Electronic components supplier Lite-On Technology Corp (光寶科技) yesterday said it expects revenue to grow at a quarterly pace of 10 percent this quarter, thanks to shipment delays of some automotive devices, computers and consumer electronics due to key component shortages.
The company’s revenue last quarter grew to NT$41.86 billion (US$1.49 billion) — its highest level in about seven quarters.
“The fourth quarter is normally an off-season ... but the third quarter [revenue] was affected by component and material shortages. We believe it should be okay to [expect] 10 percent revenue growth in the fourth quarter,” Lite-On president Anson Chiu (邱森彬) told investors in an online conference yesterday.
Photo: Chen Rou-chen, Taipei Times
The company was concerned about the chip shortage, but it altered its product designs at the beginning of this year to minimize the impact, Chiu said, adding that China’s electricity curbs have had a very limited effect on Lite-On as it has expanded capacity in Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Automotive electronics and cloud-based and artificial intelligence of things (AIoT) devices, both of which deliver a higher gross margin than the corporate average, would be the main growth drivers this quarter, extending last quarter’s robust growth momentum, he said.
The company also maintains an optimistic outlook for next year as its optoelectronics business is expected to grow 15 to 20 percent year-on-year, Chiu said.
Lite-On’s optoelectronics business, which offers outdoor lighting, automotive electronics and optoelectronic product solutions, contributed 20 percent to its revenue last quarter.
Its cloud and AIoT business made up 28 percent of the company’s revenue, with products including electronic components used in data centers, servers and smart devices.
Electronic components for information technology and consumer electronics products such as notebook computers and game consoles were the biggest source of revenue, making up about 52 percent, the company said.
Lite-On yesterday reported that net profit grew 3 percent to NT$3.08 billion last quarter from NT$2.99 billion a year earlier, thanks to robust demand for power units used in cloud computing devices, electric vehicles and PCs.
That represented a quarterly decline of 24 percent from NT$4.03 billion, after some impairment losses were booked.
Earnings per share rose to NT$1.33 last quarter from NT$1.29 a year earlier, but dropped from NT$1.74 in the second quarter.
Gross margin rose to 19.3 percent last quarter from 19 percent a year earlier, but declined from 19.7 percent in the second quarter.
US sports leagues rushed to get in on the multi-billion US dollar bonanza of legalized betting, but the arrest of an National Basketball Association (NBA) coach and player in two sprawling US federal investigations show the potential cost of partnering with the gambling industry. Portland Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups, a former Detroit Pistons star and an NBA Hall of Famer, was arrested for his alleged role in rigged illegal poker games that prosecutors say were tied to Mafia crime families. Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier was charged with manipulating his play for the benefit of bettors and former NBA player and
The DBS Foundation yesterday announced the launch of two flagship programs, “Silver Motion” and “Happier Caregiver, Healthier Seniors,” in partnership with CCILU Ltd, Hondao Senior Citizens’ Welfare Foundation and the Garden of Hope Foundation to help Taiwan face the challenges of a rapidly aging population. The foundation said it would invest S$4.91 million (US$3.8 million) over three years to foster inclusion and resilience in an aging society. “Aging may bring challenges, but it also brings opportunities. With many Asian markets rapidly becoming super-aged, the DBS Foundation is working with a regional ecosystem of like-minded partners across the private, public and people sectors
BREAKTHROUGH TECH: Powertech expects its fan-out PLP system to become mainstream, saying it can offer three-times greater production throughput Chip packaging service provider Powertech Technology Inc (力成科技) plans to more than double its capital expenditures next year to more than NT$40 billion (US$1.31 billion) as demand for its new panel-level packaging (PLP) technology, primarily used in chips for artificial intelligence (AI) applications, has greatly exceeded what it can supply. A significant portion of the budget, about US$1 billion, would be earmarked for fan-out PLP technology, Powertech told investors yesterday. Its heavy investment in fan-out PLP technology over the past 10 years is expected to bear fruit in 2027 after the technology enters volume production, it said, adding that the tech would
YEAR-END BOOST: The holiday shopping season in the US and Europe, combined with rising demand for AI applications, is expected to drive exports to a new high, the NDC said Taiwan’s business climate monitor improved last month, transitioning from steady growth for the first time in five months, as robust global demand for artificial intelligence (AI) products and new iPhone shipments boosted exports and corporate sales, the National Development Council (NDC) said yesterday. The council uses a five-color system to measure the nation’s economic state, with “green” indicating steady growth, “red” suggesting a boom and “blue” reflecting a recession. “Yellow-red” and “yellow-blue” suggest a transition to a stronger or weaker condition. The total score of the monitor’s composite index rose to 35 points from a revised 31 in August, ending a four-month