OSAKA — Japan’s major electronic components producers, such as Murata Manufacturing and TDK, have been handling record-high order volumes, propelled by Apple’s new iPhone.
Orders at six major Japanese manufacturers totaled 1.26 trillion yen ($11.68 billion) for the July-September quarter, according to independent calculations by The Nikkei. The figure is an all-time high and a 13.1% rise on the year. Components made for Apple’s new iPhone 6, released in September, drove the increase. It appears that strong demand for car electronics will keep orders pouring in for the October-December period as well.
Kyocera, Alps Electric, Nidec and Nippon Denko were the other four companies among the six, with sales figures used for the latter two. The group’s total exceeded the previous high, set in the April-June period, by more than 100 billion yen. The previous record represented a roughly 7% gain on the year. The depreciating yen also helped spur the July-September tally to a double-digit percentage gain.
Individually, Murata’s orders increased 25% on the year, with TDK up 15%. Orders from Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi increased as well. Murata has decided to build a plant in Fukui Prefecture to produce smartphone capacitors. TDK also is considering expanding production, as its Chinese facility for making filters is operating near full capacity.
It appears the remaining four, including Kyocera, all saw gains of about 10%. Orders from South Korea’s Samsung Electronics were low, but business from Chinese manufacturers seeking parts for their LTE-capable devices supported the companies.
