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Hiwin’s profits climb as AI and automation fill Its order book

Reporter Richard Brown
Release time:2026/11/12 14:51
Last update time:2026/11/12 14:51
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Hiwin Technologies expects fourth-quarter results to exceed the third as orders extend into mid-2027.
Hiwin Technologies expects fourth-quarter results to exceed the third as orders extend into mid-2027. (Image courtesy of Richard Brown.)

Hiwin Technologies, whose ball screws and linear guideways position the moving parts of factory equipment and robots, reported a 176% increase in third-quarter net profit as semiconductor and automation customers increased orders. Production is struggling to keep pace, orders extend into mid-2027, and the company expects the fourth quarter to beat the third despite the usual year-end slowdown.

Hiwin’s main products are ball screws, which convert rotation into precise straight-line movement, and linear guideways, which support and guide moving machine parts. Together, they help manufacturing equipment position tools, materials, and workpieces accurately. The company also builds the robots and transfer systems that move silicon wafers through chip production, so it benefits directly when chipmakers purchase equipment to expand AI chip output.

Third-quarter revenue was NT$8.11 billion (approximately US$247 million), up 35% from a year earlier and 8% from the previous quarter. Net profit attributable to shareholders rose 45% sequentially to NT$1.23 billion (US$37.5 million), or NT$3.48 per share. Gross margin reached 36.3% on higher factory utilization and earlier price increases, helped by a US subsidiary’s tariff refund and currency movements. October revenue set a monthly record of NT$2.85 billion (US$86.9 million), up 35.7% year on year, bringing ten-month sales to NT$24.85 billion (US$758 million).

Linear guideways accounted for approximately 61% of quarterly revenue, ball screws 20%, and robotics-related products 12%. Chairman Eric Chuo said semiconductor and AI data center manufacturing equipment customers continued to place strong orders.

These orders have outrun production. Delivery times exceed six and a half months for precision-ground ball screws and run to approximately four to six months for linear guideways. Hiwin plans to raise precision-ground ball-screw output by approximately 20% from the beginning of the year and increase linear-guideway output by 10–15% by year-end. Chuo expects the backlog to outweigh the seasonal effect of European and U.S. holidays and lift fourth-quarter performance to above the third.