Taiwan’s major contract notebook makers remain conservative about the outlook for this quarter, despite posting better-than-expected sales for last month.
Quanta Computer Inc (廣達), Compal Electronics Co (仁寶) and Wistron Corp (緯創) yesterday reported double-digit percentage growth in revenue last month from August, thanks to clients’ early shipment requests.
However, with the high base last month, the three firms said they expect lower notebook shipments this month.
During the July-to-September quarter, Quanta’s sales totaled NT$275.89 billion (US$8.39 billion), the highest in the past six quarters. Last quarter’s figure increased by 19 percent from a year earlier and 11.4 percent from the prior quarter.
“The strong sales last quarter was mainly driven by better-than-expected notebook computer shipments, along with higher average selling prices and robust demand for wearable products,” a Quanta investor relations official said in a telephone interview.
OUTLOOK
However, the official said notebook shipments might decline slightly this quarter because of a limited visibility for market demand.
Compal, which posted a record high sales of NT$91.54 billion last month, said its quarterly sales fell by 4.81 percent annually to NT$215.88 billion, while Wistron’s sales dropped 2 percent quarter-on-year to NT$152.62 billion last quarter.
“The situation this year is very different from the past, so, it is very hard to see the outlook of the industry,” a Compal investor relations official said by telephone.
Industry watchers have forecast relatively flat notebook shipments for this quarter, citing limited sales boost from Windows 10 launch in the longer term. It is also because the PC business is shrinking amid a saturated market, they said.
However, PC brands Asustek Computer Inc (華碩) and Acer Inc (宏碁) expect the demand for notebooks to improve this quarter from last quarter, fueled by Thanksgiving and Christmas purchases.
UPBEAT
Asustek shipped 4.8 million laptops last quarter and expects this quarter’s shipments to be better than the last quarter.
“Notebook demand from the end markets has improved. We are also upbeat about the upcoming holiday season to spur consumer purchases in Europe and the US,” Asustek chief financial officer Nick Wu (吳長榮) told the Taipei Times.
The company’s combined sales totaled NT$119.29 billion last quarter, declining 3.72 percent from last year, but growing 10.04 percent from the second quarter.
Acer’s sales plunged 21.44 percent year-on-year, but jumped 11.81 percent quarter-on-quarter to NT$67.31 billion last quarter. Last month alone, the company's sales rose nearly 40 percent to NT$29.5 billion from August on the back of strong shipments in 2-in-1 notebook computers and the Windows 10 pull-in effect.
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