Taiwan-based Csun Manufacturing has seen orders for LCD, PCB and semiconductor equipment rebound bringing the company's book-to-bill ratio to 1.5-1.8 recently, according to industry sources.
In particular, orders for equipment used to manufacture LCD panels and touchscreens have risen substantially since February, the sources indicated. Combined orders coming from the two sectors have climbed more than 20%, said the sources, adding that most panel clients of Csun are China-based firms.
Csun's revenues are expected to hit the lowest quarterly level for 2013 in the first quarter, followed by sequential growth in the second and third quarters, the sources predicted.
Csun has reported consolidated revenues of NT$214 million (US$7.2 million) for January 2013, down 51.7% on month and 11.5% on year. Csun noted that sales already reached high-base levels in December 2012, buoyed by strong shipments of LED manufacturing equipment.
Csun started shipping turnkey solutions for producing patterned sapphire substrates (PSS) used to make LED chips in the second half of 2012. The new product line accounted for about 10% of Csun's total revenues in 2012.
