Industrial News

The Ayala Group, led by bilyonaryo Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, is shaking up the top management of its electronics subsidiary, Integrated Micro-Electronics Inc. (IMI). Starting next month, IMI Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Mary Ann S. Natividad will transition to the role of advisor to the CEO and chairman, Alberto M. de Larrazabal, as part of the company’s “management reorganization.” Natividad, 57, has been CCO since 2020 and previously served as Global Head of Sales. IMI also approved the “discontinuance of employment” of its technology business head Nicholas John Davey, a British national, and chief procurement officer Ernest Ang, a [...]

Automotive semiconductor industry has shown strong growth since 2021 as the industry bounced back from pandemic-related shortages. However, there are signs of a slowdown in the market, as quarterly revenues of top three suppliers reflect trend. Semiconductor Intelligence estimates the automotive semiconductor market was $67 billion in 2023, up 12% from 2022. The top 12 suppliers accounted for over three-quarters of the market. Infineon Technologies was the largest automotive semiconductor supplier, at $9.2 billion or 13.7% of the market. NXP Semiconductors was second at 11.2% and STMicroelectronics was third at 10.6%. These top three companies accounted for over one-third of [...]

MANILA, Philippines — The Board of Investments (BOI) has approved over P13 billion worth of projects that meet the increased investment capital threshold for approval by investment promotion agencies (IPAs). In a statement, the BOI said it approved six projects, with an investment capital between P1 billion and P15 billion, from Feb. 2 to June 11, of this year. These projects represent a total investment of P13.38 billion. To recall, the Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB) issued a resolution last Feb.2,  which increased the investment capital threshold of projects seeking incentives to be approved by IPAs like the BOI to [...]

NXP Semiconductors will form a 40-60 joint-venture with Vanguard International Semiconductor to build a new 300mm semiconductor wafer manufacturing facility in Singapore with an initial investment of $7.8 billion. The name of the JV will be VisionPower Semiconductor Manufacturing Company and its fab will support 130nm to 40nm mixed-signal, power management and analog products, targeting the automotive, industrial, consumer and mobile end markets. TSMC will transfer the process technologies. The JV will begin construction of the initial phase of the wafer fab in the second half of 2024. Its initial production will be available to customers during 2027. The JV will operate [...]

STMicro said it will supply SiC power devices for Geely's multiple brands of mid- to high-end all-electric vehicles, helping to boost performance, speed up charging and extend range. Geely Auto Group has signed a Silicon Carbide (SiC) power chip supply agreement with European chipmaker STMicroelectronics, as the Chinese automotive giant continues its electrification transition. STMicro and Geely have signed a long-term supply agreement for SiC devices that will see the two accelerate their collaboration in this area, according to a press release from the chipmaker today. STMicro will supply SiC power devices for Geely's mid-range and high-end all-electric vehicles across [...]

The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) reported that to date, the agency has registered more than P30 billion worth of investments from 37 German-owned projects with over 20,000 direct jobs  in various ecozones in the country. PEZA Director General Tereso O. Panga said after concluding a week-long investment mission to Germany last May 13-17 as part of its aggressive investment promotion efforts. The PEZA mission coincided with the IFAT Munich 2024, which is a bi-annual event showcasing the biggest and most modern environmental technologies available in the market. “The mission aimed to touch base and understand the latest trends in [...]

FOREIGN INVESTMENT pledges slumped by 63.6% in the first quarter as global economic challenges prompted investors to be more wary of investing in emerging markets like the Philippines, analysts said. Preliminary data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed that the value of foreign commitments approved by investment promotion agencies dropped to P148.43 billion in the January-to-March period from P408.22 billion a year earlier. This was also 63.4% lower than P394.45 billion in the final three months of 2023, and the lowest since the P27.3 billion logged in the third quarter of 2023. Singapore was the biggest source of approved investment pledges [...]

STB GIGAFACTORY, Inc. said its factory in New Clark City will start operations by July, and hopes to expand its capacity to the equivalent of two gigawatt-hours (GWh) worth of products within the next four years. “We’re projected to go live in July, and then in August we’ll have a big inauguration,” according to Dennis Chan Ibarra, chief executive officer of Australian-funded StB GigaFactory. StB GigaFactory produces batteries for energy storage backup for solar photovoltaic for residential, commercial, and industrial use. “We’re going to accelerate our plans to triple the volume to 2,000 megawatts. So, it has two GWh of [...]

This second part of EMSNOW's conversation with recently retired IMI CEO Arthur Tan focuses on the future: for the EMS industry, for IMI, and for Arthur personally. The discussion covers the current state of the business of electronics manufacturing; specifically the implications of the dramatically changing demand cycle, the future of globalization itself, the evolving EMS-OEM relationship and his plans for the future. This insightful interview includes wisdom gained from a long and successful career building and running a global EMS company. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVkp_E2L8HI Information Source: https://youtu.be/qVkp_E2L8HI?si=3BBgUevlq3hNtbEL Original Video by: EMSNOW TV

https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=RuGEoS0POdM This thoughtful conversation between EMSNOW and recently retired CEO of IMI Arthur Tan covers our guest's views about the past, present and future of the EMS industry since he began his time at IMI in 2001. His vision for this Philippines-based EMS brought the company from a small regional manufacturer serving Japanese OEMs to the global powerhouse it is today. The discussion covers some of the key early transactions that began the growth; what he sees as the top milestones of his career, which focus around the benefits to society and his employees; and much more. Original Video by: [...]