Group Up Industrial Co. Ltd. (GP), a PCB equipment manufacturer, enjoyed a growth in revenue and profit this year due to Apple’s SLP equipment upgrade. As of today, orders have been placed in full for the first quarter of next year and the prospect for 2018 is improving.

Founded in 1990, GP has production bases in Taiwan and Suzhou and specializes in processes such as curing, exposure, coating, and lamination. GP is the curing equipment manufacturer designated by Apple. An auto curing machine was launched last year for Apple’s SLP m-sap process.

In terms of product applications, PCB’s account for 40%~50%, followed by flexible print circuits (FPC)/IC substrates, monitors, touch panels, and back lighting. GP’s customers include the top 30 PCB manufacturers in Taiwan and manufacturers from Japan, Korea, Europe, and the U.S. GP is also a FPC supplier for iPhone. For monitors, AU Optronics, Innolux Corporation, Foxconn, Lens Technology and TPK are some of GP’s customers.

As at September 2017, GP achieved a revenue of NT$1.1 billion, with an annual growth of 35%, mainly due to Apple’s SLP which resulted in the significant expansion of SLP from the end of last year to the first half of this year. GP’s auto curing machine enjoyed a market share of 100% in terms of SLP. With this increasing demand, GP expects to achieve a significant growth in revenue this year.

Looking at the momentum of future growth, GP has won orders for the first quarter of next year and expects to grasp the opportunities for SLPs adopted by other cell phone manufacturers. In terms of FPC, the increase in fine line processes and permeability of OLED is expected to promote GP’s equipment upgrade. In addition to curing, exposure, coating, and lamination, GP also develops auto lines and integrates smart data to help customers advance toward Industry 4.0. (Source: Money DJ)