KUALA LUMPUR -- PNE PCB will take on a Chinese partner in a move the fabricator hopes will improve its financial outlook.

PNE PCB said the collaboration with JiangYou Starteam Electronic Technology could raise orders at least 30%. The move comes at a critical time for PNE PCB, which posted a net loss of RM2.37 million ($566,000) in its last fiscal year, its second straight year in the red.

Under terms of the deal, each company will share its customer base, thus extending their respective geographical and technology reach. PNE PCB has fabrication plants in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, and Dongguan. JiangYou Starteam has two plants in China, in Huizhou and Sichuan.

Besides making inroads to China, PNE PCB sees the potential to improve its product offerings, which for now are primarily limited to single- and double-sided boards, mainly for consumer products. JiangYou Starteam can build boards up to 10 layers and serves the automotive, handhelds and PC markets.

"The collaboration will not only allow PNE to develop new business from our current customers but also jointly develop new customers with a full range of PCB products from single- to multi-layered by utilizing the contacts on hand," said PNE executive director Cheng Kim Liang in a press statement.

China is PNE PCB's largest market, but it seeks to expand to the US, Vietnam, Indonesia and Thailand, Cheng said.

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