ELECTRONICS
Wistron buys Unity shares
Contract electronics manufacturer Wistron Corp (緯創) on Wednesday last week said that it has acquired a 1.26 percent stake in LED packaging service provider Unity Opto Technology Co (東貝光電) for NT$50 million (US$1.6 million). Wistron said it participated in Unity Opto’s private placement through its business software subsidiary ArFlex Corp (鼎創科技), acquiring 5.26 million Unity Opto shares at NT$9.5 each. It said it hopes to enhance its business in LED backlighting of displays with Unity Opto through the strategic investment.
CHIPMAKERS
UMC, Allegro ink deal
United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電), the nation’s second-largest contract chipmaker, on Tuesday last week said it had signed a foundry supply agreement with Allegro Microsystems LLC, giving UMC a stronger foothold in the automotive chips segment. The agreement covers technical collaboration and establishes capacity at UMC for Allegro’s proprietary automotive-grade technologies, the companies said in a statement.
SOCIETY
CDIB boss falls to his death
Liu Tsung-hsiung (劉宗雄), president of CDIB Capital Management Corp (中華開發資產管理) under China Development Financial Holding Corp (中華開發金控), fell to his death from the seventh floor of the company’s headquarters on Friday last week. Police said they were not looking for anyone in connection to the incident and no note was found in Liu’s office, but his shoes were found by the window. Liu, 56, had high blood pressure and diabetes for many years. He was named president of CDIB Capital in May 2012 and worked in asset management for many years. He left behind a wife and two children.
TARIFF TRADE-OFF: Machinery exports to China dropped after Beijing ended its tariff reductions in June, while potential new tariffs fueled ‘front-loaded’ orders to the US The nation’s machinery exports to the US amounted to US$7.19 billion last year, surpassing the US$6.86 billion to China to become the largest export destination for the local machinery industry, the Taiwan Association of Machinery Industry (TAMI, 台灣機械公會) said in a report on Jan. 10. It came as some manufacturers brought forward or “front-loaded” US-bound shipments as required by customers ahead of potential tariffs imposed by the new US administration, the association said. During his campaign, US president-elect Donald Trump threatened tariffs of as high as 60 percent on Chinese goods and 10 percent to 20 percent on imports from other countries.
Taiwanese manufacturers have a chance to play a key role in the humanoid robot supply chain, Tongtai Machine and Tool Co (東台精機) chairman Yen Jui-hsiung (嚴瑞雄) said yesterday. That is because Taiwanese companies are capable of making key parts needed for humanoid robots to move, such as harmonic drives and planetary gearboxes, Yen said. This ability to produce these key elements could help Taiwanese manufacturers “become part of the US supply chain,” he added. Yen made the remarks a day after Nvidia Corp cofounder and chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said his company and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) are jointly
United Microelectronics Corp (UMC, 聯電) expects its addressable market to grow by a low single-digit percentage this year, lower than the overall foundry industry’s 15 percent expansion and the global semiconductor industry’s 10 percent growth, the contract chipmaker said yesterday after reporting the worst profit in four-and-a-half years in the fourth quarter of last year. Growth would be fueled by demand for artificial intelligence (AI) servers, a moderate recovery in consumer electronics and an increase in semiconductor content, UMC said. “UMC’s goal is to outgrow our addressable market while maintaining our structural profitability,” UMC copresident Jason Wang (王石) told an online earnings
MARKET SHIFTS: Exports to the US soared more than 120 percent to almost one quarter, while ASEAN has steadily increased to 18.5 percent on rising tech sales The proportion of Taiwan’s exports directed to China, including Hong Kong, declined by more than 12 percentage points last year compared with its peak in 2020, the Ministry of Finance said on Thursday last week. The decrease reflects the ongoing restructuring of global supply chains, driven by escalating trade tensions between Beijing and Washington. Data compiled by the ministry showed China and Hong Kong accounted for 31.7 percent of Taiwan’s total outbound sales last year, a drop of 12.2 percentage points from a high of 43.9 percent in 2020. In addition to increasing trade conflicts between China and the US, the ministry said
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