Taiwanese notebook PC manufacturers are expected to increase production by more than 45 percent this year, according to the findings of a survey released by trade sourcing group Global Sources Ltd yesterday.
The report, "Notebook PCs & Accessories: Supplier Capability in China and Taiwan," also shows that around 80 percent of Taiwan-ese manufacturers' output will be made in China. That figure compares to 65 percent last year, Global Sources said.
The report profiles 131 manufac-turers of notebook PCs and related accessories in China and Taiwan. It examines issues such as pricing, production capacity, research and development and design trends.
Based on the report, Taiwanese manufacturers -- including Quanta Computer Inc (
"Taiwan manufacturers produce six out of 10 notebook computers sold worldwide. Ninety-two percent of their output is sold under the leading brand names in the industry, such as Compaq, Toshiba, HP and Dell. To provide their customers high-volume, low-cost manufacturing, Taiwan companies rely on contract manufacturers in China," Global Sources Publisher Mark Saunderson said in a statement on the report.
The report said that in order to gain better access to China's computer market, an increasing number of Taiwanese makers have shifted their production sites across the Taiwan Strait in recent years, making Shanghai, Suzhou and Wujiang the key production centers for notebook PCs there.
Overall, the Chinese market will absorb at least 1.8 million notebooks this year, up 43 percent from 2003, and it will expand by at least 20 percent annually until 2008, the report said.
Of those notebook PCs made in China, up to 70 percent are equipped with Intel Corp's Centrino solution, the report said. The Centrino effect, which began growing in earnest in the second half of last year, continue to drive the market, as the processor supports wireless connections between various components of a PC network.
Even so, because the global demand is not as strong as market watchers expected earlier this year, the semi-official Taipei-based Market Intelligence Center (資訊市場情報中心) trimmed its forecast for overall laptop shipments by Taiwanese manufacturers this year from 47.5 million units to 46.7 million.
TARIFFS: The global ‘panic atmosphere remains strong,’ and foreign investors have continued to sell their holdings since the start of the year, the Ministry of Finance said The government yesterday authorized the activation of its NT$500 billion (US$15.15 billion) National Stabilization Fund (NSF) to prop up the local stock market after two days of sharp falls in reaction to US President Donald Trump’s new import tariffs. The Ministry of Finance said in a statement after the market close that the steering committee of the fund had been given the go-ahead to intervene in the market to bolster Taiwanese shares in a time of crisis. The fund has been authorized to use its assets “to carry out market stabilization tasks as appropriate to maintain the stability of Taiwan’s
STEEP DECLINE: Yesterday’s drop was the third-steepest in its history, the steepest being Monday’s drop in the wake of the tariff announcement on Wednesday last week Taiwanese stocks continued their heavy sell-off yesterday, as concerns over US tariffs and unwinding of leveraged bets weighed on the market. The benchmark TAIEX plunged 1,068.19 points, or 5.79 percent, to 17,391.76, notching the biggest drop among Asian peers as it hit a 15-month low. The decline came even after the government on late Tuesday authorized the NT$500 billion (US$15.2 billion) National Stabilization Fund (國安基金) to step in to buoy the market amid investors’ worries over tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump. Yesterday’s decline was the third-steepest in its history, trailing only the declines of 2,065.87 points on Monday and
TARIFF CONCERNS: The chipmaker cited global uncertainty from US tariffs and a weakening economic outlook, but said its Singapore expansion remains on track Vanguard International Semiconductor Corp (世界先進), a foundry service provider specializing in producing power management and display driver chips, yesterday withdrew its full-year revenue projection of moderate growth for this year, as escalating US tariff tensions raised uncertainty and concern about a potential economic recession. The Hsinchu-based chipmaker in February said revenues this year would grow mildly from last year based on improving supply chain inventory levels and market demand. At the time, it also anticipated gradual quarter revenue growth. However, the US’ sweeping tariff policy has upended the industry’s supply chains and weakened economic prospects for the world economy, it said. “Now
An employment discrimination lawsuit against contract chipmaker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) might soon be expanded after a hearing in a federal court in San Jose, California, on Tuesday to add 15 plaintiffs to the case. According to a court document, the lawsuit, which was refiled in November last year as a form of a class action with 13 plaintiffs in California, wants to add 15 plaintiffs from Arizona, where TSMC is building up its wafer fab capacity. TSMC first committed between 2020 and last year to invest US$65 billion in three advanced wafer fabs in Arizona. It then pledged an