Leading camera maker Premier to challenge NT$30 B. in sales for 2005

Taipei, Jan. 25, 2005 (CENS)--Premier Image Technology Corporation, one of Taiwan's leading manufacturers of digital camera, recently announced it would challenge NT$30 billion (US$943.39 million at US$1:NT$31.8) in sales this year, up 30% from the previous year.

The statement was announced at a recently held institutional-investor conference. The company said it would target to ship 200,000 LCD (liquid crystal display) projectors this year, compared to last year's 40,000 units.

The company noted it would aggressively develop LCD projectors this year. It will raise the ratio of sales of LCD projectors to overall sales to 10% this year from last year's 4%. As for the digital camera, the company would slash the ratio to 50% from last year's 65%. Other product lines, including conventional cameras, optical components, and camera embedded cell phones, will each account for 10% of its total sales this year.

Premier anticipated its sales to continue to increase in the first and second quarters of this year. The company estimated its first-quarter sales would be better than NT$5.833 billion (US$183.42 million) that was posted in the fourth quarter of last year.

At present, Premier is tilting to the development of medium- and high-tier digital cameras with 70% of total sales come from four million-pixel models. The company boasted it has recently completed the development of eight million-pixel models and will boost sales of the high-end models beginning from March this year.

Camera-embedded cell phone module is Premier's another product line with booming sales. The company shipped four million camera-embedded cell phone modules last year, 2.5 million of which were shipped in the fourth quarter of last year.