PCB maker Unitech eyeing solar cell production, say sources
Nuying Huang, Taipei; Rodney Chan, DIGITIMES, 11 May 2007
http://www.digitimes.com/bits_chips/a20070511PD204.html
Printed circuit board (PCB) maker Unitech Printed Circuit Board is said to be planning to enter the solar cell industry as it seeks to diversify its business, according to industry sources. A Unitech engineering team is now receiving training on solar cell development, and the company is also evaluating the solar cell making equipment it will have to purchase, the sources indicated. The equipment supplier is likely to be Centrotherm, OTB Solar, Roth & Rau, or Schmid Technology Systems, all of which offer turnkey solutions, the sources added.
Unitech is said to be setting up a production line with an annual capacity of 30MW initially, with production likely to start in mid-2008. Unitech would be the second Taiwan-based PCB maker venturing into the solar cell industry. NexPower Technology, a joint venture (JV) between PCB maker Unimicron Technology and foundry United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), is developing thin-film solar cells.
The sources said it would not be a surprise to see Unitech diversify into the solar cell industry, as the PCB market is mature, offering minimal profits amid fierce pricing. Unitech acting spokesman Kang Tai-ming has, however, dismissed the reports, but added that he did not know whether the company would enter the solar cell industry in the future.