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BenQ Corp doubles its LCD TV forecast on Japanese orders

BenQ Corp (明基), the nation's leading consumer electronics maker, vowed to double its global shipments of liquid-crystal-display (LCD) televisions this year, mainly boosted by orders from its new Japanese clients, company executives said yesterday.

The company has set a target of 720,000 flat-panel TVs for this year, more than double its target of 300,000 units last year, Hu Juo-yao (胡若堯), director of BenQ's digital TV business division, told reporters at a product launch yesterday.

Of this year's estimate, the bulk -- or 70 percent of the numbers -- will be generated from the original design manufacturing segment, whereas the rest will made up of own brand business, he said.

Business hopes

The brisk business is expected to be provided by its partnerships with long-term clientele, as well as new orders the company with two Japanese clients, with production on one order already starting last month and the other starting during the third quarter, Hu said, refusing to offer any more details.

"We expect more momentum during the second half of the year, when shipments of the new orders are churned out," he said.

On the local front, BenQ is gunning for a 10 percent share of the LCD TV market, up from last year's 6 percent. It aims to sell over 40,000 units this year.

Affordability

"The affordability of these new TVs and the upcoming new generation of DVD players will stimulate local spending," Hu said.

Citing statistics from local home appliance manufacturing associations, Michael Lin (林世華), the senior marketing manager of the company's digital media department, said that Taiwanese consumers bought a total of 330,000 LCD TVs last year, totaling NT$13.73 billion (US$421.5 million).

The market is expected to expand to between 450,000 and 530,000 units this year, with values hitting between NT$17.85 billion and NT$20 billion, he added.

Shares in BenQ were down by NT$0.05 to NT$26.25 at close of business on the Taiwan Stock Exchange yesterday.
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