Smartphone vendor HTC Corp (宏達電) announced on Thursday the appointment of Jack Tong (董俊良) as president of its China operations, where the Taiwanese company is squeezed by other high-end and low-cost phone makers.
Tong, who will still serve concurrently as HTC’s North Asia president, is expected to “actively explore China’s smartphone market and further enhance HTC’s sales growth and management efficiency” in his new position, the company said in a statement.
Tong’s predecessor, Ray Yam (任偉光), will focus on the development of HTC’s emerging business in China, the statement said.
China’s smartphone market, which accounted for 20 to 25 percent of HTC’s total shipments last year based on analysts’ estimates, is forecast to grow 75 percent this year.
However, HTC’s brand awareness among Chinese consumers grew slowly to 28.4 percent in the second quarter of the year from 23 percent a year earlier, a survey by global market research firm TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) showed.
By contrast, Chinese brand awareness of Apple Inc’s iPhone jumped from 54.9 percent to 80.6 percent over the same period, while that of Samsung Electronics Co surged from 59.9 percent to 79.6 percent.
Even domestic Chinese handset makers have made huge progress in brand recognition over the past year, with Xiaomi Technology Co (小米) rising from 3.9 percent to 15.4 percent, Lenovo Group (聯想) growing from 8.5 percent to 15.2 percent and Huawei Technologies Co (華為) gaining from 3.5 percent to 15.2 percent, TrendForce said.
HTC’s second-quarter net income dropped 83 percent from a year earlier, while revenue fell 22 percent.
Last month, the Taiwanese company said sales may drop for an eighth quarter in the three months ending Sept. 30 amid intensifying competition.
The domestic unit of the Chinese-owned, Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia BV will soon be able to produce semiconductors locally within China, according to two company sources. Nexperia is at the center of a global tug-of-war over critical semiconductor technology, with a Dutch court in February ordering a probe into alleged mismanagement at the company. The geopolitical tussle has disrupted supply chains, with some carmakers reportedly forced to cut production due to chip shortages. Local production would allow Nexperia’s domestic arm, Nexperia Semiconductors (China) Ltd (安世半導體中國), to bypass restrictions in place since October on the supply of silicon wafers — etched with tiny components to
Taiwan is open to joining a global liquefied natural gas (LNG) program if one is created, but on the condition that countries provide delivery even in a scenario where there is a conflict with China, an energy department official said yesterday. While Taiwan’s priority is to have enough LNG at home, the nation is open to exploring potential strategic reserves in other countries such as Japan or South Korea, Energy Administration Deputy Director-General Chen Chung-hsien (陳崇憲) said. While the LNG market does not have a global reserve for emergencies like that of oil, the concept has been raised a few times —
AI-FUELED DEMAND: The company has been benefiting from the skyrocketing prices for DRAM chips amid the AI frenzy, especially its core product — DDR4 DRAM chips DRAM chipmaker Nanya Technology Corp (南亞科技) yesterday reported that its revenue for the first quarter surged 582.91 percent to NT$49.09 billion (US$1.54 billion) from NT$7.19 billion a year earlier, as the supply crunch caused chip price spikes. Last quarter’s figure is the highest on record. On a quarterly basis, revenue jumped 63.14 percent from NT$30.09 billion, the company said. In January, Nanya Technology expected global DRAM supply scarcity to continue through the first half of 2028, thanks to strong demand for artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Market researcher TrendForce Corp (集邦科技) forecast prices of standard DRAM chips would rise between 58 percent and 63
HIGHER PRICES: Given rising energy costs, CPC raised natural gas prices for generators by 41.58%, which Taipower said would raise its power generation costs by NT$10 billion State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) has activated its fourth naphtha cracker to boost ethylene supply, aiming to ease concerns over plastic material shortages amid tensions in the Middle East, the Ministry of Economic Affairs said yesterday. The move is expected to add 19,000 tonnes of supply this month and 30,000 tonnes next month, Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Chin-tsang (何晉滄) said at a meeting of the legislature’s Economics Committee in Taipei. CPC on Tuesday held talks with major polyethylene producers, including Formosa Plastics Corp (台塑), Asia Polymer Corp (亞聚) and USI Corp (台聚), and pledged to supply ethylene feedstock
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