Taipei, July 25, 2008 (CENS)--After venturing into production of energy-saving bulbs, Lite-On Information Technology Corp., a large-sized supplier of disc drives in Taiwan, has sent its bulbs for certifications by its clients such as Philips, and is scheduled to start mass production of such bulbs at its China and Indonesia plants this September and next July, respectively, according to company sources.

Over the past two years, Lite-On has actively diversified its production from disc drives into digital photo frames and energy-saving bulbs to carve out better market niches. Under the leadership of its CEO Liao Hsueh-fu, the company has even teamed up with Philips to step up development of energy-stingy bulbs.

To take advantage of Indonesia`s ample supply of raw materials and cheap local labor costs, Lite-On has decided to conduct mass production of energy-saving bulbs at its Indonesia plant in July 2009.

The company religiously believes that energy-saving bulbs are expected to become mainstream products in the next 10 to 15 years, as more countries of the world will move to introduce regulations and rules to encourage use of such eco-friendly products, adding the products will also hopefully fuel a sharp growth of its sales revenue.

Lite-On posted moderate combined revenue of NT$14.5 billion for the second quarter of this year, slightly up from NT$14.46 billion registered a year earlier, due mainly to a seasonal recession hitting the disc drive industry in the first half of a year. With booming seasons in the second half, Lite-On expects its shipment of disc drives for Xbox 360 TV game consoles to increase to 5 million units in the period. Also, the company is to start delivery of thin Combo blu-ray disc drives in August, and is expected to see its sales revenue keep moving upward till October.

Institutional investors even estimate Lite-On`s single-month combined revenue to break the NT$5 billion mark starting this month, and to challenge third-quarter combined revenue of NT$16 billion, up 10% from a quarter earlier.
(by Steve Chuang)