LCD DISPLAYS
Innolux’s Tuan to remain
Innolux Corp (群創), the nation’s largest LCD panel maker, yesterday said company chairman and chief executive officer Tuan Hsing-chien (段行建) would stay at his post until his term expires in June 2016, dismissing speculation about Tuan’s early retirement. The company’s statement came after DigiTimes reported that Hon Hai Group (鴻海集團) vice chairman Tai Cheng-wu (戴正吳) would replace Tuan as Innolux’s new chairman, while Kay Chiu (邱創儀) would take over from Wang Jyh-chau (王志超) as the company’s president. Chiu is currently in charge of Hon Hai’s LCD manufacturing business. Innolux said the report was groundless and that the company would carefully pick candidates for the two positions. Innolux has 9,900 workers and generated NT$400 billion (US$12.4 billion) in revenue last year.
LOGISTICS
Wan Hai to start new route
Wan Hai Lines Ltd (萬海航運), the nation’s third-largest container shipper by fleet size, has announced a plan to further expand its intensive intra-Asia network by launching a service between Greater Kaohsiung, China and Southeast Asia, with the maiden voyage set to commence from Kaohsiung Port on Sunday. The joint service with APL Ltd — a major US-based container shipper — is to consist of three vessels of 3,000 twenty-foot equivalent size, with Wan Hai deploying one vessel and APL deploying the other two, Wan Hai said in a statement. “The new service will enhance connections between China and ASEAN countries,” the statement said. The service rotation would be Kaohsiung; Xiamen, China; Hong Kong; Chiwan, China; Port Kelang, Malaysia; Singapore; Jakarta, Indonesia; Singapore; and Kaohsiung.
TRANSPORTATION
Vanilla Air adds flights
Japanese low-cost carrier Vanilla Air yesterday said that it would increase the number of flights on its Taipei to Tokyo route over the Lunar New Year period to meet higher expected demand. The budget airline, which operates three round-trip flights per day on that route, said it would offer an additional four flights during the holiday season. On Feb. 17 and Feb. 23, there would be one additional daily flight departing from Tokyo’s Narita International Airport at 7:45pm and arriving at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 10:45pm, the airline said. The same would apply on Feb. 18 and Feb. 24, except that the flights will go in the opposite direction, taking off from Taipei at 6:50am and landing in Tokyo at 10:50am, the airline said.
FOREX
NT dollar rebounds slightly
The New Taiwan dollar rose against the US dollar yesterday, gaining NT$0.062 to close at NT$31.753, as the local currency staged a technical rebound from its latest slump. The gains posted by the NT dollar ended a six-session losing streak, as the central bank significantly slowed down its efforts to prop up the US dollar in the past few sessions, dealers said. Foreign institutional buying on the local bourse also lent support to the NT dollar and added downward pressure on the greenback throughout the session, dealers said. The buying of the NT dollar by local exporters was aimed at meeting seasonal demand for funds as the month’s end approached, dealers said. Before yesterday’s rebound, the NT dollar had fallen 1.09 percent against the US dollar in the previous three sessions amid strong intervention by the local central bank.
Intel Corp chief executive officer Lip-Bu Tan (陳立武) is expected to meet with Taiwanese suppliers next month in conjunction with the opening of the Computex Taipei trade show, supply chain sources said on Monday. The visit, the first for Tan to Taiwan since assuming his new post last month, would be aimed at enhancing Intel’s ties with suppliers in Taiwan as he attempts to help turn around the struggling US chipmaker, the sources said. Tan is to hold a banquet to celebrate Intel’s 40-year presence in Taiwan before Computex opens on May 20 and invite dozens of Taiwanese suppliers to exchange views
Application-specific integrated circuit designer Faraday Technology Corp (智原) yesterday said that although revenue this quarter would decline 30 percent from last quarter, it retained its full-year forecast of revenue growth of 100 percent. The company attributed the quarterly drop to a slowdown in customers’ production of chips using Faraday’s advanced packaging technology. The company is still confident about its revenue growth this year, given its strong “design-win” — or the projects it won to help customers design their chips, Faraday president Steve Wang (王國雍) told an online earnings conference. “The design-win this year is better than we expected. We believe we will win
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達) chairman Barry Lam (林百里) is expected to share his views about the artificial intelligence (AI) industry’s prospects during his speech at the company’s 37th anniversary ceremony, as AI servers have become a new growth engine for the equipment manufacturing service provider. Lam’s speech is much anticipated, as Quanta has risen as one of the world’s major AI server suppliers. The company reported a 30 percent year-on-year growth in consolidated revenue to NT$1.41 trillion (US$43.35 billion) last year, thanks to fast-growing demand for servers, especially those with AI capabilities. The company told investors in November last year that
Power supply and electronic components maker Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) yesterday said it plans to ship its new 1 megawatt charging systems for electric trucks and buses in the first half of next year at the earliest. The new charging piles, which deliver up to 1 megawatt of charging power, are designed for heavy-duty electric vehicles, and support a maximum current of 1,500 amperes and output of 1,250 volts, Delta said in a news release. “If everything goes smoothly, we could begin shipping those new charging systems as early as in the first half of next year,” a company official said. The new
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