The output value of Taiwan’s integrated circuit (IC) packaging and testing sector could rise more than 5 percent this quarter from last quarter because of peak-season effects, according to a government research report.
In the report, the Industry and Technology Intelligence Services (ITIS) under the Ministry of Economic Affairs said the output of Taiwan’s IC packaging business should total NT$86 billion (US$2.87 billion) this quarter, an increase of 5.5 percent from last quarter.
The output value of the IC testing sector is forecast to rise 5.3 percent from a quarter earlier to NT$38 billion this quarter, the agency said.
BENEFIT
According to the report, the local IC packaging and testing sector is expected to benefit from the launch of international mobile device brands this quarter, especially Apple Inc’s unveiling of the next generation iPhone and iPad.
The agency said Apple has already started building up component inventories, serving as a driver of growth for IC packagers and testers.
COMPROMISE
However, on the downside, mobile devices from the non-Apple camp completed their efforts to stock inventories in the past quarter, which could to some extent compromise the local IC sector’s production value this quarter, according to the report.
In the second quarter, the domestic IC packaging sector’s output value rose 14.8 percent from a quarter earlier to NT$81.5 billion, while that of the IC testing sector grew 14.6 percent from a quarter earlier to NT$36.1 billion.
For this year as a whole, the output value of the local IC packaging sector is expected to rise 13.6 percent from a year earlier to NT$323 billion, while the output value of the local IC testing business could grow 13 percent to NT$143.1 billion, the ITIS forecast.
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