Taiwan PCB and CCL makers in the supply chain of Apple smartphones are gearing up production for new iPhones, with delivery schedules returning to pre-pandemic timeframes, according to industry sources.
The suppliers' sales for the third quarter are expected to see significant sequential increases because of production for the new iPhones, said the sources.
Major flexible PCB supplier Zhen Ding Technology is expected to start small-volume shipments for new iPhones in late June, with upstream FLCC maker Taiflex Scientific to be kicking off volume production half-a-month to one month earlier, the sources said.
Also a leading vendor of SLP (substrate-like PCB) mainboards for iPhones, Zhen Ding will begin mass production of such boards in July-August, while Elite Material, now the sole CCL supplier for SLP boards for iPhones, is set to start volume production in June-July, the sources noted.
Kinsus Interconnect Technology will remain a main supplier of AiP module substrates and Unimicron is expected to join the supply chain for such substrates this year, the sources said.
Flexium Interconnect has landed big orders for flexible LCP (liquid crystal polymer) antenna boards for iPhones and will also advance trial production by 1-2 weeks, the sources said, adding that its market share in the non-adhesive LCP antenna segment will continue to expand in the future following its entry into the iPhone supply chain.
Apple has decided to adopt flexible PCB instead of rigid-flex boards for its handset battery modules this year, allowing Zhen Ding, Compeq Manufacturing and Taiflex to benefit further while driving Unitech and other makers to scale down production of rigid-flex boards as a result, the sources said.
