According to DIGITIMES Research's observation, there are generally two main reasons for PCB firms to relocate to Thailand: derisking and opportunities for automotive electronics. With extra support from the Thai government in the form of incentives, Thailand has become a favorite destination for PCB manufacturers and upstream industries, and a PCB industry ecosystem is being formed there.
China is the largest PCB production base, but since 2018, it has been facing a series of external and internal challenges, such as the US-China trade war, the COVID lockdown, and the dual-control policy introduced in 2021 on energy consumption, which has prompted companies to rethink de-risking and the necessity of decentralized production.
Thailand has long been an important hub in Southeast Asia for the electronics manufacturing and automaking industries. Since 2020, PCB imports have been increasing. Thailand also has a promising future as far as demand for automotive electronics is concerned. With Thailand boasting a relatively better investment environment than other ASEAN neighbors, the Thai government is also actively attracting investors through incentives, making the country the top choice for the PCB industry seeking to embrace the "China +1" strategy.
Chart 2: Global PCB production value share by maker origin, 2021
Chart 3: Taiwan PCB industry production value and import/export values, 1988-2022 (NT$100m)
Chart 4: Global PCB export value and share of major export markets, 2001-2022 (US$b)
Table 1: US tariff changes on products imported from China, 2018-2020
Table 2: PCB makers and material suppliers investment locations in Thailand
Table 3: PCB makers and material suppliers mass production schedule and applications
Table 5: Thailand government incentives for investment in local tech industries
Chart 5: Thailand PCB import and export amounts, 4Q13-2Q23 (US$m)
Chart 7: Top-7 markets where Thailand import PCBs, 4Q13-2Q23 (US$m)
