Top four Taiwanese handset PCB makers to ship 37 million units in 2Q

Handset PCB shipments from the top four Taiwan-based makers are expected to reach 37.4 million units this quarter, up 3.3% from 36.3 million units in the first quarter, according to UBS Warburg.The forecast is weaker than a previous estimate of 7% and lower than the 23.8% quarter-on-quarter growth booked in the same period last year, as vendors delay the launch of new handset models and channel retailers clear up excess handset inventory, the investment firm said.Still, with their diversified client base, the PCB companies suffered a relatively little impact from the recent inventory build-up in China and the SARS outbreak. It is estimated that Taiwanese handset PCB shipments account for around 40% of global demand, while Taiwanese ODM handset shipments had a less than 10% global market share.Except for Wus Printed Circuit, all other PCB manufacturers will see shipment growth. Wus’s shipments are projected to fall 4.3% sequentially, due to its heavy dependence on Motorola’s handsets. Motorola reportedly pushed back the launch of its V290 model, made by BenQ, from April to July.UBS Warburg estimates that handset PCB shipments in the third quarter will grow 10-15% quarter-on-quarter.The Taiwan-based Market Intelligence Center (MIC) forecast that second-quarter mobile phone shipments from Taiwanese companies would reach 6.72 million units, down 36.2% from 10.5 million units in the first quarter.Source: DigiTimes