NEC to boost purchases from Taiwan to NT$100 B. in 2005

Taipei, June 20, 2005 (CENS)--NEC, Japan's leading notebook personal computer (NB PC) manufacturer, is planning to expand its purchases from Taiwan to over NT$100 billion (US$2.94 billion) this year.

Currently the company's major suppliers in Taiwan include Quanta Computer Inc., Compal Electronics Inc., and Arima Computer Corp. Besides, Asustek is reportedly to actively scramble for orders from NEC to share the huge pie.

NEC is now the world's sixth-largest brand for PCs and the seventh for NB PCs, with markets focusing on Japan and Europe. Last year the company purchased about 1.6-1.8 million NB PCs from Taiwan, and the figure is very likely to jump to more than two million units this year.

A ranking official at NEC's Taiwan branch indicated that NEC established an R & D center in Taiwan last year to initially focus on the development of computer hardware and then software products as well. The center has recently developed a security management system for computer users in cooperation with a local maker of NB PCs.

The establishment of the R & D center shows NEC's determination to deeply root its business operations in Taiwan and the center will keep cooperating with local computer makers to develop more advanced computer devices.