Delta Electronics Inc (台達電) expects its US automation business to remain steady in the second half, with no signs of weakening client demand.
With demand from US clients remaining solid, its performance in the second half is expected to be similar to that of the first half, Andy Liu (劉佳容), general manager of the company’s industrial automation business group, said on the sidelines of the Taiwan Automation Intelligence and Robot Show in Taipei on Wednesday.
The company earlier reported that revenue from its automation business grew 7 percent year-on-year to NT$27.22 billion (US$889.98 million) in the first half, accounting for 11 percent of the company’s total revenue.
                    Photo courtesy of Delta Electronics Inc
Clients had placed some front-loading orders for its automation products in the first half, but the effect was not as pronounced as in consumer electronics, he said.
As most automation products are predesigned, excess inventory poses higher risks for clients, and instead of rushing urgent orders, clients have mainly requested quicker shipments, Liu said.
As Delta’s sales are mainly based on a business-to-business model, it does not expect to see dramatic seasonal changes, Liu said.
Geographically, the US is Delta’s second-largest automation market, with the company selling a full range of products, from motor drives to controllers, Liu said.
The US is the world’s second-largest manufacturing country by value, following China, Liu said.
Delta supplies US customers in the aerospace, defense and machinery segments, Liu said.
Those products carry higher unit prices and higher margins of 30 to 40 percent, he said.
Delta’s automation products shipped to its US clients are partly priced under the free-on-board method, he said, adding that the company also sells products under its own brand.
Tariff costs vary by client, depending on negotiations, with larger clients facing different terms than smaller ones, while the company bears the full costs for its own-brand products, he said.
As the US market is vast, establishing distribution channels there would require immense labor and production costs, which would not be sustainable without sufficient sales scale, he said.
As European markets are smaller and more scattered, the company can expand one market at a time, whereas in the US, development would require establishing multiple factories across several states, Liu said.
Delta operates subsidiaries and offices in Germany, Italy, France, the Netherlands and Poland, information on its Web site shows.
RUN IT BACK: A succesful first project working with hyperscalers to design chips encouraged MediaTek to start a second project, aiming to hit stride in 2028 MediaTek Inc (聯發科), the world’s biggest smartphone chip supplier, yesterday said it is engaging a second hyperscaler to help design artificial intelligence (AI) accelerators used in data centers following a similar project expected to generate revenue streams soon. The first AI accelerator project is to bring in US$1 billion revenue next year and several billion US dollars more in 2027, MediaTek chief executive officer Rick Tsai (蔡力行) told a virtual investor conference yesterday. The second AI accelerator project is expected to contribute to revenue beginning in 2028, Tsai said. MediaTek yesterday raised its revenue forecast for the global AI accelerator used
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) has secured three construction permits for its plan to build a state-of-the-art A14 wafer fab in Taichung, and is likely to start construction soon, the Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau said yesterday. Speaking with CNA, Wang Chun-chieh (王俊傑), deputy director general of the science park bureau, said the world’s largest contract chipmaker has received three construction permits — one to build a fab to roll out sophisticated chips, another to build a central utility plant to provide water and electricity for the facility and the other to build three office buildings. With the three permits, TSMC
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