Solar wafer maker Gigastorage generated gross margin of 13.99% and net operating profit of NT$260 million (US$8.6 million) for the first quarter, while fellow maker Sino-American Silicon Products (SAS) still suffered negative gross margin and net operating loss, according to the companies.
SAS said its first-quarter net operating loss resulted from high cost for long-term polysilicon supply contract. SAS expects solar wafer prices to rise in second-half 2014 and its operation to turn profitable.
Gigastorage saw net operating profit mainly because it is not burdened with long-term polysilicon supply contracts. Gigastorage has expanded its annual production capacity to 650-700MWp and will further expand it to 1GWp.