Taiwan-based PCB manufacturers are enhancing their presence in the electric vehicle (EV) and server sectors as they have seen their growth thus far this year depend mainly on increasing demand from the two sectors, according to industry sources.
Factors including the fast development of the EV market and the rising demand for advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) and Internet of Vehicles (IoV) applications have helped drive up shipments of automotive boards, said the sources.
While the PCB industry is still under destocking pressure, some makers, such as Tripod Technology, believe the industry is heading for moderate growth in the third quarter of 2022, thanks to the peak season effect.
Tripod saw its revenue increase 4.9% on year to NT$5.569 billion (US$183.78 million) in August, the company's highest for the month, although the figures were 3.3% lower than the previous month.
Accumulated 2022 revenue through August totaled NT$45.259 billion, increasing 10.9% from a year earlier.
Fellow company Chin-Poon Industrial, which has shifted its focus to automotive boards in recent years, reported revenue of NT$1.474 billion for August, up 8.7% on month but down 6.21% on year.
For January-August, Chin-Poon garnered revenue of NT$11.573 billion, decreasing 1.59% from a year earlier.
According to the Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA), Chin-Poon currently ranks fourth in the global automotive board vendor rankings.
Three other Taiwan-based PCB firms are also among the list of top-10 vendors. They are Unimicron Technology (6th), Tripod (8th), and Dynamic Electronics (10th), TPCA said.
Dynamic recorded revenue of NT$3.588 billion for the second quarter of 2022, with automotive boards accounting for 59% of total sales. The company also reported revenue of NT$1.266 billion for August.
Looking forward, most makers believe that automotive board shipments, particularly those for EV applications, will continue serving as the main growth driver for the PCB industry in 2023 and beyond. But they are conservative about the outlook for other applications in the second half of 2022.