Industrial PC maker Nexcom International Co (新漢) remains cautiously optimistic about its business performance in the second half of this year, given its solid order backlog, company chairman Clement Lin (林茂昌) said yesterday.
“We have emerged from the downturn, and our business performance should continue to improve going forward,” he said.
The company’s revenue in the first quarter fell 30.49 percent year-on-year to NT$1.15 billion (US$36.01 million) as several customers delayed orders.
Photo: CNA
Revenue in the second quarter rebounded 13 percent year-on-year to NT$1.68 billion, with growth continuing, Lin said.
Nexcom unveiled its “RoboWIZ Artificial Intelligence (AI) Robot Open Platform” for the development of humanoid, quadruped and dual-arm robots during the the Taipei International Industrial Automation Exhibition yesterday at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.
The platform brings together dozens of ecosystem partners, including the Industrial Technology Research Institute, Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶) and Germany-based motion control supplier Synapticon GmbH.
Nexcom’s robotics business is mainly developed through its subsidiary, NexCOBOT Co (創博).
NexCOBOT’s orders surged 80 percent year-on-year in the first half, while shipments rose 30 percent, with strong growth momentum expected to continue in the second half, company president Jenny Shen (沈倩怡) said.
Growth is being driven mainly by strong demand for AI controllers that integrate high-level AI computing and motion controllers for dual-arm robots mounted on mobile platforms, Shen said.
Functional safety controllers for collaborative and humanoid robots are another major growth driver, she said.
AI controllers account for about 30 percent of NexCOBOT’s revenue, and the share is expected to rise significantly next year as safety certifications, software integration and data collection progress, she added.
Asked about the timeline for volume production of AI and humanoid robots, Lin said industrial customers tend to be highly conservative.
Significant volume production of such robots could begin in the next few quarters, but actual deployments still depend on customer demand, he said.
Traditional robotic arms and automation equipment would remain Nexcom’s main revenue sources this year, with most AI and humanoid robot projects still in the sampling and specification-integration stages, he added.
Nexcom is integrating AI, robotics and industrial equipment to develop uncrewed production lines and smart factories, while offering its modular production management platform, “NexAI Assistant,” to lower adoption barriers for small and medium-sized manufacturers, Lin said.
The company plans to work with other Taiwanese makers to jointly expand to global markets, he added.
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