Flexible printed circuit or FPC, industry emerged firstly in Japan, which was about the year of 2002, and began appearing in other countries in 2003. In 2005, the industry developed rapidly, but not long after it began declining in the following year. The industry fell to the bottom in 2007 and started recovering in 2008.

In 2005, FPC industry had a low market entry threshold and a high profit, which had lured a large number of companies into the market. However, in the following year, competition in the industry became increasingly fierce and oversupply also became increasingly serious, forcing many companies to cut prices for survival or even operate in red. Meanwhile, downstream clients of FPC industry, like large EMS manufacturers, built their own FPC production lines to stop outsourcing FPC business, which was another heavy blow to the FPC industry.

2007 was a turbulent year to the FPC industry. Firstly of all, the profit dropped sharply. M-FLEX, a major FPC manufacturer, only achieved a net profit of US$3 million in fiscal year 2007 in comparison with that of US$40.4 million in fiscal year 2006, down 93% year on year. Besides, Jiatong Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd, a company listed on Hong Kong Stock Exchange, made a total loss of US$29.8 million in fiscal year 2007, compared to a total profit of US$12.4 million in fiscal year 2006. Secondly, there was a drop in sales revenue. For instance, Career Technology (MFG) Co., Ltd., Taiwan's largest FPC company, has had a declining in sales revenue for three years consecutively since 2004, with its sales revenue falling to NT$6.54 billion in 2007 from NT$7.79 billion posted in 2004. Thirdly, gross profit margin dropped. In 2004, the gross profit margin of Career Technology (MFG) was 29%, but it decreased to 12% in 2007. Moreover, South Korean largest FPC producer Young Poong had to split its FPC business from the listed company so as to appease investors. Other small FPC manufacturers went bankruptcy directly.

However, the closedown of a large number of small FPC companies has brought opportunities to the FPC industry. The industry began to recover from the early beginning of 2008. Unfortunately, the FPC industry is faced with another predicament of a global economic slowdown, skyrocketing oil prices, sub-prime lending crisis and grain price hikes. A decreasing demand for consumer electronics including handset, notebook, flat panel TV, LCD, digital camera and DV, is the key reason behind the fall in FPC demand.

However, the Japanese FPC producers with the state-of-the-art technology are the exceptions. Even if when the industry was in a downturn in 2007, their sales revenue and gross profit margin all rose instead of drop.

Revenue of Global Top 13 FPC Producers, 2007

2. Introduction to FPC
2.1 FPC Variety and Development
2.2 Latest Developments of Global FPC Industry
2.3 Downstream Markets of Global FPC Industry
2.4 Introduction of Rigid-Flex Board
2.5 Rigid-Flex Board Applications and Market Study
2.6 High-Density FPC Applications
2.7 Development Trend of Technical Requirements of High-Density FPC

3. Study on FPC Upstream Industry
3.1 FCCL Industry
3.1.1 Constituents of FCCL
3.1.2 Comparison between 2L FCCL and 3L FCCL
3.2 FCCL Manufacturers
3.2.1 Taiflex Scientific
3.2.2 ThinFlex Corp.
3.2.3 Guangzhou Hongren Electronic Industry Co., Ltd.
3.2.4 AEM Co., Ltd
3.2.5 Kunshan Aplus Tec. Corporation
3.2.6 Jiujiang Flex Co., Ltd.
3.2.7 Dongyi High-tech Material Co., Ltd.
3.2.8 Huashuo Electronic Chemical Material Co., Ltd
3.2.9 Shenzhen Danbang FCCL Co., Ltd.
3.2.10 Du Pont Wirex Ltd
3.2.11 RCCT 
3.2.12 Mircrocosm Technology Co., Ltd

4. FPC Manufacturers
4.1 Nippon Mektron 
4.2 Zhuhai Zixiang Electronic Technology Co., Ltd.
4.3 Mectec
4.4 Fujikura 
4.5Sony Chemical 
4.6 Sony Chemicals Corporation (Suzhou)
4.7 Nitto Denko 
4.8 Nitto Denko (Suzhou) Co., Ltd
4.9 Sumitomo Denko
4.10 Parlex 
4.11 Parlex (Shanghai) Circuit Co., Ltd.
4.12 M-Flex 
4.13 M-FLEX (Suzhou)
4.14 GTS (Shenyang) Electronic Co., Ltd
4.15 Ichia Electronics (Z.S) Co., Ltd 
4.16 Yahsin
4.17 Unimicron
4.18 Mutual-Tek Industries Co., Ltd.
4.19 Xiamen NewFlex Electronics Co., Ltd
4.20 Tongjia Technology Co., Ltd
4.21Flexium Interconnect, Inc
4.22 Shenzhen Jiazhihong Electronic Co., Ltd.
4.23 Shanghai World Circuit Technology Co., Ltd
4.24KinWong Electronic (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd
4.25 Career Technology (MFG.) Co., Ltd.
4.26 Baijia Science and Technology (Suzhou) Co., Ltd
4.27Global Flex (Suzhou) Co., Ltd
4.28 TC Precision Electronics Division
4.29 Compeq
4.30 AKM Electronics Industrial Ltd
4.31Shenzhen Danbond Technology Co., Ltd
4.32 Topsun & FPC Technology Co., Ltd.
4.33 Zhuhai Hongguang Electronic Co., Ltd.
4.34Guangzhou Sincere Flex Circuits Co., Ltd.
4.35 Compass Technology Co., Ltd
4.36 Jinda Printed Circuits Co., Ltd.
4.37 Onpress Printed Circuits Limited
4.38 Shenzhen Huaxuda Precision Circuit Technology Co., Ltd
4.39 Shenzhen Silicon Technology Co., Ltd
4.40 Shenzhen Topscom Electronics Co., Ltd
4.41Shenzhen City Nine Days Development Co., Ltd
4.42Young Poong 
4.43Interflex 
4.44 SI Flex