Ovivo rides the buoyant semiconductor wave

摘要

Canadian water equipment and systems supplier Ovivo ended its fiscal year with a record backlog, as its electronics business proved particularly resilient to the economic challenges brought about by the global pandemic. Around 60% of the company's Can$450 million (US$357 million) revenue intake in the year ended 31 March 2021 was derived from the sale of products and systems to the electronics sector, while the North American municipal and industrial segment and the energy division were both weaker year-on-year (see chart, right). "The electronics division is booming, and the biggest challenge we have is to hire people to execute the projects," explained Ovivo CEO Marc Barbeau. Demand for chips - and for the advanced water systems needed to produce them - is being driven by a number of factors. These include a backlog caused by production delays during lockdown, an increased appetite for devices driven by more people working from home, the electrification of transportation, a trend towards smaller devices (and thus smaller chips), and a desire to diversify the global supply chain away from semiconductor manufacturers based in Taiwan.