Local battery makers are counting on demand growth in netbook computers to ride out the economic downturn this year.
According to Topology Research Institute (拓墣產業研究所) and the Consumer Electronics Association, notebook computers will witness double-digit growth this year of 17.9 percent and 32.6 percent respectively, powered primarily by rising netbooks ales.
The two market researchers forecast annual notebook shipments of 1.5 billion and 1.28 billion units worldwide respectively, with Topology estimating netbook shipments of 32 million units.
However, notebook sales are likely to contract in the first quarter, historically a slow season, Central News Agency quoted battery makers Simplo Technology Co (新普科技), DynaPack International Technology Corp (順達) and Celxpert Energy Corp (加百裕工業) as saying.
Aside from low seasonality, first-quarter notebook shipments could drop by between 10 percent and 20 percent as vendors clear out inventory, the battery makers said.
However, they expect demand to pick up as the year progresses and notebook makers introduce new models.
Simplo chairman and chief executive officer Raymond Sung (宋福祥) sees next month to the middle of March as a crucial period to gauge buyers’ reaction to the first wave of notebook and netbook launches, CNA said.
Sung forecast that total annual notebook growth, including netbooks, would be around 5 percent to 10 percent this year, which would be a boon to Simplo’s battery sales.
DynaPack and Celxpert said they would both focus on supplying to netbook vendors to boost sales this year, the report said.
Industry insiders said that Celxpert underperformed last year because of a shortage in component supply in the first half. But with steady orders from Hewlett-Packard Co (HP), combined with new orders from Asustek Computer Inc (華碩電腦) and a potential new client, they expect Celxpert’s sales to pick up by between 20 percent and 30 percent this year.
As the primary battery supplier to Micro-Star International Co (MSI, 微星科技), Welldone Co (統振) has also seen a significant rise in revenue contribution coming from its netbook battery business, the report said.
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