HEALTHCARE
Pegavision to expand output
Pegatron Corp (和碩) contact lens subsidiary Pegavision Corp (晶碩) was yesterday quoted by the Chinese-language Apple Daily as saying that it is to add up to 20 new production lines at its plant in Taoyuan’s Guishan District (龜山) between now and the first half of next year in a bid to meet surging domestic and international demand for colored contact lenses. The report quoted Pegavision as saying that the expansion plan includes NT$700 million (US$23.18 million) in equipment purchases in the second half of this year. The firm plans to seek a plot of land to build a new plant in Taiwan in 2019, as space at the Guishan plant is expected to reach its limit next year, the report said. Pegavision is one of the top three contact lens makers in Taiwan. Its products are available in 20 nations, according to the company.
COMMERCE
European imports approved
The European Chamber of Commerce Taiwan (ECCT) yesterday said it made progress on several issues during a meeting with Premier Lin Chuan (林全) and senior Cabinet officials. The premier said Taiwan would allow imports of beef from Sweden and the Netherlands. The Ministry of Transportation and Communications, as well as the National Communications Commission, also publicized plans to allocate spectrum for 5G telecommunications applications. The ECCT voiced support for the government’s efforts to promote renewable energy sources and added that ECCT members are ready to help increase their capacity. To that end, the chamber said the government needs to remove regulatory and financial obstacles first.
CHIPMAKERS
Nanya sells Micron shares
Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技) yesterday said it has sold about 1.51 million shares of Micron Technology Inc for US$46.48 million in the latest disposal of the US memorychip maker’s shares. Nanya, the nation’s biggest DRAM chipmaker, is to book a disposal gain of US$20.32 million, it said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange. After the transaction, Nanya still holds a 3.83 percent stake in Micron, the statement said. It previously held a 6.37 percent share.
INVESTMENT
Japan risk exposure tallied
Taiwan’s risk exposure to Japan was tallied at NT$553.2 billion, the Financial Supervisory Commission said yesterday, following North Korea’s latest missile test. Insurers have the largest exposure at NT$300.79 billion in bonds and stock, followed by banks at NT$242.1 billion in lending and other investments. Securities brokerages have exposure of NT$10.29 billion, including proprietary trading and futures trading, as well as investment trust and consulting businesses.
STOCK MARKETS
Cherng Tay eyes TPEX debut
Cherng Tay Technology Co Ltd (誠泰科技), which makes adhesives and waterproofing materials, yesterday said in a filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange that its board has approved a proposal to make its debut on the Taipei Exchange (TPEX). It is to hold a shareholders’ meeting on Oct. 26 to discuss the details, a separate filing said. Kaohsiung-based Cherng Tay — which has paid-in capital of NT$286.75 million — also has sales offices in China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Its sales have fallen 13.3 percent so far this year to NT$604.1 million, company data showed.
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],”