In Q417, the growth of Taiwan’s PCB industry depended mostly on Apple. Most HDI or flex board manufacturers of Apple hit record highs in November in terms of revenue. In December, due to inventory check or leave, clients stopped pulling in earlier, leading to that month’s decline in revenue; however, revenue of the flex board manufacturer ZDT, the CCL manufacturer TUC, and the server and industrial computer board manufacturer Allied Circuit Co., Ltd. (Allied Circuit) still hit record highs for Q4.

With the launch of the new iPhones and Chinese smart phones, the revenue of ZDT hit a record high and is expected to continue to grow in Q118. In December 2017, ZDT reported revenue of NT$16.01 billion with a monthly increase of 7.4% and an annual increase of 85.6%. Despite NTD appreciation, the annual increase rate of revenue increased by 98% in US dollars in December 2017, and the annual increase rate of revenue increased by 40% in 2017. The total revenue of ZDT was NT$108.8 last year with an annual growth of 32%, making ZDT Taiwan’s first PCB manufacturer to have an annual revenue of NT$100 billion or more. 

In the first half of 2018, ZDT has benefited from the delayed sale of iPhone X and expects to enjoy stable growth from Chinese smart phone clients. With the advantages of cost and production flexibility, Taiwanese flex board manufacturers will continue to increase the variety and supply of iPhone flex boards. Furthermore, with the continual upgrade of design and specifications of iPhone flex boards, which increases capacity consumption, ZDT expects to expand production by another 5%~10%.

As for CCL, TUC’s revenue has hit record highs for two consecutive months. In December 2017, revenue reached NT$1.455 billion, mainly thanks to the demand for high-end 100G switches. Revenue growth and gross profit margin had benefited from the increasing need for high-end products.

With regard to traditional PCB, the revenue of Allied Circuit has increased since February 2017, ultimately having an annual growth of 37% in 2017, thanks mainly to the breakthrough in industrial computers and servers. Product portfolio optimization has also benefited from orders for high-end boards from new and existing clients. Furthermore, Allied Circuit was awarded a tender in the second half of 2017, leading to its continuous advance in business. (Source: Money DJ)