Taiwan's PCB maker Apex International, with main manufacturing operations in Thailand, expects to enjoy a particularly strong first-half 2021, but it is facing challenges from tight capacity and rising mterials costs, according to industry sources.

Nan Ya PCB has disclosed plans to spend at least NT$8 billion (US$287.5 million) in 2021, compared to a capex of NT$7.35 billion for 2020, for capacity expansions at its plants in China and Taiwan, particularly for ABF substrates, to further drive up its profitability.

Six-inch foundries have seen their fab capacity for the third quarter almost fully booked, driven by a ramp-up in demand for analog chips, such as power management ICs, and discrete power devices including diodes and MOSFETs, according to industry sources in Taiwan.

Shortages of LTCC (low temperature co-fired ceramic) components have become severe thanks to slow capacity expansions at makers and growing demand for 5G handset and Wi-Fi 6E applications, with delivery lead times at suppliers further extended and their quotes trending upward, according to industry...

Taiwan-based CCL manufacturer Elite Materials (EMC) expects to further enhance its product mix in 2021 for profit growth, after seeing its net earnings rise 13.85% on year to a record high of NT$3.694 billion (US$131.93 million) in 2020 with total revenues growing 9.4% to NT$27.2 billion.

The global supply of ABF substrates may fall short of demand by at least 25% in 2021, due mainly to limited capacity expansions despite increasing demand, according to industry sources.

TSMC is giving priority to expanding its 12-inch fab capacity to ease supply. Now clients stand a better chance of having their orders squeezed into TSMC's production schedule in the second quarter of 2021. Taiwan's inductor...

PCB drill specialist Topoint Technology will be more aggressively expanding its drill bits sales and drilling services in 2021 to further ramp up its profitability after terminating its lackluster business of cutting tools in fourth-quarter 2020, according to industry sources.

Taiwan makers of inductors are keenly enforcing capacity expansions to meet increasingly strong demand for automotive, handset and other consumer electronics applications, according to industry sources.

Niche-type CCL supplier Ventec International has formed a strategic alliance with interconnect solutions vendor Bizlink and online EDA library and digital transformation services provider Footprintku aiming to create a one-stop service platform that can boost product development and shorten time-to-...

Taiwan-based PCB makers are expected to see their combined output value grow further in 2021, driven by strong demand for IC substrates, HDI boards and flexible PCBs, according to market sources.

IC manufacturing capacity has been tight, resulting in chip shortages that some expect to last into 2020. Shortages amid strong demand are sending product prices up - one of those being MOSFET...

IC substrate and PCB maker Unimicron Technology expects ABF substrates to remain its major growth driver in 2021 and will maintain high capacity utilization for the product line throughout the year.

China-based power MOSFET and other power device suppliers have already raised their quotes by 10-15% recently amid tight foundry capacity, and will make another upward price adjustments, according to industry sources.

Prices for MOSFET chips are set to rise significantly in the months ahead thanks to worsening shortages arising from persistently tight 8-inch foundry capacity and rapid increases in demand for graphics cards and automotive electronics applications, according to industry sources.

Yageo and Walsin Technology have seen their visibility of orders for MLCCs, chip resistors, inductors and capacitors extend to the second half of 2021 thanks to ODMs and distributors strengthening order momentum to replenish their inventories, according to industry sources.

Unusually low rainfalls in Taiwan over the past year have resulted in water shortages, particularly in the southern parts of the country. Some companies at the Southern Taiwan Science Park, including TSMC, have started buying truckloads...

Rising copper foil prices will likely prompt Taiwan-based CCL makers to further raise their quotes later in the first half of this year, according to industry sources.

Taiwan's automotive PCB makers may see short-term impacts on their revenues from deferred deliveries of shipment to car vendors who are forced to suspend production due to shortages of automotive chips, according to industry sources.

MLCC vendors including Samsung Electro-Mechanics (Semco) and TDK are likely to raise their quotes for high-capacitance MLCCs in response to stronger-than-expected demand for 5G handset and automotive applications, according to channel distribution sources.

Taiwan suppliers of high-end IC substrates, HDI boards, rigid PCBs with high layer counts and flexible PCBs are expected to have another busy year in 2021 after benefiting from pandemic-induced upgrades in electronics devices in 2020. Their increasingly tight capacity has prompted them to farm out...

Taiwan-based leadframe makers are about to raise their prices to reflect rising copper material costs, according to industry sources.

Surging prices of Ethereum has boosted demand for graphics cards used to mine the cryptocurrecny, which is benefiting Taiwan-based IC testing services providers, according to sources from the semiconductor industry.

The supply of aluminum electrolytic capacitors has fallen short of demand by 15-20% since second-half 2020, resulting in extensions in delivery lead times at suppliers in Japan, Taiwan and China, according to industry sources.

The supply of foundry and packaging materials, such as photoresist and leadframes, has already fallen short of demand, prompting related distributors to raise prices, according to industry sources.