THT Research - Weekly Newsletter from Taiwan
Oct 24, 2005
The latest news on global IT contract manufacturing from www.THTresearch.com
AUTOMOTIVE
BenQ audiovisual unit production
BenQ will produce approximately 5,000 car audiovisual units in 2005 and predicts shipments of 15,000 for 2006. BenQ's major customer is Volkswagon, Taiwan.
BRING ON THE ORDERS
Video iPOD ODM
Apple is working with Inventec Appliances as the only contract manufacturer for its new video iPOD, which will be available in the US next week.
CHINA
Soros investing in China airline industry
George Soros is investing US$25M in Hainan Airlines (China), China's fourth largest airline. Hainan Airlines will then merge with Xinhua Airlines, Changan Airlines, and Shanxi Airlines and create a new brand, Great Xinhua Group.
COMPANY NEWS AND INDUSTRY TRENDS
Mayfield makes more China investments
Mayfield (US) through its partnership with GSR Ventures has invested in three China companies: SMIT (fabless semicon for DTV modules), Mobert (semicon maker for mobile applications), and Heiyou, an online matchmaking company.
Samsung to build chip plant in Austin, TX
Samsung Electronics plans to invest $3.5B to build a new chip plant in Austin, with construction to begin 1Q06. The plant would employ 700.
Bye-bye Good Guys
CompUSA, which acquired Good Guys in 2003, plans to shut the company down, including its 46 Good Guys consumer electronics chain stores in California.
Panasonic cuts Taiwan handset outsourcing
Panasonic is suspending its handset outsourcing orders with Taiwan companies until 1A06 according to the company. The big loser? Quanta, which in the past made 5 Panasonic models and in 2005 has made 3.
ProMOS investing in 12-inch fab production
DRAM maker ProMos Technologies has taken out NT$13 B in loans from a banking consortium in order to finance construction of its 12-inch wafer-based Fab3 in the Central Taiwan Science Park. Promos plans to have four 12-inch-wafer fabs in operation by 2008.
Sampo alliances with UMC, Tatung
Sampo Group has entered into an alliance with UMC recently, allocating a seat on its affiliate Rechi Precision Co., Ltd.'s board of directors to UMC (of which it is an 8% shareholder). In exchange, UMC is offering Rechi control chips for frequency converters to Rechi. Sampo has agreed to buy Tatung refrigerator compressors and Tatung has agreed to by Sampo air-conditioner compressors next year.
EXHIBITIONS
Suzhou Electronic Manufacturer's Expo
The Suzhou Electronic Manufacturer's Expo (Suzhou eMEX), currently being held in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, has 1,500 exhibitors this year. Souzhou eMEX is quicly replacing Taiwan's Computex as the second largest computer exhibition in the world, with more international exhibitors and more exhibitors from across the supply chain. Bad news for Taiwan? Not really. Two-thirds of Souzhou's 3,000 IT companies are Taiwan-owned, 1/3 of eMEX's 2005 exhibitors are Taiwanese comapnies, and Souzhou eMEX is co-organized by the Taipei Computer Association.
M & A
Nokia - Putian JV
Nokia and Putian Communication have signed an agreement to set up a JV to develop and make TD-SCDMA products. Nokia will have a 49% share.
Integra buys Amkor Test Services
Integra Technologies (Wichita, KS, US) has bought LLC Amkor Test Services from Amkor Technologies Inc.. Both Integra and Amkor test semiconductor chips for PCs, mobile phones, and aircraft instruments.
SigmaTel buys Apogee digital tech
Austin-based SigmaTel has bought Apogee's Direct Digital Amplification technology (including its design team and IP) for US$9.4M in cash and an earn-out payment of $4.5M based on revenue for 1 year.
Broadcom acquiring Athena Semicon
Broadcom will acquire Athena Seminconductors (Greece) for US$26M in cash in 4Q05. Athena has design teams in Bangelore and Athens.
Sharp acquiring Panda Electronics (China)
Sharp will acquire the remaining 8.72% Panda Electronics Group (China) for US$10.15M, becoming the 100% owner.
SEMICON
AMD building new Dresden plant
AMD plans to increase production capacity by building a US$2.5B plant in Dresden, Germany. The plant will be operational in 2007 and will employ 1,000 people. The plant will be able to make chips with 65 nanometer circuits.
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