Global demand for FCCLs (flexible copper-clad laminates) is on the rise and the business boom is expected to continue for as long as six to seven years mainly due to growing demand from FCCL applications for smartphones, tablet PCs and touch panels, according to chairman Lee Chien-hui for Taiwan-based FCCL maker Asia Electronic Material (AEM).

AEM saw record shipments of 730,000 square meters of FCCLs in August and is likely to attain a shipment volume of 800,000 square meters at full-capacity production to bring in record revenues of over NT$200 million (US$6.9 million) in September, Lee indicated.

As existing production capacity has been fully utilized, AEM is setting up additional monthly capacity of one million square meters, with completion scheduled for the end of the second quarter of 2012 to timely meet peak demand in the third quarter, Lee pointed out. In addition to meeting increasing demand from existing clients, the new production capacity will be used to develop new products and compete for orders from new clients in the US and Japan, Lee said. AEM expects its monthly shipment volume to increase to one million square meters in the third quarter of 2012, Lee noted.

AEM on September 19 started listing on the local over-the-counter (OTC) bourse at NT$17.1 per share.