Motherboard PCB Prices to Increase

Entering the peak season, PCB makers expect a 5 percent to 7 percent increase in prices of motherboard PCBs. The segment is said to be the second line to increase after the handset PCB sector.

Makers claim that motherboard PCBs are the least intensive to manufacture; thus attracting more companies to focus on the segment, which eventually flattened out profits. With a few remaining companies in the competitive motherboard PCB market, price hikes are expected in the next several months.

Plotech's Kunshan HDI Plant Pushes Up Profits to NT$385M

Plotech's second plant in Kunshan, mainland China, which became operational in the start of the third quarter, has driven up first-half profits of the company to NT$385 million (pre-tax).

The company's strategy for its handset HDI products differ from its competitors who only focus on international mobile phone brands. Plotech mainly caters to China's domestic mobile phone market, which currently has around 300 to 400 mobile phone design companies. Plotech focuses on quick-turn, small batch manufacturing, attracting orders for midrange white brand mobile phones.

Meanwhile, the company has achieved certification from Microsoft for its ZuneMP4 media player.

Compeq to Enter Volume Production of Rigid-flex PCBs for iPods

Compeq is expected to enter volume production of rigid-flex PCBs for Apple's iPod in September. The company started small batch production for the media player in August. With the impending orders, rigid-flex PCBs is forecast to account for 15 percent of Compeq's output in the third quarter, compared to only 10 percent in the first half of the year.

Meanwhile, it is also rumored that Compeq will provide HDI and rigid-flex PCBs for Apple's iPhone; however the company refused to comment.

Yeu Hwan Expects Strong Orders for FPCs 

Despite large PCB companies receiving major orders from consumer electronics manufacturers such as Apple, a few mid-level companies such as Yeu Hwan still can turn a buck from the trend. The company continues to receive orders from CE makers as backup in fear of the temporary lack of flex PCB capacities. In fact, GCE and Nanya both order FPCs from Yeu Hwan.

The growing orders are expected to boost the company's performance in the second half of the year.

Unimicron On Track to be the # 3 PCB Maker Worldwide

Unimicron, landing major orders from Nokia and Apple, is expected to become among the largest PCB manufacturers worldwide. The company, which has received mobile phone PCB orders from Apple and Nokia for their iPhone and N95 handsets, respectively, registered a total output of 70 million units in the second quarter of the year.

FC-CSP Substrate Demand to Outpace Supply

Driven by the robust development in the mobile phone and network communications equipment segments in China and India, demand for FC-CSP products is expected to outpace supply. Major companies, including China Telecom, China Mobile, China Unicom, Qualcomm, Broadcom and Marvell, are full speed ahead in setting up network communications infrastructures. For its part, Unicom has started using 90nm and 65nm design process, causing the corresponding IC substrate products to be transferred from PBGA to high-level FC-CSP substrates.

In line with this, FC-CSP manufacturers are facing supply shortages, according to Kinsus. The supply surplus in the substrate market last year has caused makers to shelve their production expansion plans. In addition, it takes about nine to 12 months for the certification of FC-CSP substrates, and Kinsus claims to be the only one that has achieved certification from major companies and IC makers.