Various companies from the Philippines are among more than 700 exhibitors from 43 countries that are seeking to supply electronic solutions and materials to the Taiwanese market.
The three-day Semicon semiconductor trade show, which opened Wednesday at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, is expected to draw 50,000 visitors, as for the ninth consecutive year, Taiwan remains top globally in semiconductor equipment spending at US$11.4 billion, according to SEMI, a global industry association of semiconductor equipment and material suppliers.
Michael Alfred V. Ignacio, director of commercial affairs at the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Taipei, told CNA that his office has been positioning the Philippines as the best partner for Taiwan in industrial collaboration because they can use their combined strengths to their advantage.
“Taiwan is a world leader in electronics and semiconductors, but the Philippines has the market, the workforce and the skills,” Ignacio said, adding companies in the Philippines can provide manufacturing solutions for Taiwanese companies.
The Philippines graduates over 700,000 university or tertiary level graduates every year, of which one quarter of the group are involved in science or technology, he said.
Dr. Jerome Palaganas, co-founder of Nanotronics Inc. in the Philippines, said his company produces cellulose nanocrystals that are derived from indigenous plants.
“Our materials can be used for paint, films, adhesives, thermosets, and thermoplastics,” he said. “You can also use them for flexible displays of foldable smartphones.”
Another exhibitor from the Philippines is Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc. (IMI) a provider of electronics manufacturing services (EMS), and power semiconductor assembly and testing services.
IMI ranks 17th in the latest Manufacturing Market Insider’s top 50 list of electronic manufacturing services (EMS) companies in the world based on its 2018 revenue, according to the company’s website.
“Taiwan currently makes up about 2 percent to 3 percent of our customer portfolio, so we are still pursuing the Taiwan market,” IMI Sales Manager Erick Jan C. Cruz said. “Based on developments in the global market, Taiwan provides very good market opportunities.”
Some of the company’s products on display at the exhibition are small camera platforms that can integrated into automotive monitoring systems.
“We developed the platform so that the customers can make designs to incorporate it into their systems,” he said.
Meanwhile, Manila-based Xinyx Design Consultancy and Services Inc. provides a wide array of integrated circuit services such as design, layout implementation and verification.
“If a company would like to outsource some of their design flow, we can do that for them,” said Christiensen Arandilla, manager of Xinyx Design’s Chip Implementation Group.
At the exhibition, he will be talking to companies that produce microchips and trying to form partnerships with Taiwanese companies, he said.
Semicon Taiwan 2019, which is organized by SEMI, will feature over 300 speakers in 21 international forums.
Source: https://www.taiwannews.com.tw/en/news/3779799