Machvision Inc (牧德), a supplier of printed circuit board (PCB) inspection equipment, on Tuesday last week said its performance this quarter might not follow the seasonal pattern, as growth momentum is supported by products launched last year.
Chairman Collin Wang (汪光夏) told an investors’ conference that although the first quarter is typically a slow season for the company, he expects this quarter to be better than usual, as order visibility remains clear.
PCBs are essential parts that routes electrical signals between electronic parts.
With growing demand for different types of PCBs in the communication, computer and automotive industries, the global PCB market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6 percent from last year to 2021, industry researcher Technavio said.
Consequently, demand for the quality inspections of PCBs is increasing and Technavio’s market research indicates that the market for PCB inspection equipment in the Asia-Pacific region could grow at a CAGR of close to 15 percent from last year to 2021.
Founded in 1998, Hsinchu-based Machvision provides automated optical inspection (AOI) solutions for PCB and integrated circuit (IC) manufacturing.
The company last month saw revenue grow 180.11 percent year-on-year to NT$178 million (US$6.05 million), a record high. Last year as a whole, revenue totaled NT$1.421 billion, up 74.47 percent annually, with the sales mix by product including flexible PCB inspection equipment (39 percent), AOI equipment for rigid PCBs (19 percent) and IC inspection equipment (5 percent), company data showed.
The company’s new full-scan system with enhanced measurement specifications for both PCB and flexible PCB (FPCB) would begin shipments to customers in March, Wang said.
The company developed the system in February last year and launched it at a trade show organized by the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) in October, he added.
Separately, PCB automation machine supplier SynPower Co Ltd (聯策), FPCB producer Career Technology Co (嘉聯益) and Pomiran Metalization Research Co (柏彌蘭金屬化研究) on Wednesday last week launched an industrial alliance to help local FPCB makers tap business opportunities in the 5G mobile networks field and to better compete with Japanese and South Korean rivals.
The alliance, which is supported by the government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI, 工研院) and the Institute for Information Industry (資策會), said it aims to help local makers establish high-value added FPCB production lines and enhance their global competitiveness.
The nation’s FPCB industry had a production value of US$3.95 billion in 2016, accounting for 38 percent of the world’s total, TPCA statistics showed.
The global production value of FPCB is expected to increase from US$12.6 billion last year to US$13 billion this year, with Taiwanese makers continuing to play an important role in supply chains, ITRI’s Industrial Economics and Knowledge Center (產業經濟與趨勢研究中心) said on Wednesday last week.
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