Forward Science Corp (鋒魁科技) expects to achieve high double-digit percentage growth in revenue this year, the maker of vacuum pumps used in semiconductor and display manufacturing said yesterday, citing signs of recovery in the semiconductor industry.
The company is also upbeat about its business in the South Korean market, as it expects to ship the first batch of vacuum pumps to customers in the second half of this year, it said.
Samsung Electronics Co, LG Electronics Inc and SK Hynix Inc among potential customers, it added
Photo: Grace Hung, Taipei Times
In South Korea, the company operates a joint venture with Dongbang Plantech Co to deepen its local presence as Seoul joins
Tokyo and Washington in strengthening domestic semiconductor supply chains.
Headquartered in Miaoli County’s Jhunan Township (竹南), the company has an order backlog of 400 vacuum pumps for delivery this year, more than double the 150 units shipped last year, it said.
Vacuum pumps play an important role in semiconductor production as they help remove air and gas molecules from a sealed chamber and keep the environment clean.
Chipmakers tend to install more than 5,000 vacuum bumps to operate an advanced 12-inch fab using 3-nanometer technology, said Forward Science, which is 20 percent owned by semiconductor equipment supplier Marketech International Corp (帆宣系統科技).
“We are bullish about this year’s business outlook,” Forward Science chairman Jacky Chang (張育銓) told a media briefing in Hsinchu. “As the semiconductor industry is recovering gradually, the company is seeing an increase in orders from Taiwanese customers.”
As a result, the company is building a new factory in Miaoli County’s Sanwan Township (三灣).
Taiwanese customers accounted for about 90 percent of the company’s revenue last year, with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (台積電) its largest customer.
However, more new orders are coming from Chinese customers who are sourcing semiconductor equipment from non-US suppliers to achieve self-sufficiency, Chang said.
China is to contribute about 20 percent to the company’s revenue this year, he said.
The company’s revenue in the first 11 months of last year grew 23 percent to NT$270.86 million (US$8.73 million) from a year earlier, with 50 percent coming from vacuum pump sales and 35 percent from pump maintenance services.
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