Unitech Printed Circuit Board expects revenues to start rebounding as early as March 2012, as roll-outs of new smartphones will stimulate demand for HDI boards, according to company president Hsu Cheng-hung.

Fourth-quarter revenues are being affected by the low season, and revenues will likely decrease in the first two months of 2012 due to fewer working days, said Hsu. The sales slowdowns are to reflect normal seasonal patterns, Hsu added.

However, customer demand, especially that for HDI PCBs used in smartphones, will pick up between March and April and enter its peak season later in 2012, Hsu indicated.

Unitech's revenues slid 3.6% sequentially to NT$1.05 billion (US$34.6 million). The company attributed the drop to postponed deliveries at the request of some clients. Unitech has revised downward its revenue growth forecast for the current fourth quarter to zero from the previous estimate of 5%.

In addition, Hsu revealed Unitech received orders for automotive PCBs, which had been shifted from rivals located in the flood-hit areas in Thailand. But the orders will not contribute significantly to company revenues in November, Hsu said.

Sales of automotive PCBs account for 15-20% of Unitech's overall revenues at present, according to Hsu.

Unitech is more aggressive in expanding HDI board production. The company has installed new production lines for making any-layer HDI boards at its plant in Ilan, northeast Taiwan, with trial production scheduled for December, said Hsu.

Unitech's current production capacity for 3-and-above-layer HDI boards is projected to total six million units a month, once new capacity goes on line, Hsu noted. In addition to Ilan, Unitech also runs a plant in Tucheng, a district in New Taipei City.