South Korea’s printed circuit board (PCB) market is expected to grow 3.4% this year, led by semiconductor boards, according to the Korea Printed Circuit Association (KPCA).
The local PCB market is expected to be worth 10.86 trillion won in 2021, the KPCA said.
Base in area, the market is expected to contract 0.4% to 34,700 kilometer-square.
Per category, semiconductor boards is expected to grow 17% year-on-year to be worth 3.86 trillion won.
Rigid PCB will contract 2% from a year prior to 3.9 trillion won, while flexible PCB will shrink 3.7% year-on-year to 3.1 trillion won.
The combined sales of rigid and flexible PCBs will be 7 trillion won, down 2.8% from 2020.
The KPCA said the recent global chip shortage has caused semiconductor board prices to increase.
Companies in the sector are expanding their production capacity and productivity which will lead to growth, the association said.
In flip chip chip scale package (FC-CSP), global companies such as Ibiden of Japan are contracting their business, which is benefiting South Korean companies, KPCA noted.
In flip chip ball grid array (FC-BGA), high demand is allowing new companies to enter the market to reap profits, the association added.
South Korean companies in semiconductor board include Samsung Electro-Mechanics, LG InnoTek, Daeduck Electronics, Simmtech, Korea Circuit and Haesung DS.
In smartphones, KPCA said demand for high density interconnectors and flexible PCB decreased. In the second quarter, the drop in unit prices and increased cost of raw materials could hurt companies in the area, the association said. However, in the second half of the year, launch of 5G smartphones and increased consumer spending from mass COVID-19 vaccination will lead to year-on-year growth for the sector, the association said.
The PCB market in the second half is expected to grow led by flexible rigid PCB (RFPCB). RFPCB is usually used for OLED panels and camera modules. Apple is expected to launch new iPhones in the third quarter. RFPCB used for the OLED panel iPhones is made by Samsung Electro-Mechanics, BH and Youngpoong Electronics.
In the first quarter, the South Korean PCB market grew 6.5% year-on-year. This was thanks to Samsung’s launch of new smartphones and increased demand for semiconductor boards.
However, growth in the second quarter will slowdown from imbalance in supply and demand for system semiconductors and Vietnam’s inventory readjustment due to the outbreak of COVID-19 there. Multiple South Korean PCB companies have facilities in Vietnam. Total sales in the first half of the year is expected to be 5.3 trillion won, a 4.2% year-on-year increase.