Taiwan's top 4 PC peripheral makers report a banner November

Taipei, Dec. 5, 2003 (CENS)--Primax Electronics Ltd., Avision Inc., Mustek Systems Inc., and KYE Systems Corp., the top four Taiwanese manufacturers of PC peripherals, preliminarily reckoned their November revenues to post a hefty growth from the same month of the past few years.

Primax, currently Taiwan's second-largest supplier of digital still cameras, estimated its November revenue at NT$1.74 billion (US$51 million at US$1:NT$34), soaring 53% from the year-earlier level and hitting a new monthly high. The company scored total revenue of NT$15 billion (US$441 million) in the Jan.-Nov. period, a 52% gain from the same period of last year. The firm expected its fourth-quarter revenue to rise 5% to 10% from the third quarter. Market watchers projected the company to record pretax earnings of over NT$1 per share this year, double last year's level.

The company attributed its stellar revenue growth mostly to booming demand for digital still cameras and mobile-phone cameras worldwide. Currently, both products account for over 70% of its revenue. Thriving market has prompted the company to plan a production expansion at its factory in Dongguang of mainland China. With new capacity, the company expected shipments of digital still cameras and handset cameras to rise at least 50% next year from this year.

Chairman L.S. Liang of Primax pointed out that his company has projected to deliver three million digital still cameras and six million handset cameras next year.

Avision estimated its November revenue to top NT$600 million (US$14.6 million), its best score so far this year. It owed the outstanding revenue performance to increased orders for tailor-made scanners from gigantic IT suppliers Hewlett-Packard (HP) Co. and Canon. Institutional investors projected the company's fourth-quarter revenue to be NT$1.4 billion (US$41 million), increasing 20% from the third quarter.

Mustek estimated its November revenue to reach NT$1.5 billion (US$4.4 billion), its second-best score since establishment, and its fourth-quarter revenue to top NT$5 billion (US$147 million), surging 35% from one year earlier. The company attributed the excellent revenue increase to its thriving shipments of lucrative portable DVD players and DVD recorders, as well as digital cameras.

KYE estimated its November revenue to stay on par with October's NT$1 billion (US$29 million) level, down 20% from one year earlier year due to a drop in shipment of products relating to game consoles. Institutional investors estimated the company's fourth-quarter revenue to challenge the NT$3 billion (US$88 million) mark and its earnings per share to likely hit NT$4 throughout this year.