Printed circuit board (PCB) maker Global Brands Manufacture Ltd (精成科技) is to fully acquire Japanese peer Lincstech Co for about NT$8.4 billion (US$256.9 million) as the company aims to add high-end PCBs to its PC-centric product lineups.
The company also expects the deal to help expand its manufacturing sites in Southeast Asia, as local firms diversify to mitigate geopolitical risks.
“The acquisition will mean an important step for the company to further expand its presence in Southeast Asia and globally,” Global Brands Manufacture chief financial officer Weng Chia-yu (翁家玉) said at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Stock Exchange
The company has set up manufacturing operations in China, Japan and Malaysia, Weng said.
It in September launched a NT$7 billion PCB manufacturing investment in Penang, Malaysia, via its Japanese subsidiary, Elan Printed Circuits Co, marking the largest investment in the company’s history.
Lincstech operates a factory in Singapore in addition to four factories in Japan, with a total headcount of 1,600 employees, Weng said.
The Japanese firm focuses on premium PCBs for high-end DRAM probe cards and high-density multilayer boards for high-speed switches used in data centers, she said.
Global Brands Manufacture is owned by HannStar Board Corp (瀚宇博德) and Walsin Technology Corp (華新科技), both under the Chiao (焦) family.
The company reported NT$2.35 billion in net profit in the first three quarters of this year, down 4.08 percent from NT$2.45 billion a year earlier, with earnings per share of NT$4.96.
Revenue dropped 3.2 percent to NT$16.7 billion from NT$17.25 billion a year earlier.
PCBs used in PCs generated 77 percent of the company’s revenue, and PCBs for cars contributed 17 percent, while the remainder was from for consumer electronics and communications devices, company data showed.
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