UMS Holdings

[Boon]

Silicon Shipment Levels Decline in Third Quarter 2015


SAN JOSE, Calif. — November 11, 2015 — Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments decreased during the third quarter 2015 when compared to second quarter area shipments according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Total silicon wafer area shipments were 2,591 million square inches during the most recent quarter, a 4.1 percent decrease from the record amount of 2,702 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter. New quarterly total area shipments were flat when compared to third quarter 2014 shipments. 

"After two consecutive record breaking quarters, quarterly silicon shipment growth slightly declined,” said Ginji Yada, chairman of SEMI SMG and general manager, International Sales & Marketing Department of SUMCO Corporation. “Quarterly shipments for the most recent quarter are on par with the same quarter as last year, with total silicon shipment volumes for 2015 through the end of the third quarter higher relative to the same period last year.”..................................................

http://www.semi.org/en/node/59401?id=highlights
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[BlueKelah]

Applied Materials Dodges M&A Bets Amid KLA-Lam Union

Lam Research (NASDAQ:LRCX) and KLA-Tencor's (NASDAQ:KLAC) impending marriage left little "attractive or sizable" in the dating ring for Applied Materials (NASDAQ:AMAT), one analyst suggested late Thursday after the No. 1 chip gear-maker reported mixed Q4 earnings.
But, investor relief led Applied Materials stock to jump Friday. In midday trading on the stock market today, shares were up 5% near 17.50.

Read More At Investor's Business Daily: http://news.investors.com/technology/111315-780747-applied-materials-stock-jumps-on-q4.htm#ixzz3rROZ7mch

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Just listened to this FY15 AMAT earnings call, not spectacular but not too bad. NAND spending still ramping and increasing. They just celebrated 30 years in China and seems in good position to capitalise on any surge in China semicon sector ramp up.

[Boon]

Five Top-20 Companies Forecast to Show Double-Digit Growth this Year
Strong U.S. dollar expected to shave four percentage points off of top-20 growth rate in 2015. 
10 Nov 2015, By IC Insights,
http://www.icinsights.com/data/articles/...ts/835.pdf
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Gartner Says 6.4 Billion Connected "Things" Will Be in Use in 2016, Up 30 Percent From 2015
STAMFORD, Conn., November 10, 2015
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3165317
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A Sense of Scale: How High Is High?

November 09, 2015 

When it comes to aspect ratios – how tall an object is vs. how wide it is – even the tallest buildings in the world hardly compare to the extreme dimensions in the semiconductor industry, where aspect ratios of some device features can reach 50:1 or higher.........................................................................
http://blog.lamresearch.com/blog-home/Po...gh-Is-High
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http://semiengineering.com/newsletter/io...ty-110515/

Top Stories
The Great IoE Race Begins
There will be billions of edge devices and cloud servers, but the real money is in optimizing the pieces and making them all work together.
Making Cars Smarter
SoCs are replacing MCUs in electronic control units as complexity rises.
Inside Mesh Networks
Part 1: Ad-hoc wireless mesh networks will be the great enabler for future devices.
The Cloud, The IoE, And You
Part 1: Why everything is becoming inextricably woven, especially in the datacenter.
Blogs
Editor In Chief Ed Sperling contends the tech industry has to prove smart devices are a smart investment, in Will People Pay More?
Technology Editor Ernest Worthman provides a glimpse into the future, in Things You Can Control While Sleeping.
Executive Editor Ann Mutschler finds that carmakers are embracing a rigorous verification methodology, in The Automotive V-Cycle.
Mentor Graphics’ Brian Derrick observes that a definition of the IoT is critical to success, in What Markets And Winners Will IoT Produce?
Kilopass’ Charlie Cheng argues that no IoT device will be effective if the battery power is insufficient, in Emerging IoT Applications Require Careful Consideration.
Marvell’s Alex Tan digs into things you never thought your car could do by itself, in Drive, Fix, Park.
Industry veterans Jim Hogan and Bernard Murphy examine a new growth market for a very good cause, in A Semiconductor Approach To Desalination.
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[Boon]

North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts October 2015 Book-to-Bill Ratio of 0.98


SAN JOSE, Calif. — November 19, 2015 — North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.33 billion in orders worldwide in October 2015 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 0.98, according to the October EMDS Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI.  A book-to-bill of 0.98 means that $98 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

SEMI reports that the three-month average of worldwide bookings in October 2015 was $1.33 billion. The bookings figure is 14.7 percent lower than the final September 2015 level of $1.55 billion, and is 20.3 percent higher than the October 2014 order level of $1.10 billion.
The three-month average of worldwide billings in October 2015 was $1.36 billion. The billings figure is 9.1 percent lower than the final September 2015 level of $1.50 billion, and is 14.7 percent higher than the October 2014 billings level of $1.18 billion.

"Both bookings and billings weakened for the second consecutive month; however, year-to-date bookings and billings levels remain above last year's levels," said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. "SEMI will update its 2016 equipment outlook during SEMICON Japan next month.".......................................................................................

http://www.semi.org/en/node/59761?id=highlights
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[Boon]

Strong Smartphone Growth in a Saturated Cellphone Market
Non-smartphone market is forecast to drop by 30% in 2015; another 28% in 2016. 
20 Nov 2015, By IC Insights
http://www.icinsights.com/data/articles/...ts/837.pdf
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Egham, UK, November 18, 2015
Gartner Says Emerging Markets Drove Worldwide Smartphone Sales to 15.5 Percent Growth in Third Quarter of 2015
Huawei Recorded Highest Growth in Mobile Phone and Smartphone Sales in Third Quarter of 2015
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3169417
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[Boon]

IDMs Could Top Fabless Semiconductor Company Growth for Only the Second Time in History
Sales of top 10 IDMs forecast to be flat; top 10 fabless companies expected to slip into negative growth this year. 
02 Dec 2015, by IC Insights
http://www.icinsights.com/data/articles/...ts/843.pdf
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15 Hot Tech Stories for 2016
EDN, EE Times Staff
12/1/2015 
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1328386
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The Challenge Of Fitting In

Companies need to understand what roles to play in evolving ecosystems.
NOVEMBER 30TH, 2015 - BY: ANN STEFFORA MUTSCHLER

http://semiengineering.com/the-challenge-of-fitting-in/
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Healthy Growth Predictions For MEMS
But improvement will remain uneven due to market fragmentation.
NOVEMBER 30TH, 2015 - BY: PAULA DOE
http://semiengineering.com/health-growth-ahead-in-mems/
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[Boon]

Global Semiconductor Sales Increase in October; Slight Growth Projected for Next Three Years
MARKET PROJECTED TO GROW BY 0.2 PERCENT IN 2015, 1.4 PERCENT IN 2016, AND 3.1 PERCENT IN 2017
Published Thursday, December 3, 2015 5:00 pm
by Dan Rosso

WASHINGTON—Dec. 3, 2015—The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, today announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $29.0 billion for the month of October 2015, 1.9 percent higher than the previous month’s total of $28.4 billion and 2.5 percent lower than the October 2014 total of $29.7 billion. The Americas market posted 3.9 percent growth compared to last month, leading all regions. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average. Additionally, a new WSTS industry forecast projects slight market growth for the next three years.

“Global semiconductor sales have shown signs of stabilizing in recent months, with October marking the third straight month of month-to-month growth,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “Year-to-date sales are narrowly ahead of where they were through the same time last year, and slight growth is projected for next year and beyond.”

Month-to-month sales increased across all regional markets: the Americas (3.9 percent), China (1.6 percent), Europe (1.2 percent), Japan (0.4 percent), and Asia Pacific/All Other (1.7 percent). Compared to October 2014, sales were up in China (5.7 percent), but down in the Americas (-5.6 percent), Europe (-9.4), Japan (-10.5 percent), and Asia Pacific/All Other (-2.4 percent).

Additionally, SIA today endorsed the WSTS Autumn 2015 global semiconductor sales forecast, which projects the industry’s worldwide sales will reach $336.4 billion in 2015, a 0.2 percent increase from the 2014 sales total. WSTS projects year-to-year increases for 2015 in Asia Pacific (3.9 percent), with decreases projected for the Americas (-0.6 percent), Europe (-8.2 percent), and Japan (-10.3 percent).

Beyond 2015, the global market is expected to grow at a modest pace. WSTS forecasts 1.4 percent growth globally for 2016 ($341.0 billion in total sales) and 3.1 percent growth for 2017 ($351.6 billion). WSTS tabulates its semi-annual industry forecast by convening an extensive group of global semiconductor companies that provide accurate and timely indicators of semiconductor trends.

October 2015 chart and graph 
WSTS Autumn Forecast Summary 

http://www.semiconductors.org/news/2015/...ree_years/
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[Boon]

Worldwide PC Shipments Will Continue to Decline into 2016 as the Short-Term Outlook Softens, According To IDC 
04 Dec 2015
https://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS40704015
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Egham, UK, December 7, 2015 

Gartner Says Smart Cities Will Use 1.6 Billion Connected Things in 2016
Smart Commercial Buildings to Lead with 518 Million Connected Things in Use in 2016
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3175418
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Egham, UK, December 8, 2015 

Gartner Says Consumers in Mature Markets Will Use and Own Three to Four Devices By 2018
Increase in Devices per User Will Spur Innovation in User Interface Technologies
http://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3176217
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[Boon]

SEMI Reports Third Quarter 2015 Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Figures; Billings $9.6 Billion

SAN JOSE, Calif. — December 7, 2015 — SEMI, the global industry association for companies that supply manufacturing technology and materials to the world’s chip makers, today reported that worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment billings reached US$9.6 billion in the third quarter of 2015. The billings figure is 3 percent higher than the second quarter of 2015 and 9 percent higher than the same quarter a year ago. The data is gathered jointly with the Semiconductor Equipment Association of Japan (SEAJ) from over 100 global equipment companies that provide data on a monthly basis

Worldwide semiconductor equipment bookings were $8.7 billion in the third quarter of 2015. The figure is 7 percent lower than the same quarter a year ago and 14 percent lower than the bookings figure for the second quarter of 2015....................................

http://www.semi.org/en/node/60036?id=highlights
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[Nick]

UMS Signs MOU with Malaysian Aerospace Metallic Component Manufacturer

Highlights

- Under the terms of the MOU, UMS will invest RM0.1 million into All Star Fortress Sdn. Bhd. (“ASF”) via new shares subscription for 10% equity of ASF’s enlarged shareholdings
- UMS will also extend to ASF secured convertible loans up to a total of USD7.5 million, which includes USD6.7 million for ASF to strengthen its capability and expand its manufacturing capacity to meet the long term needs of aerospace customers
- ASF to relocate its manufacturing operations to UMS’ Penang premises, allowing the Group to better utilized its facility space
- Aerospace industry has significant growth potential as increasing air traffic continues to drive up demand for new airplanes, and large order backlogs by major aircraft makers have also resulted in pent-up demand among components suppliers

http://infopub.sgx.com/FileOpen/UMS_Pres...eID=381892

(Not Vested)