PCB manufacturers Compeq Manufacturing and Tripod Technology have both seen strong HDI PCB shipment pull-ins from clients for handset, notebook and automotive applications, and are set to post strong sales results for first-quarter 2021.
Besides maintaining stable shipments of substrate-like HDI mainboards for iPhones, Compeq has also landed substantial orders from Chinese handset vendors for anylayer HDI mainboards for their flagship smartphones, according to industry sources. The company has also seen rising penetration of its HDI PCB in high-end non-Apple notebooks apart from mounting shipments for MacBooks and iPads. Bolstered by multiple applications, Compeq has ascended to the world's top vendor of HDI boards, the sources said.
Compeq will remain busy fulfilling shipments for handset and other consumer applications through the Lunar New Year and has readied production workforce to maintain production during the holiday, the sources said, adding that its HDI PCB shipments for automotive and low-orbit satellite communication applications will also continue to ramp up in 2021.
Tripod's revenue ratio from HDI board shipments for handset, notebook, tablet and memory module applications has risen since second-half 2020 to 30%, compared to 20% for the automotive electronics segment.
The company is expected to further boost revenue contribution ratio for auto-use HDI board shipments, as it reportedly has tapped into the supply chain of Tesla and will ramp up shipments for the EV vendor this year, the sources said.
To meet increasing demand, Compeq's new capacity at its plant complex in Chongqing, China will start small-volume production in April before starting volume production in third-quarter 2021, while Tripod will also enforce capacity expansions at its plants in China's Hubei and Jiangsu provinces in the second half of the year.
Compeq's 2020 revenues rose 7.73% on year to NT$60.517 billion (US$2.16 billion), and Tripod saw its 2020 revenues gain 2.01% on year to reach NT$55.548 billion.
