The advent of the 5G era is seen as an unprecedented opportunity for the PCB industry. Flexible PCB manufacturers, Flexium and ZDT-KY, the HDI board manufacturer, Compeq, the copper-clad laminate (CCL) manufacturer, ITEQ, the copper foil manufacturer, Co-Tech, etc. have already geared up for 5G by actively expanding their production to meet the explosion of 5G business opportunities. This year’s demand for PCBs has been overwhelming, forcing many manufacturers to reflect their 5G infrastructure construction, including producing new materials (CCLs) needed for base stations and Netcom equipment, and various new PCBs to meet the requirements of 5G mobile phones.
       Maurice Lee, the Chairman of Taiwan Circuit Board Association (TPCA), is optimistic that 5G will drive Taiwan’s PCB production value so that it “rises in volume and price” next year. Annual revenue is expected to increase from 0.2% to 3% this year, and the output value is forecast to reach NT$670 billion. Jin-Cai Chen, the Chairman of ITEQ, said that the 5G infrastructure construction has an optimistic future for at least five years. The Chinese mainland market will likely move first, and the tide of 5G infrastructure construction will continue until 2025.
      ZDT has also shown strong ambitions in 5G. Chairman Charles Shen pointed out that capital expenditure for the company will reach a record high next year, and he expects that the sales performance will be better than this year. For example, the growth of 5G antenna soft PCBs will be relatively robust. The market share of substrate-like PCBs (SLP) will continue to grow with the influx of new products, such as rigid-flex PCBs and backlight modules. Flexium is actively setting foot in the modern era of 5G. As early as last year, it announced that it would invest NT$10 billion to expand its factory in Kaohsiung and a new plant in Kunshan, China, to fully prepare itself for the next 5G generation. (News source: The Liberty Times)