Catcher Technology Co (可成), a metal casing supplier for Apple Inc iPhones, yesterday downplayed speculation over an order cut from its major customer amid reports of weak demand for its lower-priced iPhone XR.
Catcher saw its stock price close up 1.12 percent at NT$270 in Taipei trading yesterday, snapping a four-day losing streak.
The rebound was underpinned by the company’s record-high revenue of NT$12.84 billion (US$417.43 million) for last month, up 3.63 percent annually.
“The new historical-high revenue for October is a good start for the fourth quarter,” Catcher chairman Allen Hung (洪水樹) said at a teleconference.
“Our customer’s new product just hit the market less than two weeks ago. We are closely monitoring how it goes and how it will change [order] demand,” Hung said. “As of today, we have not seen any order changes, but we will not rule out that any demand dynamics will impact the company.”
Catcher has not seen any “unfavorable changes” in average selling prices (ASP) for existing products, Hung said in response to an investor’s question about its ASP trend and potential pricing competition.
On the positive side, the company has seen some upside in the ASP for new metal casings used in laptop computers, primarily for new premium models, given the greater complexity in casing design, materials and engineering capabilities, Hung said.
Despite an intensifying US-China trade row and volatile stock markets worldwide, the company said it is optimistic about growth prospects for next year, given a more diverse portfolio, bigger order gains from clients and a higher ASP.
Catcher said it does not plan to relocate its production lines from China, adding that it is one of the few casing manufacturers that have manufacturing facilities in Taiwan.
Catcher manufactures aluminum and magnesium-alloy casings for notebook computers, handsets and other consumer electronic devices. The Tainan-based company also supplies casings for MacBook laptops.
The advent of the 5G era would be a boon for Catcher, because of the higher performance requirements for casings, Hung said.
There are challenges to be overcome, such as thermal management, antenna space and metal alloys, he said, adding that Catcher has the technological edge to address these issues.
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