FRANKFURT - The printed circuit board (PCB) market in Germany grew 14% sequentially in March 2007, according to the VdL (Association of the Printed Circuit Board Industry) and the Electronic Components and Systems Group of the ZVEI.

Meanwhile, the PCB market for the first quarter of the year is at the same level as last year.

However, incoming orders slid by 9% compared to February, but VdL and ZVEI attribute this to the large orders in the first half of last year from Asia.The demand remains flat; however VdL and ZVEI are optimistic of the German PCB market this year due to the new lead-free requirements. Book-to-bill ratio was 0.85 in March and 1.0 for the first quarter of the year.

TAIPEI, Taiwan - According to sources, Unimicron Technology anticipates improved revenues in the thrid and firth quarters of 2007 as it adjusts product mix to increase high-end shipments.

Chairman Tzeng Tze-chang, at a recent investor conference said that 2006 was a year of extraordinary growth for the PCB industry and Unimicron is unlikely to see a repeat of 2006 performance in 2007. The chairman remains optimistic about 2007, saying Unimicron's growth will return to pre-2006 levels.

The company continues developing high-end products, including handset-use high-density interconnect (HDI) boards, and chip-scale package (CSP) substrates, Tzeng said. The chairman said the high-end product lines are helping improve the company's margins, which he predicts may hit a record in 2008.