After GMB decided to invest $935 million in 70% stake of ELNA, the Japanese automobile PCB manufacturer, simultaneously acquiring the operating rights, the battle over the automobile PCB market has received considerable attention. In response to such market competition, Tripod Technology and Dynamic have determined to invest in new production capacities this year.

 

Tripod Technology’s revenue reached a record high of $4.363 billion in January of this year, exceeding corporate expectations and holding the more than $4 billion mark for six consecutive months. This result was mainly due to the injection of funds to generate new capacity and steady shipment growth of automobile PCBs, which currently account for 20% of Tripod Technology’s revenue share. The corporation has estimated that the automobile PCB revenue share of Tripod Technology will further increase to 22% in 2018.

 

Tripod Technology is currently ranked as the second largest PCB plant in mainland China, with an annual output that is second only to Zhen Ding. In 2017 Q4, Tripod Technology’s Hubei Xiantao plant increased its monthly production output to 600,000 square feet to reach a total monthly production capacity of 1.8 million square feet. The overall monthly production capacity of Tripod Technology has reached 9 million square feet. Tripod Technology executives have pointed out that Hubei Xiantao plant is gradually achieving new production capacity. This year, the company will further invest $4 ~ $5 billion to expand the Hubei Xiantao plant, which is expected to achieve a new monthly production output of 600,000 square feet.

 

Clients generally use Tripod Technology’s PCBs for memory modules, hard drives, PCs, photovoltaic panels, mobile phones, servers, automobile PCBs, etc. The company is also the supplier of Xiaomi mobile phone PCBs. In 2017 Q4, its Hubei Xiantao plant increased production to achieve a new monthly production output of 600,000 square feet. The plant’s total monthly production capacity is 1.8 million square feet, and the company’s overall monthly production capacity has reached 9 million square feet. Tripod Technology executives have pointed out that the Hubei Xiantao plant will not rule out expanding its production of automobile PCBs.

 

The revenue of the PCB manufacturer Dynamic reached $11.617 billion last year, down 1.49%. Last year, Dynamic’s automobile PCBs accounted for more than 35% of its revenue share, the production of which was dominated by its Kunshan plant. However, this year, its new plant at Hubei Huangshi will contribute to the production of automobile PCBs.

 

Dynamic began building the new Huangshi plant in 2016, where production will focus on automobile PCBs. The company is actively seeking client-side certifications and expects automobile PCBs to dominate its production in 2019. Based on the production capacity planning of Dynamic’s Hubei Huangshi plant, the monthly production capacity was 400,000 square feet in 2017 Q4, and the monthly production capacity in 2018 Q2 and Q4 is 400,000 square feet each. By 2019, this Huangshi plant is predicted to produce a total monthly production capacity of 1.6 million square feet when fully equipped. (Source: FundsYES)