Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海), the world’s largest contract electronics manufacturer, yesterday reported that revenue last month rose 3.37 percent annually to NT$414.1 billion (US$13.42 billion) — a new record high for January.
Last month’s results were 33.14 percent lower than the NT$619.32 billion recorded in December last year and coincided with the end of the peak shipment season for Apple Inc’s iPhones, the firm said.
Hon Hai said last month’s sales performance was mainly driven by computing products, followed by communication and consumer electronics.
The outcome showed that demand for PCs, laptops and servers remained stable, helping to offset lower-than-expected shipments of the three iPhones launched last year.
This year, Hon Hai would continue its preparations to tap into the 5G market, executive vice president Lu Fang-ming (呂芳銘) said on Thursday.
Hon Hai would oversee design and manufacturing of key 5G capabilities, enabling Asia-Pacific Telecom Co (亞太電信), one of its subsidiaries, to devise and roll out new services, Lu said.
The company, which has begun 5G testing at its facilities in Taipei’s Neihu District (內湖) and New Taipei City’s Tucheng District (土城), said it plans to collaborate with National Chiao Tung University and to expand to Hsinchu this year.
Separately, contract electronics manufacturer Pegatron Corp (和碩), another major iPhone assembler, reported that revenue last month rose 15.97 percent month-on-month and 1.3 percent year-on-year to NT$122.63 billion.
The marked two-digit percentage growth was because major clients decided to top up their inventories ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, the company said
The company has also begun mass production of network equipment that is susceptible to US tariffs if made in China at Indonesia’s Batam Island, and is evaluating India and Vietnam as alternative locations, Pegatron said.
Contract electronics maker Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶) reported that revenue last month dipped 18.2 percent compared with a month earlier, but rose 17.3 percent annually to NT$45.47 billion.
While Compal still holds a cautious view on prospects for this quarter, it expects its non-PC business to register double-digit percentage growth this year, representing 40 percent of total revenue, up from 33 percent last year.
Inventec Corp (英業達), meanwhile, posted revenue of NT$45.4 billion, down 3.29 percent from the previous month, but up 24.81 percent compared with a year earlier.
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