TAITRA predicts a 14% increase in electronics orders

Taiwanese electronics companies should see orders increase by 14 percent this year, aided by growing demand for next-generation products such as Microsoft Corp's new Vista system, one of the organizers of the annual Computex show said yesterday.

With more Vista-compatible products hitting the stores, demand for new computers and related electronics peripherals may pick up later this year, offering a boon for local manufacturers, a Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA, 外貿協會) official said.

"Taiwan is home to most of the world's biggest electronics companies and is also one of the best sourcing places," TAITRA vice president Walter Yeh (葉明水) told a press briefing on the five-day computer fair that opens today in Taipei.

Local firms may receive orders worth between US$14 billion and US$14.5 billion this year, compared to US$12.7 billion last year, Yeh said.

Computex opens its doors runs through Sunday, with 1,333 vendors from overseas and at home.

Local motherboard makers such as Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦), the world's biggest motherboard maker, and Elitegroup Computer Systems Co (精英電腦) plan to introduce their Vista-compatible products during the show.

Those new motherboards, which are also compatible with Intel Corp's due-core and latest quad-core processors, will allow computers to shrink in size, while processing documents faster and storing more multimedia data.

Computer monitor maker Nexgen Mediatech Inc (新世代), a Chi Mei Corp (奇美實業) affiliate, said that it would be showcasing a wide-range, including new 22-inch models and those certified as Vista premium grade and brand-new LED backlighted widescreen. Chi Mei also owns Taiwan's No.2 maker of LCD panels, Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp (奇美電子).

Local chipset maker VIA Technologies Inc (威盛電子) is also scheduled to announce its outlook today for its new product used in controversial Ultra-mobile devices.

Computex will have a record high of 2,926 booths, TAITRA said. With the completion of a new complex, TAITRA plans to offer enough space for about 5,000 booths next year, which would to allow 400 more companies to join the fair.