COMMUNICATIONS
Sercomm’s Q1 profits rise
Broadband and telecommunications equipment maker Sercomm Corp (中磊) yesterday said that it recorded a strong rise in first-quarter profit, boosted by revenue growth in the Internet of Things and smart-home-related businesses. Operating profit for the January-to-March quarter surged 87 percent to NT$349 million (US$10.78 million), from NT$187 million a year earlier, while net profit rose 68 percent to NT$282 million, or earnings per share of NT$1.17. First-quarter revenue increased by 39 percent to NT$8.82 billion, aided by higher sales in its major products such as integrated access devices, small cell base stations, smart home surveillance and optical fiber products, the company said.
SEMICONDUCTORS
Tester eyes strong growth
Chunghwa Precision Test Technology Co (CHPT, 中華精測), which focuses on providing testing services for 14 nanometer and 16 nanometer wafers, yesterday saw shares rise by a daily maximum of 10 percent to NT$682, as its consolidated revenue surged 65.79 percent annually to NT$202 million last month. Accumulated revenue from January to last month increased 55.67 percent to NT$703 million, according to the company, which is 46 percent held by Chunghwa Telecom Co (中華電信). With a better outlook ahead, the company’s revenue for this quarter is forecast to grow by between 15 and 20 percent from NT$500 million in the first quarter, with earnings per share likely reaching NT$4.6 from NT$3.91, analysts said.
LIGHTING
Tons reports revenue spike
Tons Lightology Inc (湯石照明), a provider of commercial lighting services, yesterday reported consolidated revenue of NT$114 million for last month, slightly better than the previous month, but down 3.12 percent from a year earlier. The company, whose customers include the National Palace Museum Southern Branch and Chung Tai Chan Monastery, said accumulated revenue for the first four months of the year totaled NT$401 million, up 1.73 percent year-on-year. In the first quarter, net profit was NT$37.88 million, or earnings per share of NT$0.99, with gross margin of 37.2 percent, Tons said.
MANUFACTURING
Winson to reduce capital
Winson Machinery Casting Co (大詠城機械) yesterday announced that the company is planning to reduce its capital as part of efforts to boost its efficiency. Winson has become the latest in a slew of local manufacturers tapping capital reduction to boost return on equity. The company, which manufactures gray cast iron and ductile iron, mainly for auto parts, said its board agreed to reduce paid-in capital by NT$90 million to NT$420 million, or 17.64 percent. Shareholders are to receive NT$1.76 per share after they approve the plan on June 16, the company said.
TECHNOLOGY
HTC to unveil smartwatch
Smartphone vendor HTC Corp (宏達電) is to unveil a smartwatch next month, hoping to diversify its product portfolio as global demand for smartphones weakens, according to tech Web site PhoneArena. The tech Web site cited 3C tipster Evan Blass as on Monday saying that HTC is expected to launch its long-awaited smartwatch in the week of June 6. “FYI, this has been pushed to the week of June 6th. #htcwatch,” the blogger tweeted. It is not the first time there has been speculation that HTC is to introduce a smart timepiece, with the market previously anticipating that HTC would unveil a smartwatch at the end of last month.
Stephen Garrett, a 27-year-old graduate student, always thought he would study in China, but first the country’s restrictive COVID-19 policies made it nearly impossible and now he has other concerns. The cost is one deterrent, but Garrett is more worried about restrictions on academic freedom and the personal risk of being stranded in China. He is not alone. Only about 700 American students are studying at Chinese universities, down from a peak of nearly 25,000 a decade ago, while there are nearly 300,000 Chinese students at US schools. Some young Americans are discouraged from investing their time in China by what they see
MAJOR DROP: CEO Tim Cook, who is visiting Hanoi, pledged the firm was committed to Vietnam after its smartphone shipments declined 9.6% annually in the first quarter Apple Inc yesterday said it would increase spending on suppliers in Vietnam, a key production hub, as CEO Tim Cook arrived in the country for a two-day visit. The iPhone maker announced the news in a statement on its Web site, but gave no details of how much it would spend or where the money would go. Cook is expected to meet programmers, content creators and students during his visit, online newspaper VnExpress reported. The visit comes as US President Joe Biden’s administration seeks to ramp up Vietnam’s role in the global tech supply chain to reduce the US’ dependence on China. Images on
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
New apartments in Taiwan’s major cities are getting smaller, while old apartments are increasingly occupied by older people, many of whom live alone, government data showed. The phenomenon has to do with sharpening unaffordable property prices and an aging population, property brokers said. Apartments with one bedroom that are two years old or older have gained a noticeable presence in the nation’s six special municipalities as well as Hsinchu county and city in the past five years, Evertrust Rehouse Co (永慶房產集團) found, citing data from the government’s real-price transaction platform. In Taipei, apartments with one bedroom accounted for 19 percent of deals last