Compal Forecasts NB PC Shipment to Pick Up Quarter by Quarter

Taipei, July 6, 2012 (CENS)--Optimistic about the upcoming Christmas sales booms in the U.S. and Europe, Compal Electronics Inc., the world's second largest notebook PC maker by shipment now, confidently forecasts its laptop shipments to surge quarter by quarter in the remainder of this year, according to the spokesperson Gary Lu.

Lu pointed out that its notebook PC shipment was dampened by negative factors, including shortages of workers and materials, during the second quarter of this year, but is expected to rebound significantly in August, when most brand customers will increases orders for the coming back-to-school sales season.

Therefore, the company, with Lenovo and Dell on its major customer list, predicts its overall shipment to surge at a double-digit quarterly growth in the third quarter, and then to continue climbing in the fourth quarter. Additionally, Lu added, his company is also likely to maintain robust gross profits rates in the second half.

While expressing his company's optimism about business outlook, Lu also commented that shortages of sheet metals for PC housings will probably linger into the third quarter, mainly because most upcoming new laptop models installed with Windows 8 to feature touch screen function are also housed with sheet metals.

To secure sustainable supply of sheet metals, Compal has actively cooperated with the Taiwan-based Giant Team Industry Co., Ltd., a stamping metal parts maker, to assist their joint venture located in China in heavily installing CNC (computer numerically controlled) machines since a year ago. Although not planning to introduce any more such machines in the second half of this year, this joint venture will hopefully help Compal's production lines keep rolling with sufficient sheet metals.

Noteworthily, after suffering a 9.6% quarterly decline in its laptop shipment of only eight million units in the first quarter, Compal still intends not to lower its full-year goal of 48 million units set earlier for 2012, but admits that it will have to work harder if the goal is to be achieved amid a flagging market.