Apple supplier inspects reopened China facility

As a sign it is about to resume operations in China, a Taiwanese supplier of metal casings for computer makers like Apple Inc. has started inspecting its renovated facilities there. Catcher Technology informed the Taiwan Stock Exchange it expects to finish the inspection process by the end of this month, according to a report by Taiwan’s Central News Agency. Operations at Catcher’s plant at Suzhou Industrial Park in Jiangsu province had been suspended since mid-October due to environmental concerns, the report said. But while Catcher said its factories will resume operations after professional institutes approve the renovations, it did not give a specific date for the resumption. Last Oct. 16, Catcher announced the Chinese government had ordered the suspension after an unusual odor was detected at the factories. Catcher President Allen Horng said the suspension could cause a 20-percent drop in October revenue. The CNA report said the Suzhou plants, which mainly produce notebook casings, account for around 20 percent of Catcher’s total capacity. It cited a prediction by Morgan Stanley that the suspension of Catcher’s plants could affect the firm’s fourth-quarter earnings by 15 to 18 percent if there is no output from the Suzhou site until the end of 2011. — TJD, GMA News