Taiwan-based Flexium Interconnect is set to mass produce mmWave LCP (liquid crystal polymer)-based flexible antenna boards at its new plant in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan in first-half 2021, and will be striving to win orders for 2021 new iPhones, according to industry sources.

Flexium has tapped into the Apple Watch supply chain with its LCP flexible boards, indicating its mass production capability and yield rates for this product line have won Apple's recognition, the sources said, adding that the company is highly confident of landing LCP antenna board orders for 2021 iPhone models.

Though not supplying MPI (modified polyimide) flexible antenna boards for the iPhone 12 series, Flexium has delivered shipments of such boards for new iPad and MacBook models in 2020, the sources continued.

Flexium said its revenue ratio for flexible antenna boards has risen to over 20% in 2020 and will notably pick up further in 2021 along with increasing shipments of both MPI antenna modules for sub-6GHz transmission and LCP ones for over 27GHz application.

Flexium expects strong demand for LCP antenna boards from clients in the US and China in 2021, and is optimistic that it can snatch a significant market share in the segment with its competitiveness in technology prowess, yield rates and cost structure.

The firm's third-quarter 2020 revenues slipped 3.1% on year to NT$8.047 billion (US$281.27 million), with net earnings plunging 49.7% on year to NT$576 million due mainly to the depreciation of the Taiwanese currency against the greenback.

Handset applications contributed 55% of revenues in the third quarter, compared to 33% for tablets and notebooks and 12% for other consumer electronics devices including Apple Watch, according to industry sources.

Flexium estimates its fourth-quarter revenues to grow 10-20% on year and annual shipments for 2020 also to see double-digit growth.