Wed, Apr 11, 2007 page12

• Sony expects robust flat TV sales

  SLIM IS IN After overtaking Sharp to become the world's top LCD TV supplier last year, Sony forecast a more than 60-percent jump in sales to 10 million units this fiscal year

  • By Jason Tan / STAFF REPORTER
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  Sony Corp, the world's second-largest consumer electronics manufacturer, expects sales of its popular liquid-crystal-display (LCD) TVs to jump more than 60 percent this fiscal year as demand for flat-screen TVs picks up worldwide.

  Sales of Sony's Bravia TV will increase to 10 million units this fiscal year, ending next March, said Katsumi Ihara, executive deputy president of Sony, in Taipei yesterday.

  The figure will represent a strong rise from the 6 million units sold in the last fiscal year and will account for one-sixth of the 60 million units forecast to be sold worldwide this year, he said.

  Sony sold 2.8 million Bravia TVs in fiscal 2005, the first year flat-screen TVs came on the market.

  Ihara, who is also a Sony board member, was in Taipei yesterday to open the "Sony Fair @ Taiwan" at the Taipei 101 square.

  Sony overtook Sharp Corp to become the world's top LCD TV maker for the first time last year, according to market researcher NPD Group Inc.

  Lehman Brothers forecast that LCD televisions would account for 33 percent of the global TV market this year, up from 21 percent last year.

  Meanwhile, market researcher DisplaySearch said LCD would overtake cathode-ray tube sets as the biggest TV technology next year.

  To boost its popular Bravia sets, Sony is planning to shift its focus to larger-size models this year, hoping to gain a foothold in North America and certain Asian countries with 50-inch models, Ihara said.

  More features such as Internet connectivity will be incorporated in newer models to offer added value to general consumers, he said.

  By focusing on high-definition and larger-screen models, Sony will continue to enjoy higher average selling prices compared to its competitors, he added.

  A strong boost in sales is expected during the Christmas holiday period, when its new eight-generation S-LCD facility in South Korea joins its other fabs in churning out flat TVs.

  S-LCD is a joint venture between Sony and Samsung Electronics Co to produce LCD panels.

  "Construction of the plant in South Korea did not stop during winter because of warmer weather. We expect mass production to start earlier in summer, instead of autumn," Ihara said.

  The Japanese company added it would continue to work with Taiwanese suppliers in procuring electronics products.

  "Our procurement from Taiwan last fiscal year grew 1.5-fold over the year before, with game consoles, notebooks and LCD panels as the main products," said Kenji Sakai, chairman and managing director of Sony Taiwan Ltd.

  The Japanese electronics giant -- one of the top 10 foreign purchasers of electronics products from Taiwan -- will continue to reinforce its working relationship with vendors here, Sakai added.

  Asked about the competition and threat from Nintendo's Wii and Microsoft's Xbox 360 game consoles, Ihara said Sony's PlayStation 3 was enjoying brisk sales around the world.

  Sony sold 600,000 units within the first two days when the PlayStation 3 finally made its European debut last month after months of delay.

  "We had enough stock ready this time for the European launch, which was not the case when we had the US and Japan debut," he said.
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