TAOYUAN CITY, TAIWAN – The 2020 output of the cross-strait Taiwanese PCB industry increased 5.1% year-over-year to NT$696.3 billion (US$25.1 billion), according to the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association, a new high of positive growth for four consecutive years. US dollar growth increased 10.2%.

TPCA expects 2021 growth of 4%, following the economic recovery in Europe and the US in the post-Covid-19 era and increasing application demands boosted by 5G.

Influenced by Covid-19 in mainland China, 2020 output of cross-strait Taiwanese PCB manufacturers rose from 60.7% in the first quarter to 64% in the fourth quarter, with an annual average of 62.8%.

IC substrate and HDI were the stars in 2020, TPCA says. Benefitting from HPC chips and high-speed memory, IC substrate demand increased up to 16%. Despite the decline in the overall mobile market, the demand for high-standard baseboards from smartphones also boosted HDI growth 9.6%. The demand for FPCBs also increased up to 6% due to the launch delay and hot sales of US mobiles.

Thanks to business opportunities from work-from-home, distance learning, and videoconferencing that boosted demand for laptops and the gradual recovery of automotive sales, sales of multilayer boards increased 2% during the second half of the year after a slump in the first half.

Rigid-flex boards were the only PCBs that experienced a decline in 2020.

In 2021, the transition from 4G to 5G telecommunication technology will bring overall growth to major PCB products, including PCBs for smartphones, laptops, wearables, servers, self-driving cars, and network equipment, in which strong momentum of wearables, self-driving cars, and network equipment will lead to the growth of the entire electronics industrial chain.

Taiwan’s PCB industry can take advantage of being the world-leading IC substrate production base, TPCA says. Therefore, it is necessary for Taiwan’s PCB industry to upgrade to advanced processes alongside the semiconductor industry.

Ed.: NT$1 = US$0.036

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