Focus Taiwan
Date: 04/17/2020
By: Y.F. Low
Taipei, April 16 (CNA) Taiwan shares closed up 221.56 points, or 2.14 percent, at 10,597.04 Friday on turnover of NT$230.96 billion (US$7.68 billion). [SOURCE]
Business and Finance
CIER lowers forecast for GDP growth
LOBALIZATION BITES: Taiwan has avoided strict isolation measures, but lockdowns in other nations have reduced trade and people flows, while confidence has also fallen
Taipei Times
Date: Apr 18, 2020.
By: Crystal Hsu / Staff reporter
The Chung-Hua Institution for Economic Research (CIER, 中華經濟研究院) yesterday lowered its forecast for Taiwan’s GDP growth this year to 1.03 percent, less than half of its previous projection of 2.34 percent, as the COVID-19 pandemic is hurting exports and consumer spending.
The Taipei-based institute lent support to the government’s belief that Taiwan would manage to grow GDP for the whole of the year, although Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings (S&P) expects the nation to see a 1.2 percent contraction.
“Economic activity is chilling on both domestic and external fronts due to global lockdowns to contain the pandemic,” CIER president Chen Shi-kuan (陳思寬) said.
A mild spread — with 395 confirmed cases so far — has enabled Taiwan to avoid instituting strict isolation measures to fight the novel coronavirus, which has brought economies in Europe, the US and other countries to a virtual standstill. [FULL STORY]
Kenney following Taiwan, Singapore, South Korea leads in reopening Alberta economy
CTV News Edmonton
Date: April 16, 2020
By: Alex Antoneshyn, Digital Journalist
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney updates media on measures taken to help with COVID-19, in Edmonton on Friday, March 20, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
Jason Kenney pointed to Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea as examples of jurisdictions from which he’d be taking inspiration.
His plan consists of five main components: a strengthened effort to track the contacts of those who have tested positive; stronger border screening; public health order enforcement using technology like smartphone apps; and asking Albertans to wear masks in “crowded public spaces” like transit. [FULL STORY]
Taiwan MRT passengers down over 50% since start of coronavirus outbreak
Apple's mobility trends show more people staying home, driving instead of taking public transit
Taiwan News
Date: 2020/04/16
By: Sophia Yang, Taiwan News, Staff Writer
Taipei MRT. (CNA photo)
The mobility data reflect the impact of the virus on the daily lives of Apple users across 131 countries and regions, showing them to have spent more time at home in the three months since mid-January, near the beginning of the outbreak. When they do have to go out, driving or walking is their first choice instead of taking public transit, the data reveal.
Apple pointed out that the information is generated by counting the number of requests made to Apple Maps for directions. The data sets are then compared to reflect a change in the volume of people driving, walking, or taking public transit around the world.
According to the data, Italy, which on March 9 became the first European country to implement a nationwide lockdown, recorded a 90 percent decrease in drivers in April as well as 94 percent and 95 percent reductions in those who walk and take public transit, respectively, compared to a month earlier. [FULL STORY]
Taiwanese mask production units in high demand amid COVID-19 pandemic
Focus Taiwan
Date: 04/16/2020
By: Chang Chien-chung and Chiang Yi-ching
Taipei, April 16 (CNA) Numerous countries have ordered surgical face mask production units from Taiwanese manufacturers, after technicians in Taiwan successfully assembled 92 machines in record time to help boost the country's mask output amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to Precision Machinery Research & Development Center CEO Lai Yung-hsiang (賴永祥), more than 20 countries have either sought to purchase mask production units from Taiwan, or asked for advice in ramping up their own mask output.
Chang Hong Machinery Co., one of the largest companies in Taiwan that produce the machines, has received orders for 50 units so far, the company's Chairman Lu Ching-lin (呂清林) told CNA.
The orders have come from businesses and governments from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Italy, Germany and Malaysia, Lu said, estimating that the units will be delivered by October. [FULL STORY]
TSMC cuts revenue growth forecast
COST-GAP CHALLENGE: The company said that it is evaluating its US plans, with a requirement being ‘if we do a US fab, it has to be a leading-edge fab,’ or close to it
Taipei Times
Date: Apr 17, 2020
By: Lisa Wang / Staff reporter
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday cut its revenue growth forecast for this year as the COVID-19 pandemic is dampening demand for 5G smartphones and other consumer electronics, although it held US$15 billion to US$16 billion in capital spending for this year.
The supplier of chips for iPhones said that it is continuing to invest in advanced 7-nanometer (nm), 5nm and 3nm technology, as 5G deployments and high-performance-computing-related applications are expected to drive growth for next several years.
It said it plans to start volume production of 3nm technology in 2022 at its fab in Tainan, which would make TSMC the first contract chipmaker to offer the technology.
The company is also “evaluating its US fab plan,” TSMC chairman Mark Liu (劉德音) said in response to an investor’s question. [FULL STORY]
U.S. dollar lower in Taipei trading
Focus Taiwan
Date: 04/13/2020
By: Frances Huang
Taipei, April 13 (CNA) The U.S. dollar was traded at NT$30.093 at 10 a.m. Monday on the Taipei Foreign Exchange, down NT$0.010 from the previous close. [SOURCE]
Pegatron reports 33% Q1 decline
AMONG PEERS: First-quarter revenue at other major contract electronics manufacturers also fell as the COVID-19 pandemic has delayed manufacturing and affected shipments
Taipei Times
Date: Apr 13, 2020
By: Chen Cheng-hui / Staff reporter
Pegatron Corp (和碩), one of Apple Inc’s iPhone assemblers, on Friday reported that first-quarter revenue declined 33.38 percent from the previous quarter and was 5.31 percent lower than a year earlier, reflecting lost sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Consolidated revenue in the January-to-March period totaled NT$278.49 billion (US$9.25 billion), compared with NT$418.01 billion in the previous three months and NT$294.11 billion a year earlier, the electronics manufacturer said in a regulatory filing.
Last quarter’s figure was its lowest in nearly two years, but higher than the NT$274.4 billion Taishin Securities Investment Advisory Co (台新投顧) had estimated.
Apart from handsets, Pegatron manufactures notebook and desktop computers, wearable devices and game consoles, with major clients such as Apple, Sony Corp, Microsoft Corp and Asustek Computer Inc (華碩). [FULL STORY]
Arris Composites Secures $48.5M Series B to Accelerate Mass Production of High-Performance Carbon Fiber Products
Taiwania Capital joins NEA, Valo Ventures and AVG to enable the next generation of mass-market, multi-material structures that deliver commercial advantages across industries from consumer electronics to automotive and aerospace
WebWire
Date: April 11, 2020
Arris Composites, the pioneer of next-generation composites, today announces $48.5M in series
Arris Composites founders Riley Reese, Erick Davidson and Ethan Escowitz
The round was led by Taiwania Capital with participation from return investor New Enterprise Associates (NEA), which led Arris Composites’ $10M Series A round in January 2019, alongside Valo Ventures and Alumni Ventures Group (AVG).
Carl Bass, former Autodesk CEO, will join the board of directors as an independent board member. Carl has been involved with Arris since 2017 as an angel investor, advisor and research collaborator while the company incubated in his personal machine shop.
“Since we began working with Arris Composites in 2018, we’ve been impressed with the maturation of their manufacturing technology and the intense interest and enthusiasm we’ve seen from top brands in the consumer, automotive, aerospace and other industries in leveraging Arris’ manufacturing methods for next-gen, not-yet-released products,” explains Greg Papadopoulos, Venture Partner, NEA and former Chief Technology Officer, Sun Microsystems. “High-performance composites that can be mass-produced in new ways hold incredible promise for all kinds of products.” [FULL STORY]
TSMC Q1 sales top its guidance
Focus Taiwan
Date: 04/11/2020
By: Chang Chien-chung and Frances Huang
Taipei, April 11 (CNA) The first-quarter sales of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, exceeded its earlier guidance, mainly on record high revenues for March.
The strong first-quarter sales reflected solid global demand for 5G applications and high performance computing (HPC) devices, which has offset the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the typical slow season effects, according to market analysts.
In a statement released Friday, TSMC posted about NT$310.60 billion (US$10.32 billion) in consolidated sales for the January-March period, up 42 percent from a year earlier but down 2.09 percent from the previous quarter.
The company's first-quarter sales beat its estimate of NT$304.98 billion to NT$307.97 billion, which was made at an investor conference in mid-January. [FULL STORY]
