Symtek Automation Asia (SAA), an automated semiconductor equipment supplier, has seen its first-tier customers raise capital spending in a bid to push their development of 5G and HPC technologies. This has driven up the number of new products it sent to the customers for verification, and given the company the opportunity to increase its product prices.

At its shareholder meeting yesterday, SAA anticipated solid demand for IC substrate and semiconductor equipment from major foundries and memory chip makers that will continue into the first quarter of 2022. For the first half of 2021, equipment for semiconductors contributed about 15% of SAA's total revenues, with the percentage likely to rise to 20% in the second half of 2021.

SAA has adopted smart manufacturing technologies in eight of its factories last year. As demand for PCB and ABF substrate spikes, both substrate manufacturer and its customers are keen to acquire all the data generated during the manufacturing process; however, the company is currently still seeing high costs from the implementation of the smart manufacturing technologies.

SAA reported revenues of NT$489 million (US$17.5 million) in June, growing 86.6% on year; revenues for the second quarter were NT$1.22 billion (US$4.4 billion), growing 41.8% on year and 18.8% on quarter.

By DIGITIMES