Copper clad laminate (CCL) maker Iteq has signed an investment MOU with the economic development committee of Xiantao City in Hubei, China, planning to set up a production base capable of rolling out 1-1.1 million CCLs a month within the next 3-5 years, according to the company.

         Following the step of fellow company Tripod Technology, Iteq will be the second Taiwan-based company in the PCB industry to move its production base from eastern China to central China due to concerns over transportation and volume of wastewater allowed to be discharged.

         The board of directors of Iteq has approved a budget of US$30 million to carry out the new investment project. The Xiantao plant will also be Iteq's third CCL production base in China. The company currently has plants in Dongguan, Guangdong province and Wuxi, Jiangsu province.

         Iteq will have a total capacity of 3.1-3.5 million CCLs a month by year-end 2010, including 400,000-450,000 units produced at its plant in Taiwan and 1.1 million units at the Donguan plant.