ELECTRONICS
CAEC, Eaton ink deal
Changs Ascending Enterprise Co (CAEC, 長園科技), which manufactures and distributes lithium-ferrous phosphorus oxide (LFPO) batteries, yesterday said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with US-based Eaton Phoenixtec MMPL Co to deepen their cooperation in energy storage and develop advanced uninterruptible power supply solutions for the global market. CAEC said the partnership aims to produce LFPO products that would revolutionize storage applications.
RESTAURANTS
Wowprime offers e-vouchers
Wowprime Co (王品) yesterday launched electronic vouchers for its 12 restaurants — which have 270 outlets across the nation — after inking a deal with international prepaid services provider Edenred to reach more customers online. Wowprime said that potential demand for coupons is big, with about 20 percent of its customers last year using paper vouchers. Executive director for branding Johnny Lin (林國威) said Wowprime began to renew equipment at its outlets and educate its staff three years ago to prepare for the growing popularity of apps, QRcode and other digital channels.
PAPER
Cheng Loong expands space
Paper maker Cheng Loong Corp (正隆紙業) yesterday said its board has approved a plan to construct new facilities at the Taichung Harbor Special Industrial Zone (台中港港埠產業發展專業區) to expand its storage space. Total construction cost is estimated to reach NT$125 million (US$3.87 million), with the project scheduled to be completed by April 30 next year.
ELECTRONICS
Xander offices searched
Prosecutors yesterday searched the offices of Xander International Corp (建達國際) and its subsidiaries, summoning 16 people for questioning over fraud and embezzlement allegations involving its president, Nate Lin (林鴻禧). Xander, a computer and peripheral distribution arm of VIA Technologies Inc (威盛電子), confirmed that investigators had searched the company’s offices, but declined to elaborate.
ELECTRONICS
Primax net profit up 9%
Computer peripheral product maker Primax Electronics Ltd (致伸電子) yesterday posted a first-quarter net income of NT$400 million, up 9 percent from NT$370 million a year earlier. Earnings per share was NT$0.91, compared with NT$0.85 in the same period last year. Consolidated sales grew 8 percent annually to NT$14.01 billion in the first quarter, the company said. Primax said it is optimistic about the second quarter on the back of strong demand for high-end camera modules, PC peripherals and audio products.
SHIPPING
Evergreen joins alliance
Evergreen Marine Corp (長榮海運) on Wednesday said it had signed a memorandum of understanding with three foreign counterparts to form the Ocean Alliance. The partnership with France-based CMA CGM, China’s COSCO Container Lines Co (中遠集裝箱運輸) and Hong Kong’s Orient Overseas Container Line Ltd (東方海外貨櫃航運) is expected to allow members to offer competitive products and more comprehensive services covering the Asia-Europe and Asia-Mediterranean trade routes. The alliance is expected to start operations in April next year, Evergreen Marine said.
Taiwan Transport and Storage Corp (TTS, 台灣通運倉儲) yesterday unveiled its first electric tractor unit — manufactured by Volvo Trucks — in a ceremony in Taipei, and said the unit would soon be used to transport cement produced by Taiwan Cement Corp (TCC, 台灣水泥). Both TTS and TCC belong to TCC International Holdings Ltd (台泥國際集團). With the electric tractor unit, the Taipei-based cement firm would become the first in Taiwan to use electric vehicles to transport construction materials. TTS chairman Koo Kung-yi (辜公怡), Volvo Trucks vice president of sales and marketing Johan Selven, TCC president Roman Cheng (程耀輝) and Taikoo Motors Group
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
RECORD-BREAKING: TSMC’s net profit last quarter beat market expectations by expanding 8.9% and it was the best first-quarter profit in the chipmaker’s history Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), which counts Nvidia Corp as a key customer, yesterday said that artificial intelligence (AI) server chip revenue is set to more than double this year from last year amid rising demand. The chipmaker expects the growth momentum to continue in the next five years with an annual compound growth rate of 50 percent, TSMC chief executive officer C.C. Wei (魏哲家) told investors yesterday. By 2028, AI chips’ contribution to revenue would climb to about 20 percent from a percentage in the low teens, Wei said. “Almost all the AI innovators are working with TSMC to address the
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],”