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Photo courtesy of Yonhap News |
[Alpha Biz= Kim Jisun] Intops has returned to profitability in the first quarter after overcoming production yield issues in its smartphone business, while accelerating expansion into new growth areas such as wearable robotics.
According to regulatory filings on May 19, Intops reported first-quarter revenue of KRW 163.1 billion, up 0.9% year-on-year. Operating profit surged to KRW 6.4 billion from KRW 300 million a year earlier, while net profit rose to KRW 11.8 billion from KRW 2.7 billion.
The rebound was driven primarily by normalization of yield issues that emerged during the launch of new smartphone models for Samsung Electronics in the second half of 2024. Stricter quality requirements and design changes had increased manufacturing complexity, weighing on profitability and leading to an operating loss of KRW 11.3 billion for the full year.
The company said yield rates began improving in the third quarter of last year and stabilized in early 2025, supporting a recovery in earnings. Its Vietnam subsidiary, Intops Vietnam, posted revenue growth and returned to net profit in the first quarter.
While the core smartphone segment showed signs of recovery, the home appliance business remains under pressure. Intops supplies TV and appliance components to Samsung Electronics, but sales from its Ho Chi Minh-based subsidiary have been declining amid intensifying competition and shifting consumer demand.
Amid these challenges, Intops is positioning robotics as a future growth driver. The company plans to leverage its manufacturing expertise to enter the wearable robotics market and has recently signed a memorandum of understanding with Wirobotics to collaborate on product development and mass production.
Intops aims to expand cooperation from early-stage development to full-scale manufacturing, seeking to build a new growth engine beyond its traditional electronics assembly business.
Alphabiz Reporter Kim Jisun(stockmk2020@alphabiz.co.kr)
