The output value of Taiwan's PCB industry is estimated to soar past NT$300 billion (US$10.7 billion) in 2020, returning to pre-financial tsunami levels, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

Taiwan's shipments of PCBs and related materials and components peaked at NT$311.7 billion in 2006 before plunging to NT$230.6 billion in 2009, when the global financial crisis broke out, the ministry said.

The ministry released statistics showing Taiwan's PCB output value amounted to NT$227.3 billion in the first three quarters of 2020, up 7.9% on year. The growth was mainly driven by robust demand for servers, networking equipment, and notebooks supporting pandemic-induced stay-at-home economy.

The same tallies showed that there are over 600 PCB makers in Taiwan with a total workforce of 85,000, mostly operating on a small to medium scale with fewer than 200 employees each.

Their combined January-September revenues for rigid and flexible PCB products rose 2.4% on year to NT$109.1 billion, accounting for 48.0% of the output of the entire PCB sector in Taiwan. Revenues of IC substrates commanded 31.3% at NT$71.1 billion, up 25.6% on year, while PCB materials and components took the remaining 20%.

In terms of export outlets, China ranked first absorbing 43.9% of Taiwan's PCB shipments, followed by Hong Kong with 12.8% and South Korea's 9.7%. Shipments to Korea rose 37.7% on year during the first three quarters of the year, as some leading makers in the country have quit PCB production, forcing brand vendors there to rely more on Taiwan suppliers of flexible PCBs and multi-layer rigid boards.