Global PCB production data for the first half of 2014_Shenzhen PCB Factory_Shenzhen Circuit Board Factory_Shenzhen Circuit Board Factory

Global PCB production data for the first half of 2014_Shenzhen PCB Factory_Shenzhen Circuit Board Factory_Shenzhen Circuit Board Factory

The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry of Japan recently announced the production data of the PCB industry in June, and Taiwan, Germany, North America, China, South Korea and other countries have also released relevant information.

The following is a brief description of the PCB industry production data for the first half of 2014: Japan's shipments in June showed signs of significant rebound, with revenues of 40.67 billion yen, 5.8% more than last month, and shipments reached 1.143 million square meters, an increase from last month. 4.8%; in terms of monthly, both revenue and shipments reached a record high of 2014, but when the data compared with the same period last year, the shipment increased by 7.8% but the revenue decreased by 1.9%. This reflects the increase in shipments due to the price decline. This trend is not uncommon for the PCB industry, which mainly produces build-up multi-layer boards in Japan. Shipments this year rose 8.6% over the same period last year, but revenue fell 4.1%, showing that prices have fallen by as much as 12% in the past 12 months. Since the local demand for PCB is limited to mobile phones, PCB manufacturers can only lower their competitors by lowering prices and attract limited customers.

As for the other major products in the Japanese PCB industry - double-panel and multi-layer soft boards, the gap between revenue and shipments is even greater. Shipments rose 6.2% year-on-year but revenues fell sharply by 27.4%. The selling price fell more than 33% within one year. The main source of dual-panel and multi-layer boards are manufacturers of foreign smart phones and tablet computers. Japanese PCB manufacturers mainly face competitors from Taiwan and China.

In the past two months, revenues and shipments of circuit modules and semiconductor package carriers have increased, and the main customers of these products are overseas packaging companies. Looking back at the first half of 2014, its total accumulated revenue was 230 billion yen, down 1.2% from the same period last year. For the local electronics industry, this is not a sign of a rebound, and it is not expected to be better this year than 2013 (2013 is the worst year since 2008).

Taiwan’s first announced revenue reached NT$194 billion, an increase of 7.49% over the same period last year. Soft board manufacturers reported double-digit growth, nearly 20%; manufacturers will expect to continue to receive orders in the second half of the year, so Taiwan will be expected to double-digit growth in 2014. The North American electronics industry rebounded in the second quarter of 2014, but cumulative PCB shipments in the first half of the year fell 0.3% from the same period last year and are expected to remain stable this year. In Germany, the growth rate reached 3.2% in the first half of the year, and manufacturers received more orders in the second quarter. The ups and downs of German industry are relatively uncertain, making it difficult to make sales forecasts. However, it is not expected that there will be more than 5% growth this year.

The South Korean side did not publish the substantive data, only made the following brief comment: Samsung Electronics, the largest customer in the PCB industry, is facing strong competition from Chinese manufacturers. The Galaxy series is Samsung's flagship product, but its market share has continued to decline. When the Samsung encountered any crisis, all Korean PCB manufacturers were worried. Competition has led to a reduction in sales prices and production of PCB factories in Vietnam and China. It is expected that there will be no positive growth in the Korean domestic market.

In 2014, the global PCB industry will report double-digit profit. Overall, Taiwan and China will continue to be in the top position. Other markets such as Japan, North America, Western Europe and South Korea will remain stable this year.