TAIPEI – Taiwan-based PCB fabricators in China reported 2018 revenues rose 5% year-over-year to NT$651.4 billion ($21.6 billion), a record high.

The proportion of production is about 62%, and the overall market value is an industry-leading 31% of the global market, says the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association.

TPCA said the surge was driven by flex circuits, rigid-flex and chip substrates for mobile phones, consumer electronics and automotive electronics. “With the launch of major brand mobile phones in the second half, the demand for high-end circuit boards increased significantly, and Taiwan's PCB production value reached a record high,” TPCA said.

Looking to 2019, due to factors such as Sino-US trade, China's economic cooling, and political interference between Britain and France, the annual output value is expected to grow 1.5%.

The TPCA noted major PCB manufacturers have expansion plans in China.

The trade group also noted the PCB industry has been actively deploying applications in Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing. This week, TPCA demonstrated a new PCB equipment networking data integration and smart warning diagnosis development project. It is expected to network 20 board factories and 100 machines, and the PCBECI communication protocol (SCES/GEM) will become a new standard.

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