The Analysis of Taiwan Semiconductor Distribution Industry and Research of Innovative Transformation for Distribution Company

隨著台灣半導體與電子工業的發展，台灣的半導體通路產業，至2001年，已經發展到年營業額超過新台幣2200億元的產業規模，企業家數超過200家，總從業員工有10000人。這樣的規模除了半導體製造業外，遠遠超過其他如封裝、測試，甚至IC設計等其他半導體產業，但是半導體通路產業卻很少受到政府和產業研究單位的重視，也許是受到台灣一般較注重生產而忽略行銷通路有關。希望將來有更多人有興趣，對台灣的半導體通路產業作更進一步深入的研究。 和半導體與電子工業一樣，，台灣的半導體通路產業競爭也非常的激烈。因為全世界的半導體IDM廠和IC設計公司，都非常注重台灣這個重要的半導體電子零組件的市場，紛紛在台灣設立分公司及經銷管道，因此給予通路商很多的業務發展的機會，因此，各通路商各有其合作的供應商，形成大小通路商充斥但各有生存空間的零散型產業。但也是因為通路商家數多，台灣市場太過集中，與過分依賴供應商，半導體通路商對供應商與客戶都處於議價力量弱勢的地位。 雖然通路商處於弱勢的議價地位，造成一般通路商毛利偏低的現象，但是通路商仍可以從提高營業額的高資產週轉率，或透過改變產品組合增加利基型產品的比重，來穩定公司的獲利，因此半導體通路業的獲利一般都可以維持在一定的範圍內，和其他半導體產業受景氣循環獲利大起大落，有很明顯的不同，屬於進入與退出障礙皆低，獲利低而穩定的產業。 事實上，台灣的半導體通路產業發展到現在，已經成為追求企業價值，注重企業核心能力與企業創新的智價型企業。不僅ERP的資訊系統已成為通路產業必要能力，通路商漸漸地已經有改善與供應商議價力量，一方面以提高本身競爭優勢，增加獲利能力。另一方面則可藉企業創新轉型，建立新的核心能力，加強事業營運的範疇。 企業創新轉型，首先須要根據對企業外部與內部的環境加以分析，瞭解企業本身在產業內所處的地位，再根據企業所要追求的目標，訂定發展策略。引述吳思華教授的觀點，策略可以從資源投入、經營活動、競爭優勢與生存利基四個構面切入： 1.從資源投入的觀點看，策略具有指導內部重大資源分配的功能； 2.從經營活動的觀點看，任何企業的經營構想，均需要透過企業內部的系列活動才能具體實現； 3.從競爭優勢的觀點看，策略的目的在維持企業不敗的競爭優勢； 4.從生存利基的觀點看，企業必須衡量外在環境與本身條件，尋找一個適當的利基做為生存的憑藉。 其次，企業創新轉型，需要找出在策略執行過程中所需具備的核心能力，及建立核心能力所需採行的創新活動，這些創新活動，必須要能尋得建立核心能力所需要的知識與技能，並使之能在組織內部流通、累積，最後內化成組織的核心能力。哈佛大學李奧納德-巴登教授以十年的個案研究與理論構築的精心之作─「知識創新之泉」，闡述知識之泉係藉由下列新產品，及其製程開發的相關活動而達成： ‧超越認知與職能障礙的整合性問題解決方式； ‧新方法和新製程工具的執行和採用； ‧實驗和原型試製； ‧由外部的科技和市場來源獲取新知。 With the development of semiconductor industry and electronics industry in Taiwan, the overall sales turnover of Taiwan's semiconductor distribution industry has been more than 220 billion NT dollars in 2001. It is more than 200 companies in this industry, and the total employee is 10000. Except the semiconductor manufacturing, this scale surpasses all the other semiconductor industries to a great extent, such as assembly & packaging、testing, even IC design. However, the government and industrial research organization scarcely focus on the semiconductor distribution industry. It may be because the production is more emphasized than sales channel in Taiwan. However, the distribution business is good channel to understand the market demand for near future. Therefore, it is a hope that more institutes are interested in doing further research on Taiwan's semiconductor distribution industry in the future. As the semiconductor industry and electronics industry, The players of Taiwan's semiconductor distribution industry are severe competed each other. Because both IDM factories and IC design companies of worldwide semiconductor think of Taiwan as an important market, they set up branches and sales channels in succession. Thus, distribution companies have many chances to develop their business. Distribution companies with their cooperative supplier form the scattered industry flooded with small and large distributor companies but have their own locations. But a large number of distributor companies, concentrated markets in Taiwan and high dependence on suppliers also make semiconductor distributor companies stay in an inferior position when they negotiate prices with suppliers and clients. Because distributors are inferior while negotiating prices, their net profits, generally speaking, are tended to be low. But distributors can stabilize their profits by raising the high asset turnover in the sales activities or increasing the ratio of niche products in the product portfolio. Therefore, the profit of the semiconductor distribution industry is quite difference from that of other semiconductor industries. The former is stable in a specific range and the latter is deeply affected by the business cycle. So, the semiconductor distribution industry belongs to low in-and-out obstacle and low profit but stable industry. In fact, the present development of Taiwan's semiconductor distribution industry has become as an intelligence-based business to pursue business value and stress core competence and innovation in business. Distribution companies not only have considered ERP information system an essential ability but also have had more improvement on negotiating with suppliers. On the one side, the increase in company's competition superiority can strengthen their making-profit abilities. On the other side, they enlarge business scopes by enterprise innovative transformation and new core competence cultivation. The first element about enterprise innovative transformation is to analyze the interior and exterior environment. The enterprise should understand its position in the industry. Then, the enterprise concludes its developing strategy according to its goal of pursuing. The strategy, quoted from Pro. Wu Se-Hwa / Dean of Commerce College, National Chengchi University, can be divided into four dimensions: resource input, operation activity, competitive superiority and survival foundation. 1. From the resource input aspect, the strategy has a function to direct interior essential resource allocation. 2. From the operation activity aspect, the business operation idea in the company is through the interior systematic activity of the company. 3. From the competitive superiority aspect, the aim of the strategy is to maintain the overwhelming competition superiority of the company. 4. From the survival foundation aspect, the business has to measure its exterior situation and interior condition, finding a proper survival foundation. Second, enterprise innovative transformation needs to discover the core competence in which is necessary in the strategy-practicing procedure, and adopt innovative activities related to cultivating core competence. The aim of these innovative activities is to find out knowledge and skills in which are necessary for cultivating core competence. And these knowledge and skills must be circulated and accumulated in the organization, then internally turn out to be the core competence of the organization. According to Pro. Leonard-Baden's masterpiece 「Spring of Knowledge Innovation」 which included his ten-year case studies and the construction of the theory, he expounded that the spring of knowledge is achieved by the following innovative activities of new products and the production developing. *Integrated solution that surmounts cognitive and functional obstacles. *Adoption and implement of new ways and new production instruments. *Samples of experiments and prototypes. *New information getting from the exterior technology and market