Business and Finance

Delta Electronics inaugurates solar power plant in Japan

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/15
By: Han Ting-ting and Frances Huang

Taipei, Jan. 15 (CNA) Delta Electronics Inc. (台達電), one of Taiwan’s

From Delta Electronics Inc. website

From Delta Electronics Inc. website

leading power management solution suppliers, Friday inaugurated a solar power plant in the mountainous area of Ako City in Japan’s Hyogo prefecture.

It is the first solar power plant built by Delta Electronics as part of its efforts in developing renewable energy. The Delta Electronics solar power plant, which connects to an extra-high voltage grid of 33,000 volts, is the largest distributed solar power plant in Japan.

Built in the Delta Ako Energy Park, the solar plant, with an area of 96,000 square meters, is equipped with a capacity of 4.6 MW and is expected to generate 4.9 million kWh a year. Delta Electronics said that electricity generated by the solar power plant is expected to meet the demand of 930 local households per year.     [FULL  STORY]

Container arts festival gets underway in Kaohsiung

Taiwan Today
Date: January 15, 2016

A festival spotlighting the potential of shipping containers as post-disaster

“Recontainer” by a U.K.-based architectural team is one of the more intriguing designs on display at Kaohsiung International Container Arts Festival in southern Taiwan. (Courtesy of Pier-2 Railway Park)

“Recontainer” by a U.K.-based architectural team is one of the more intriguing designs on display at Kaohsiung International Container Arts Festival in southern Taiwan. (Courtesy of Pier-2 Railway Park)

shelters is underway at Pier-2 Railway Park in Kaohsiung City.

The eighth edition of Kaohsiung International Container Arts Festival features 14 works by 10 architectural groups from Taiwan, Australia, France, the U.K. and U.S. It is themed Ark of Tomorrow and organized by the city government’s Bureau of Cultural Affairs.

Bureau Director-General Shih Che said the theme reflects the increasingly important issue of post-catastrophe housing, and the environmental impact of urban development.

“The two-month event offers a platform for architects to devise innovative ways of handling short-term housing crises in the wake of such calamities as last year’s earthquake in Nepal and Typhoon Soudelor in Taiwan.”     [FULL  STORY]

Compal sees 10% growth in shipments: president

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 16, 2016
By: Lauly Li / Staff reporter

Compal Electronics Inc (仁寶), the world’s No. 2 contract notebook

Compal Electronics Inc chief executive Rock Hsu, left, and president Ray Chen attend a press conference yesterday at Taipei’s Nangang Exhibition Hall. Photo: CNA

Compal Electronics Inc chief executive Rock Hsu, left, and president Ray Chen attend a press conference yesterday at Taipei’s Nangang Exhibition Hall. Photo: CNA

computer maker, yesterday said it expects its total shipments to grow more than 10 percent year-on-year to 90 million units this year, driven by growing demand for non-notebook products.

“The non-notebook segment is definitely going to contribute more than 30 percent revenue this year, compared with last year’s contribution of 26 percent,” Compal president Ray Chen (陳瑞聰) told a press conference before the firm’s annual weiya (尾牙) banquet for its employees at the Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei.

He said shipments from new business units, such as servers, wearable products and Internet of Things products, would grow significantly to 5.6 million units from last year’s about 1 million units.     [FULL  STORY]

Hon Hai planning Indian expansion in 6 months: reports

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-14
By: By Jalen Chung and Frances Huang, Central News Agency

Taipei, Jan. 14 (CNA) Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. (鴻海), the world’s largest contract electronics maker, is planning to expand its production facilities in India in six months in a bid to turn its production base there into a hub of the Taiwanese firm’s global presence, Indian media said Thursday.

According to the Hindustan Times, Hon Hai is looking to extend its presence in India to new states.

Currently, Hon Hai operates facilities at Sri City in Andhra Pradesh, Sriperumbudur in Tamil Nadu and Navi Mumbai in Maharashtra. The Taiwanese manufacturing giant is in the process of setting up a new plant in Maharashtra.

Indian media have recently reported that Hon Hai has teamed up with Chinese smartphone brands such as OnePlus, Gionee, Xiaomi and OPPO, as well as Japan’s Sony and Taiwan’s Asustek Computer Inc. (華碩), to produce devices at its production bases in India.     [FULL  STORY]

Domestic fuel prices forecast to dip to 13-year low next week

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/14
By: Lin Meng-ju and Frances Huang

Taipei, Jan. 14 (CNA) Gasoline and diesel prices in Taiwan are expected to fall to a 13-year low next week as international crude oil prices remain weak, market sources said Thursday.

A global economic slowdown has resulted in high oil inventories, which in turn have kept international crude oil prices low, the sources said, noting that crude prices fell Wednesday to an almost 12-year low.

Based on the lower crude oil prices, CPC Corp., Taiwan (中油) is expected to drop its gasoline and diesel prices by NT$0.9 (US$0.03) per liter next week, after a NT$0.4 cut this week, the sources said.

If the cut is implemented next as expected, the price of the benchmark 95 octane unleaded gasoline will be around NT$20 per liter, almost the same as a 600-cc bottle of water, the sources said.

CPC calculates its weekly fuel prices based on a weighted oil price formula that comprises 70 percent Dubai crude and 30 percent Brent crude.     [FULL  STORY]

TSMC plans to ramp up capital spending

COMPETITIVE:The funds are to be used to build capacities for next-generation 10-nanometer technology and also on a China factory, TSMC chairman Morris Chang said

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 15, 2016
By: Lisa Wang / Staff reporter

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it planned to increase capital spending this year to as much as US$10 billion to ensure its technological superiority, after posting another record-breaking annual net profit last year.

The new capital spending budget would represent more than a 23 percent increase from last year’s US$8.1 billion, the firm said.

TSMC, which supplies chips for Apple Inc’s iPhone 6, said that about 70 percent of the capital expenditure would be used to build capacities for next-generation 10-nanometer (nm) technology, while 5 percent is earmarked for its new 16nm production line in China.

Despite simmering competition in 10nm technology, “we intend to begin with a very high market share [of 10nm technology] and we intend not to lose it,” TSMC chairman Morris Chang (張忠謀) said.     [FULL  STORY]

Acer, Asustek computer shipments fell in 2015: report

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-13
By: Central News Agency

Asustek Computer Inc. and Acer Inc., two Taiwanese personal computer brands, saw a drop in PC shipments in 2015, as weak global demand took a toll on the PC industry worldwide, according to market information tracker Gartner.
In a report posted on its website Tuesday night, Gartner said Asustek’s PC shipments for 2015 fell by an annual 6.5 percent to 21.20 million units, while Acer’s shipments dropped 15.3 percent annually to 20.34 million units.

Asustek was ranked as the fourth largest PC vendor in the world last year with a 7.3 percent market share, up from a 7.2 percent in 2014, the report said. Acer’s global market share, meanwhile, fell to 7.0 percent last year from 7.7 percent the previous year and the company was ranked as the sixth biggest PC vendor in the world, according to Gartner.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwanese, Indonesian securities clearing firms sign MOU

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2016/01/13
By: Pan Chi-i and Frances Huang

Taipei, Jan. 13 (CNA) Taiwan Depository & Clearing Corporation (TDCC, 臺

Courtesy of TDCC

Courtesy of TDCC

灣集中保管結算) has signed a memorandum of understanding with its Indonesian counterpart PT Kustodian Sentral Efek Indonesia (KSEI) on cooperation in the securities sector, TDCC said Wednesday.

The MOU was signed by TDCC Chairman Lin Hsiu-ming (林修銘) and KSEI President Director Margeret M. Tang on Monday in Jakarta to forge a closer ties between the two institutions.

Under the MOU, TDCC and KSEI will exchange market information and share business experience, which is expected to boost cooperation in the securities sector in the Asia Pacific region.

Before the signing of the MOU, Lin met with OJK executives to discuss a wide range of issues, including mutual fund development, corporate governance, better protection of minority investors and ways of improving supervision of the capital market.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan Life expects FYP to rise

‘NO LANDMINE’:The life insurance firm said that a US$22.73m impairment booked last month was not reason to stop investing in Brazilian mining company Samarco

Taipei Times
Date: Jan 14, 2016
By: Ted Chen / Staff reporter

Taiwan Life Insurance Co (台灣人壽保險) yesterday said it expects a 6 percent annual rise in first-year premium (FYP) collections this year to NT$100 billion (US$2.97 billion) as the nation’s oldest insurer begins operating under its new parent, CTBC Financial Holding Co (中信金控).

CTBC Financial last year acquired Taiwan Life through a share swap, with Taiwan Life to be the surviving insurance unit to leverage the company’s brand following a merger with the group’s CTBC Life Insurance Co Ltd (中國信託人壽).

Prior to the merger, the two companies were of similar scales, with CTBC Life Insurance’s FYP valued at NT$77.4 billion as of Jan. 1, compared to Taiwan Life’s NT$16.4 billion.

The insurer represents about 25 percent of CTBC Financial’s operations after the deal, Taiwan Life said at a press event to launch four new policies designed for the nation’s aging population.     [FULL  STORY]

Taiwan reaps highest-ever tax revenues in 2015

Taiwan News
Date: 2016-01-12
By: Central News Agency

Taiwan’s tax revenues totaled NT$2.12 trillion (US$63.33 billion) in 2015, the highest in history, according to Ministry of Finance statistics released Tuesday.

The amount represented a year-on-year growth of NT$142.3 billion, or 7.2 percent, and marked an increase in the annual budget for 2015 by NT$173.1 billion, the statistics show.

Compared with the previous year, revenues from the collection of individual income tax rose NT$61.9 billion, those from corporate profit tax increased NT$58.5 billion, those from land value increment tax climbed NT$11.8 billion, and those from commodity tax surged NT$9.2 billion, while those from estate tax rose NT$4.7 billion.     [FULL  STORY]