Spirox Corp (蔚華科技) yesterday said that it is planning to buy a 9.09 percent stake in Japan’s Wintest Corp for up to NT$250 million (US$8.28 million).
The stake purchase would see the two firms jointly develop next-generation chip-testing tools catering to clients in Taiwan and China, the Taiwanese semiconductor equipment supplier said.
Yokohama-based Wintest would also subscribe to 6.2 million new Spirox shares at NT$40 each via a private placement for about a 6 percent stake, the Hsinchu-based company said.
The offer represented an about 18.17 percent premium on Spirox’s closing price of NT$33.85 on Monday.
The total investment would reach about NT$248 million, it said.
“The strategic cooperation with Wintest and [its parent company] Wuhan Jingce Electronic Group Co (武漢精測) marks an important indicator to Spirox’s business transformation,” Spirox chairman Jack Chen (陳有諒) said in a statement.
Spirox is stepping up investment in research and development in a bid to expand its product lineup after severing a dealership agreement with Xcerra Corp last year. The firm stopped distributing Xcerra equipment in October.
Chen said the company’s equity investment in Wintest, which is 60.53 percent held by Wuhan Jingce, also marks a move to expand to China.
Wuhan Jingce is one of Spirox’s major customers, according to a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange.
“Wuhan Jingce is more than happy to see the strategic alliance of Spirox and Wintest. The company will take Spirox as the company’s first [technology] source, and promote Spirox and Wintest test solutions in China,” Wuhan Jingce vice president Shen Yangwei (沈揚威) said in the statement.
Spirox and Wintest would work together in developing new semiconductor testing equipment suitable for clients in greater China, Spirox said in the filing.
The collaboration would help drive down development costs and expand the companies’ presence in China, Spirox said.
Wintest focuses on semiconductor testing technology for LCD displays, image sensors and analog semiconductor devices.
Through the strategic cooperation with Spirox, the company aims to explore new business opportunities outside Japan, where the number of semiconductor firms has shrunk significantly since 2013 due to industry consolidation, mergers and acquisitions, and fab relocations overseas, Wintest said in a statement posted on its Web site.
Taiwan and China have emerged as new and fast-growing semiconductor equipment markets, the firm said.
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