Taiwan's Largan Precision, the world's top maker of phone camera lenses, saw sales edge up from July but fall from a year ago — a mixed picture that should improve as Apple's new phones ramp up.

• August sales rose slightly from July but were down 16% from a year earlier.
• Sales for the first eight months are still up 4% on the year.
• September shipments are expected to be stronger than August's, as the new iPhone launch pulls in orders.
• Factories are set to run at full capacity this quarter, helped by new variable-aperture lenses going into mass production.
• A new fiber-optic parts line for data-center chips starts trial production this quarter, with real revenue expected next year.

Outlook: The autumn phone season should lift sales through the rest of the year, with the data-center business as the next growth story.