The production value of the nation’s printed circuit board (PCB) makers is expected to grow almost 3 percent year-on-year this year on the back of an economic recovery, according to a research report.
In the report, Jiang Bor-feng (江柏風), senior analyst at the Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center, which is part of the Industrial Technology Research Institute, said the output of Taiwan’s PCB manufacturers could total NT$537.8 billion (US$17.9 billion) this year, up 2.99 percent from last year.
The almost 3 percent increase will reflect accelerating growth momentum in the local PCB industry from the 1 percent annual growth seen in the past three years, Jiang said.
Last year, the local PCB industry’s output increased by only 1.32 percent annually to NT$522.2 billion, which included the production value of facilities operated by Taiwanese PCB manufacturers in China.
In the first quarter of this year, the production of Taiwanese PCB firms rose 8.5 percent from a year earlier to NT$125.3 billion, but the figure represented a 14.1 percent drop from the previous quarter.
Although the period from October to December is usually a slow one for the industry, the comparison base was high.
Jiang said that after a sequential fall in the first quarter, sales began showing signs of growth in April, and the second-quarter output could rise by a quarterly 5.5 percent and an annual 9.8 percent to NT$133.5 billion.
Output for the third quarter is expected to continue to grow, but could fall in the fourth quarter due to slow-season effects, he said.
Meanwhile, Hung Chi-sheng, a manager at Taiwanese flexible PCB supplier TAIFLEX Scientific Co (台虹科技), said flexible PCB applications have been broadened, with wearable devices and automotive electronics the two most promising areas to explore.
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