The global automobile market grows by 3 - 5% annually. Along with the increased penetration of car electronics and the growing trend of electrical cars, electronic factories have been actively conducting deployment, with the amount of vehicle-PCB especially on the increase. Because of this, the market has considered and listed car electronics with a primary focus on development. From the beginning of the year, passive components have been in short supply and the prices have increased significantly. As such, Murata Manufacturing, Japan’s leading passive component manufacturer, has, in its production capacity, made miniaturization and vehicle-use items a priority for production.   

 

       Each of the factories has been deployed to manufacture electronic vehicle components, as these manufacturers share a high tolerance for the price of car components, unlike those in the 3C electronic market, where price sensitivity is greater and the competition for prices more fierce. Thus, if the market for vehicle electronics remains stable, components including instrument dashboards should continue to grow in an upward trend.

 

       Every PCB manufacturer has been actively working with a view to the vehicle market. GBM under Walsin has invested 3.5 billion Japanese Yen (about NT$9.35) in Japanese car instrument dashboard manufacturer ELNA and obtained a 70% market share. GBM will then take over its operations and has confirmed that it will expand its capital expenditure this year in order to increase ELNA’s competitiveness.

 

       Currently, ELNA of Japan has established factories in Japan and Malaysia, and its production capacity should reach 1.05 million square feet per month, with a yield rate sitting at 70%. However, its utilization rate has only reached 50%. As GBM combines with ELNA, it will not only help penetrate the vehicle dashboard market, but also complement GBM to decentralize the requirement of setting up assembly lines outside of mainland China.       

 

       TPC purchased the PCB factory belonging to Hitachi Chemical in Kaohsiung in 2015 for NT$275 million, making it independent as Hitachi Chemical (Taiwan), making TPC the largest photovoltaic panel manufacturer in the world and further cutting into the automobile market. Hitachi Chemical (Taiwan) has already achieved a profit last year, as well as earning a profit in the first quarter this year. For the time being, it will focus on its existing Japanese clients, and actively develop new customers and orders. Its production adjustment has already been completed, with its equipment and design already in production status. Its monthly production capacity should reach 30 to 35 thousand square feet. (source of information: cynes network)