Home appliance maker Sampo Corp (聲寶) yesterday unveiled a series of energy-efficient appliances, saying that it would consider collaborating with Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) to jointly enter Japan’s home appliance market.
In a product-launching ceremony, Sampo chairman Felix Chen (陳盛沺) said the company’s new energy-efficient refrigerators can save up to 50 percent of electricity costs and added that its ultra-high-definition 84-inch LCD TVs are priced at NT$300,000 — substantially cheaper than Sony Corp’s flat-screen displays.
The Central News Agency quoted Chen as saying that though Hon Hai also supplies 60-inch TVs which it sells cheaply in Japan, it still faces fierce competition from famous Japanese brands.
Sampo has not yet begun talks with Hon Hai, but expected to build a partnership with the company in the future, if there is any opportunity, the report said.
According to Sampo, the company sold 200,000 units of flat-panel displays during the January-to-October period and aimed to sell a total of 250,000 units by the end of this year — more than double last year’s figures.
In addition, the company also plans to supply Android-based smart displays in China to compete with China-based TCL Multimedia and said it will not exclude using made-in-China panels to make its products. Currently it uses panels made by Taiwan’s AU Optronics Corp (友達光電) and Chimei Innolux Corp (奇美電子), as well as South Korea’s LG Display, the report said.
Sampo’s shares rose by 1.84 percent to NT$9.98 at the close of trading yesterday, outperforming the broader market’s 0.71 percent gain.
BUSINESS UPDATE: The iPhone assembler said operations outlook is expected to show quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year growth for the second quarter Hon Hai Precision Industry Co (鴻海精密) yesterday reported strong growth in sales last month, potentially raising expectations for iPhone sales while artificial intelligence (AI)-related business booms. The company, which assembles the majority of Apple Inc’s smartphones, reported a 19.03 percent rise in monthly sales to NT$510.9 billion (US$15.78 billion), from NT$429.22 billion in the same period last year. On a monthly basis, sales rose 14.16 percent, it said. The company in a statement said that last month’s revenue was a record-breaking April performance. Hon Hai, known also as Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), assembles most iPhones, but the company is diversifying its business to
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