Output of Taiwan's PCB makers forecast to grow 1.5% in 2020

Taipei, Oct. 21 (CNA) The production value of Taiwan's printed circuit board (PCB) makers is expected to grow 1.5 percent year-on-year in 2020 on the back of rising demand for 5G applications, online work and learning, the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) said Wednesday.

Speaking on the first day of the annual TPCA Show held in Taipei, Taiwan Printed Circuit Association chairman Maurice Lee (李長明) said despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy, the PCB industry has received a boost from emerging technologies such as 5G, which has in turn led to an increase in demand for base stations.

In addition, the stay-at-home business opportunities promoted by the rising popularity of online work and remote learning have also pushed up demand for PCBs, Lee said.

Lee, who is also chairman of Unimicron Technology Corp., one of the leading PCB makers in Taiwan, said under such favorable circumstances, the impact of COVID-19 has been minimal, adding the output generated by Taiwan firms' investments across the Taiwan Strait in 2020 will hit NT$672.1 billion (US$23.18 billion), up 1.5 percent from the previous year.

In the first half of the year, the output rose 3.4 percent from a year earlier to NT$298.1 billion, according to Lee.

The aggregate capital expenditure of Taiwanese PCB firms is expected to top NT$100 billion this year, he added.

Major suppliers such as Unimicron, Zhen Ding Technology Holding Ltd., Compeq Manufacturing Co. and Unitech Printed Circuit Board Corp. have invested heavily in high-end technologies and remain upbeat about demand for 5G applications and high performance computing devices, Lee said.

Looking ahead, Shen Chang-Fang (沈慶芳), chairman of Zhen Ding, a subsidiary of the world's largest contract electronics maker Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., said 5G, artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing are expected to help the local PCB industry steam ahead in 2021.

This year, the annual TPCA Show has joined with four other tech expos -- TAITRONICS, AIoT Taiwan, Laser & Photonics Taiwan, and OPTO TAIWAN - to hold a joint trade shows at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center from Oct. 21-23.

At the opening ceremony of the joint exhibition, Vice Premier Shen Jong-chin (沈榮津) said Taiwan is setting up centers for high-end technology, green energy and semiconductor development.

These are expected to serve as drivers of local industrial development as well as Taiwan's economy over the next 20 years, Shen said.

The joint tech show houses 800 exhibitors from Taiwan displaying the results of their electronic technology development work at 1,850 booths, in an effort to earn a greater market share in the new 5G era, organizers said.