Industrial computer maker IBASE Technology Inc (廣積) yesterday reaffirmed its target of achieving double-digit revenue growth this year, projecting an even split in full-year revenue between the first and second halves.
The company reported a 32.36 percent year-on-year increase in first-half revenue to NT$3.05 billion (US$101.9 million), largely attributed to a lower base from the previous year.
IBASE manufactures single-board computers used in automation control, Internet security, point-of-sale (POS) systems, ATMs and portable devices.
Photo courtesy of IBASE Technology Inc
The Taipei-based company also provides embedded systems for drone controllers, edge computing, medical equipment and smart transportation, as well as advanced system products for data storage, surveillance, high-end servers and industrial automation, its Web site says.
Third-quarter revenue is expected to surpass that of the second quarter, but fourth-quarter sales might decline due to a reduced order forecast from a major US Internet communication client, after mass production of its products began in the second half of last year and drove growth in the first half, IBASE president Albert Lee (李家富) said.
The sharp appreciation of the New Taiwan dollar against the US dollar since early May also eroded second-quarter revenue, Lee said, without disclosing the size of the decline.
However, as revenue contributions from its deployment in the Japanese market are expected to begin in the fourth quarter, the company is maintaining its target to grow full-year revenue above last year’s level, he said.
The company has secured a major order to supply industrial motherboards for ATMs to a Japanese customer, with revenue contributions expected to begin in the second half of next year, Lee said.
IBASE has also secured orders from a Japanese warehouse operator planning to launch a new autonomous mobile robot (AMR), and an original design manufacturer in the country, he added.
The company expects to begin small-volume shipments of ATMs, AMRs and other products to the Japanese market in the fourth quarter of this year, with mass production slated for the first quarter of next year, after which the market is expected to contribute more than 10 percent of total revenue, Lee said.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s administration last week announced a 20 percent tariff on Taiwanese goods, set to take effect tomorrow, although the impact on the company’s products is still pending the outcome of the ongoing Section 232 investigation under the US Trade Expansion Act of 1962, Lee said.
However, as Washington is expected to tighten rules on country-of-origin labeling, IBASE plans to negotiate with customers to ship complete systems instead of individual components to minimize tariff exposure, he said.
IBASE operates manufacturing facilities in New Taipei City’s Sanchong (三重) and Sinjhuang (新莊) districts, as well as in Taoyuan’s Pingjhen District (平鎮), and the company is constructing a new plant in Vietnam, with hardware installation and pilot production expected to begin in the fourth quarter, Lee said.
The Vietnamese facility would operate in tandem with its Taiwan operations to ensure production flexibility, he said.
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