TAIPEI, TAIWAN – There are only 175 shopping days until Christmas, but handset PCB makers are already ramping up for holiday sales increases. Compeq Manufacturing, Unitech Printed Circuit Board and Unimicron Technology are forecasting monthly sales increases through September, reports DigiTimes. Third-quarter revenue is expected to increase 10% to 15% sequentially. According to Compeq, it shipped about 32 million to 35 million handsets in the second quarter. June revenues are expected to remain flat compared to May, on low orders and the slow market recovery in Europe and the US. The company is expecting third-quarter shipments to jump 14% to 25%, with a goal of 40 million units; HDI shipments for the quarter are expected to remain stable. Unimicron reported utilization rates for PCB, HDI and IC substrate production are over 80%. Second-quarter revenues are expected to increase by at least 30%, reports DigiTimes. Smartphone, mid-range to high-end handset, GPS and automotive PCBs shipments are on the rise, reports Unitech. Smartphone demand, not surprisingly, is particularly strong.
GHENT, BELGIUM and OSHKOSH, WI – Multicircuits has purchased Ucamco’s Integr8tor solution. “We chose Integr8tor because of its unique ability to provide relevant data to our quoting department, which in turn has improved our productivity,” says Michael Thiel, director of engineering and operations. The company has also decreased its CAM time because jobs can now be opened directly from CAM software without reloading Gerber data and recreating the stackup, Thiel adds.
BEAVERTON, OR – Merix Corp. has extended its borrowing capacity an additional $7.3 million after reaching a credit agreement with Industrial and Commercial Bank of China.
Read more: Merix Banks on China for $7.3M Credit Line
TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Apple’s iPhone 3GS is forecast to increase sales for flexible PCB (FPCB) suppliers in the US, Japan and Taiwan, reports DigiTimes.
Companies expected to see benefits include: US-based Multi-Fineline Electronix (M-Flex); Japan-based Nippon Mektron and Fujikura; and Taiwan-based Flexium Interconnect and Foxconn Electronics’ FPCB subsidiary.
While a typical smartphone needs 3 to 6 FPCBs, the iPhone 3GS requires more than 10.
Flexium and Foxconn’s subsidiary will supply antenna module and keyboard solutions, according to DigiTimes, while M-Flex, Nippon Mektron and Fujikura will provide FPCBs for the iPhone body.
Flexium expects second-quarter revenue to increase more than 40% on customer demand for smartphone-related products, says DigiTimes.
Nippon and Fujikura ranked second and eleventh, respectively, on Dr. Hayo Nakahara’s 2007 NTI 100 list, while M-Flex ranked twenty-sixth.
BOTTEGONE, ITALY – The weak global economy has claimed another victim. Isola Group announced it will close MAS Italia, its laminate manufacturing operation located here.
Shareholders have authorized liquidation, beginning the legal process to settle with creditors.
Isola will relocate production to its Isola GmbH operation in Duren, Germany. A limited number of MAS Italia customer service, accounting and sales staff will be retained.
In a release, Isola Group CEO Ray Sharpe said it was no longer viable for the company to operate two large laminate production facilities in Europe. “Current market demand can be more adequately met by one facility operating in Germany, the largest laminate market in Europe.”
