RETAILERS
FamilyMart plan approved
Taiwan FamilyMart Co (全家便利商店), the nation’s second-biggest convenience store chain, plans to invest NT$16.8 billion (US$592.7 million) to expand its logistics facilities amid a rise in online shopping, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday as it approved the company’s application to join the government’s “Invest in Taiwan” initiative. FamilyMart said it plans to expand its logistics capacity in Taichung, Hualien County and Hsinchu County’s Hukou Township (湖口). The new facilities are to start operations next year and in 2024. The company operates eight logistics centers in Taiwan. Part of the investment would be to install solar panels on the rooftops of the centers with assistance from AU Optronics Corp (友達光電), FamilyMart said. The investment would create about 2,000 jobs, the ministry said.
PANEL MAKERS
AUO to invest in Taichung
The Taichung City Government yesterday welcomed an announcement by LCD panel maker AU Optronics Corp (AUO, 友達光電) that it is to invest more than NT$100 billion to build an advanced G8.5 production line in the city. The new facility is to be built in the Houli District (后里) section of the Central Taiwan Science Park (中部科學園區). AUO last month told investors that it planned to use the new facilities to make high-end flat panels for notebook computers and monitors, with an aim to expand its market share. The company also plans to ramp up micro-LED display production at the new facilities, it said, adding that operations are to begin in 2025.
SEMICONDUCTORS
TSMC revenue rises
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電), the world’s biggest contract chipmaker, yesterday said revenue last month expanded 37.9 percent to NT$146.93 billion from NT$106.53 billion a year earlier. On a monthly basis, revenue dipped 14.7 percent from NT$172.18 billion. In the first two months of this year, revenue surged 36.8 percent to NT$319.11 billion, from NT$233.28 billion in the same period last year, the company said. Separately, Gudeng Precision Industrial Co Ltd (家登), the sole supplier of extreme ultraviolet pods to TSMC, reported annual revenue growth of 53 percent to NT$277 million last month, benefiting from capacity expansion among customers. However, last month’s figure declined 17.56 percent from NT$336 million in January due to fewer working days, it said. In the first two months, revenue soared 52.68 percent year-on-year to NT$402 million, Gudeng said, adding that it has clear order visibility through the third quarter.
BICYCLES
Giant, Merida results mixed
The nation’s two major bicycle makers, Giant Manufacturing Co (巨大機械) and Merida Industry Co (美利達), yesterday reported mixed revenue results for last month. Giant, Taiwan’s largest bicycle manufacturer, posted revenue of NT$6.69 billion, an annual increase of 18.93 percent, the company said in a statement. Giant attributed the growth to strong sales in the US, Europe and China, as well as higher shipments from its contract business. Merida’s revenue fell 14.9 percent annually to NT$2.297 billion, Merida said in a separate statement. The firm blamed the decline on a high comparison base. In the first two months of this year, Giant’s revenue grew 9.61 percent year-on-year to NT$13.36 billion, while Merida’s revenue dropped 0.18 percent to NT$4.82 billion and shipments declined 12.78 percent to 159,674 units. Giant did not offer a shipments figure.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday obtained the government’s approval to inject an additional US$7.5 billion into its US subsidiary, the Department of Investment Review said in a statement. The department approved TSMC’s application of investing in TSMC Arizona Corp, which is engaged in the manufacturing, sales, testing and design of IC and other semiconductor devices, it said. The latest capital injection follows a US$5 billion investment for TSMC Arizona approved in June. The chipmaker has broken ground on two advanced fabs in Arizona with aggregated investments approved by the department totaling US$24 billion thus far. According to TSMC, the first Arizona
Her white-gloved, waistcoated uniform impeccable, 22-year-old Hazuki Okuno boards a bullet train replica to rehearse the strict protocols behind the smooth operation of a Japanese institution turning 60 Tuesday. High-speed Shinkansen trains began running between Tokyo and Osaka on Oct. 1, 1964, heralding a new era for rail travel as Japan grew into an economic superpower after World War II. The service remains integral to the nation’s economy and way of life — so keeping it dazzlingly clean, punctual and accident-free is a serious job. At a 10-story, state-of-the-art staff training center, Okuno shouted from the window and signaled to imaginary colleagues, keeping
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP: The plant would make infrared, gallium nitrade and silicon carbide chips as India attempts to develop a semiconductor value chain The US and India reached an agreement to work together on setting up a semiconductor fabrication plant in the South Asian nation, giving a boost to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to bolster manufacturing in the country. The proposed plant would make infrared, gallium nitride and silicon carbide semiconductors, according to a White House readout that followed a meeting between US President Joe Biden and Modi in Delaware on Saturday. The setting up of the facility would be enabled by support from the India Semiconductor Mission and a “strategic technology partnership between Bharat Semi, 3rdiTech Inc and the US Space
Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corp (力積電) yesterday said that it signed an agreement with Tata Electronics Pvt Ltd to help build India’s first 12-inch chip manufacturing facility with a total investment of US$11 billion. As part of the agreement, Powerchip would provide Tata with access to mature technology nodes and help to train Indian workers, the Taiwanese company said in a statement. The fab would be located in Dholera, Gujarat. It would have a capacity of 50,000 wafers per month and create 20,000 jobs in the region, Powerchip said. Tata would receive access to a broad technology portfolio of leading-edge and mature nodes, including