Business and Finance

Quanta upbeat over notebook sales

RECOVERY:The notebook industry is making a turnaround this year, as users have discovered their ‘irreplaceable importance,’ Quanta chairman Barry Lam said

Taipei Times
Date: May 13, 2017
By: Lauly Li / Staff reporter

Quanta Computer Inc (廣達), the world’s largest contract notebook computer manufacturer, yesterday said it expects its notebook shipments to rise at least 10 percent this quarter from last quarter, driven by better-than-expected global demand.

“The notebook industry is making a turnaround this year. The growth momentum has picked up compared with the past few years,” Quanta chairman Barry Lam (林百里) told a news conference at the company’s headquarters in New Taipei City’s Linkou District (林口).

Quanta shipped 9.2 million notebooks during the January-to-March quarter, falling only 12.38 percent from the previous quarter’s 10.5 million units instead of more than 20 percent recorded in previous years.

It also represented a nearly 10 percent increase from the 8.4 million units shipped over the same period last year, Quanta said.    [FULL  STORY]

Acer outperforms TAIEX after turning a profit

The China Post
Date: May 13, 2017
By: CNA

TAIPEI — Shares of Taiwan-based PC brand Acer Inc. (宏碁) soared Friday, outperforming the broader market, after the company climbed from quarterly loss to profit in the first three months of the year, dealers said.

The stock opened flat but buying emerged in the mid-morning session and continued until the end of the session, dealers said.

“Investors simply seized the latest earnings report by Acer as a reason to hunt bargains,” Xincheng International Investment Consultant analyst Chang Chih-cheng said. “When the broader market fell into consolidation mode after breaching 10,000 points, investors began seeking out individual stocks like Acer that had positive leads.”    [FULL  STORY]

Hotel to raise cash for Formosan black bears

The China Post
Date: May 12, 2017
By: The China Post news staff

TAIPEI, Taiwan — Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Taipei will support the

From left: Emil Leung, general manager of Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel; Fu-mei Zhang, CEO of Taiwan Black Bear Conservation Association; and black bear conservation ambassador Larisa Bakurova pose for a photo at the donation ceremony in Taipei on Thursday, May 11.(Courtesy of Shangri-La’s Far Eastern Plaza Hotel )

Taiwan Black Bear Conservation Association with a series of exclusive charity activities and a media event on May 10.

The hotel has been named one of the top 10 hotels that exemplify Corporate Social Responsibility within the Shangri-La Group, for its consistent commitment to corporate social responsibility in various areas.

The Formosan black bear is currently an endangered species.

The hotel has designed a series of charity items for sale, including the Taiwan Pineapple Cake and Taiwan black bear doll; net proceeds will be donated to the Taiwan Black Bear Conservation Association.    [FULL  STORY]

Taipower ensures sufficient supply as power use soars

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/11
By: Huang Li-yun, Huang Ya-chuan and Evelyn Kao

Taipei, May 11 (CNA) With power consumption on Thursday soaring to a record high

(CNA file photo)

for the year as a result of high temperatures around the island, state-owned Taiwan Power Company (Taipower) took action to ensure adequate power supply over the next two months.

On Thursday, daytime highs reached above 31 degrees in many parts of the country, with the temperature in Taipei surging to 35 degrees at 11:36 a.m.

Power consumption on Thursday peaked at 33.01 million kilowatts (KW) at 2:01 p.m., with operating reserves at 6.01 percent flashing a yellow warning light indicating a tight power supply, according to Taipower.   [FULL  STORY

Asustek expects tough quarter

NEW PRODUCTS:The company expects sales to pick up significantly next quarter, with the introduction of the latest ZenFone models and new notebook computers

Taipei Times
Date: May 12, 2017
By: Lauly Li / Staff reporter

Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) yesterday said that second-quarter sales and earnings could drop to their lowest levels for this year due to product transition, rising component costs and a strong New Taiwan dollar.

“This is going to be a very tough quarter for Asustek, because of all the negative factors weighing on operations,” Asustek chief financial officer Nick Wu (吳長榮) told reporters after an investor conference in Taipei.

The company expects revenue from PC-related products, which contributed 66 percent to total brand sales of NT$98.2 billion (US$3.25 billion) last quarter, to drop by 5 to 10 percent quarter-on-quarter due to a seasonal slowdown, Wu said.

Smartphone and tablet sales are expected to plunge by 20 to 25 percent sequentially this quarter, while component sales are forecast to decline by 5 to 10 percent, Wu added.    [FULL STORY]

Taiwan shares end above 10,000 for first time in 17 years

The China Post
Date: May 12, 2017
By: CNA

TAIPEI — Shares in Taiwan closed above the 10,000- point mark Thursday as

Shares in Taiwan closed above the 10,000- point mark Thursday as contract chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC, 台積電) continued to lead an upturn on the broader market amid optimism toward its bottom line, dealers said.

contract chip maker Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC, 台積電) continued to lead an upturn on the broader market amid optimism toward its bottom line, dealers said.

It was the first time the local main board had closed above the 10,000-point level since April 11, 2000, when the weighted index ended at 10,068.05 points. The local equity market was largely boosted in recent sessions by foreign institutional buying, which focused on large-cap stocks like TSMC, the dealers said.

The weighted index on the Taiwan Stock Exchange closed up 33.16 points, or 0.33 percent, at 10,001.48, after moving between 9,964.30 and 10,018.79, on turnover of NT$96.36 billion (US$3.19 billion).    [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan’s Foxconn to build plant in U.S. in second half of 2017, China tries to woo it back

On the same day news leaked that Foxconn plans to build plant in U.S., China says it’s the best place for factories

Taiwan News
Date: 2017/05/10
By: Keoni Everington, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., 鴻海科技集

Foxconn factory workers assemble new iPhone 7. (Photo by flickr user iphonedigital)

團), the world’s largest contract electronics makers and major supplier of smartphones for Apple, is reportedly planning to begin construction on a new manufacturing plant in the U.S. in the second half of 2017, according to a Reuters’ source.

Foxconn’s Chairman Terry Gou (郭台銘) paid two visits to the White House in late April, leading to increased speculation that he is preparing for a major investment in the United States, and this latest report may be the fruition of those meetings.

After each visit, reporters caught Gou walking out of the White House, but he was unwilling to confirm whether he had met with President Donald Trump personally.
[FULL  STORY]

Fair weather to last until Friday

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2017/05/10
By: Flor Wang

Taipei, May 10 (CNA) The current good weather will last until Friday, as two fronts are expected to approach Taiwan on Saturday, the Central Weather Bureau reported Wednesday.

The weather across Taiwan will remain stable in the coming days until the weekend, when two fronts are expected to come close to Taiwan and bring rainfall to the northern half of the country, the bureau said.

The rainy weather will extend to all parts of the country on Monday and Tuesday, the bureau said.

Daytime highs around Taiwan are likely to climb above 30 degrees Celsius over the next few days, with afternoon thundershowers expected across the country, the bureau forecast.     [FULL  STORY]

Robots expected to boost Hiwin sales

MEDICAL SECTOR:The machinery maker said it would probably obtain certification for its surgical robots next month and secure orders in the second half of the year

Taipei Timeas
Date: May 11, 2017
By: Kuo Chia-erh / Staff reporter

Hiwin Technologies Co (上銀科技), the nation’s leading machinery maker, yesterday gave an optimistic sales outlook for the rest of the year, with demand for “smart” equipment and industrial robots tipped to gain strength.

“Hiwin’s current capacity is not enough to satisfy orders from our clients, especially those in the semiconductor industry,” company chairman Eric Chuo (卓永財) told an investors’ conference in Taipei.

As part of the company’s mid-term plan to enlarge overall production capacity, a new plant at the Taichung Refined Mechanics Industrial Park is to start operations by the end of this year, Hiwin said.

With the new plant, the machinery maker aims to double the production volume of industrial robots next year, Chuo said, without elaborating.    [FULL  STORY]

Car rental giant Zipcar to enter Taipei market

The China Post
Date: May 11, 2017
By: Christine Chou

U.S.-based car rental giant Zipcar announced Wednesday that it will launch services in Taipei, as the company’s first step in its expansion in Asia.

The Chinese-language Liberty Times reported Zipcar has decided to launch car-sharing services in Taipei by the end of June.

The Taipei City Government’s push for public car sharing service U-Car has failed to take off. Kaohsiung has also announced plans to launch an electric car rental system in October.

“We are very happy to be launching in Taipei as our first stop in Asia and to be promoting car-sharing with residents and visitors in the Greater Taipei area. This is also an important milestone for the brand,” said Massimo Marsili, a senior executive at the company.    [FULL  STORY]