BenQ Corp (
Under the deal, BenQ will provide liquid crystal monitors for IBM's desktop computers sold to Big Blue's corporate custom-ers, said Danny Yao (姚鴻洲), BenQ's executive for Asia-Pacific business.
"The collaboration will help boost BenQ's brand name among corporate users and thereby help us smoothly expand into that market next year," Yao said.
Such a tie-up is also the result of a shortage of LCD monitors that has prompted PC vendors to seek closer relationships with display makers for a stable supply, investors said.
"The cooperation is understandable as IBM needs to secure an LCD monitor supply, while BenQ will be able to increase the exposure of its brand name with IBM's strong marketing," said Grace Chen (
"But as Taiwan's corporate PC market is just too small, I don't expect the deal will bring a substantial increase for BenQ's sales," Chen added.
Echoing Chen's view, Steven Tseng (
The tie-up, however, is an extension of the two companies' previous collaboration in winning a more than NT$700 million contract in computer procurement signed with the Central Trust of China (
IBM won about 20,000 to 25,000 laptop orders from the bidding in September, according to Jeffrey Chow (
The two companies are now eying another contract from Central Trust that is scheduled to be awarded in early February. The government agency usually accepts bids twice a year in helping government departments buy personal computers.
"If the cooperation works well, we won't rule out the possibility of extending the cooperation to notebook computers," Horng said.
BenQ has already provided IBM with more than 10,000 LCD monitors this year, he added.
BenQ, which focuses mostly on the consumer market, plans to roll out new notebook computer models designed for corporate customers in the first quarter of next year.
The company hopes to sell 100,000 laptops to corporate users in Taiwan next year, accounting for 10 percent of its laptop sales target of 100,000 units for the year, Yao said.
Tseng said that the extension of BenQ-IBM cooperation to notebook computers will have a positive impact on BenQ's sales.
BenQ shares yesterday rose NT$0.80, or 1.95 percent, to NT$41.80 on a share buy-back plan, not because of the IBM team-up announcement, he said.
The company said it plans to spend as much as NT$1.35 billion buying back 30 million of its shares from today to Feb. 15, to increase per-share earnings. The price range for the buyback is NT$40 to NT$45.
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