns over companies marketing themselves to anxious parents with mostly unproven assurances. This has implications across the region, given Cordlife’s operations in Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, the Philippines and India. The parents paid for years to have their infants’ cord blood stored, with the understanding that the stem cells they contained