 Wang, however, said BenQ had lowered its forecast for slim-type
optical drive shipments in 2003 to less than one million units from the
three million it had projected in early 2003. Having launched slim-type
DVD-ROM and combo drives earlier this year, BenQ expects to introduce a
slim-type DVD+RW drive in October, Wang said.
In related news, BenQ is targeting shipping about two million
half-height DVD+RW drives in 2003, given the sufficient supply of pick-up
heads (PUHs) in the second half of the year. The company expects to ship
at least one million half-height DVD+RW drives in the second half, of
which about 70% will be contract-manufactured for other companies. Royal
Philips Electronics, with which BenQ started a joint venture, Philips BenQ
Digital Storage (PBDS), is a major client for the drives, Wang said.
To maintain a smooth supply of PUHs, BenQ will also order PUHs
from Sankyo Seiki Manufacturing in addition to its original supplier,
Philips, Wang said. Compared to other Taiwanese optical storage drive
makers adopting PUHs made by Philips, BenQ can save at least US $ 20 in
licensing fees for each drive produced, Wang
said. |
