SAS sees semiconductor products account for 70%of total revenues Nuying Huang
In a shareholders meeting on June 27,Taiwan-based semiconductor and solar wafer maker Sino-American Silicon(SAS)indicated the plans to increase production of its latest A4+high efficiency solar wafers and mono-crystalline products.SAS added that semiconductor silicon wafer capacity is likely to be full in the third quarter.In addition,with rising demand,capacity expansion of sapphire substrates will continue.
SAS noted that the latest renewable energy incentives in Japan are likely to stimulate demand.SAS has been one of the first Taiwan-based firms to cooperate with Japan-based firms.Currently,Japan-based customers account for more than 50%of its total orders.
The solar market has been experiencing steady demand for the past few months,hence prices have been showing signs of rebounding,said SAS.The firm has been developing new high efficiency solar products in order to improve gross margins.
As for semiconductors,SAS indicated Japan-based subsidiary Covalent Silicon may reach full capacity in third-quarter 2012.GlobalWafers,another subsidiary,has been seeing rising monthly revenues.SAS indicated that revenues from semiconductor products account for more than 70%of the firm's total revenues.
SAS believes the expanding commercialization of tablet PCs,smartphones,and PC peripherals will spur sales growth of semiconductors.In addition,automobile electronic application is a new niche market with great potential.
Demand for patterned sapphire substrates(PSSs)has been growing and SAS reported the percentage of PSS shipments is close to 100%of total sapphire substrate shipments.Sino Sapphire,SAS's sapphire substrate subsidiary,anticipates June revenues to reach 100%on-month growth.The PSS capacity of Sino Sapphire has been increased to 300,000 units from 100,000 units,becoming Taiwan's largest PSS supplier,it said.
Sino Sapphire recently announced a merger with Crystalwise.
SAS dealed out 2011 cash dividends of NT$1.0(US$0.03)per share.
