BenQ – A Top 10 Brand in 2007?

BenQ are hardly a household laptop brand, and they are far from my mind, as I relax on the patio, with a warming glass of Merlot, and a crackling brazier heating my feet. I watch the wild display of Welsh countryside change slowly from autumn’s auburn splendour, to the austerity of winter, and am reminded that everything has to change. 

It seems that change is afoot in the laptop market as well, with general BenQ amassing his armies on the borders of the top 10 manufacturers, with an eye on storming the profit castle by 2007.

Now this is hardly the charge of the light brigade, or a lightning fast flank attack that the legions of Rome would be proud of, but it looks like BenQ have the momentum to make their dreams a reality.

BenQ Corporation, who are known for their making of cell phones, are aiming to further their growth into the production of notebook pcs, with a target of 1.5 million units shipped in just 2 years time.

According to an article by esteemed tech reporter Jay Tan of the Taipai Times, BenQ are starting small, with a modest target of shipping 250,000 units by the end of 2005. They are well on the way to achieving this goal, with this quarter’s production coming in at 100,000 units alone.

But as we all know this market has more hack and slash in it than a Pirates of the Caribbean sequel – Is there enough room for another player?

Well it seems that the marketing boffins at BenQ know their stuff, and admit openly that they don’t expect a huge demand for their Joybooks in the back yard. They’re looking at major growth in sales in China, and Europe.

Will they do it then? Opinion is divided, with most analysts believing that a company needs to produce 2 million plus units to be in the top 10, half a million more than the target that BenQ have set themselves. What do I think? Well competition can only aid the consumer, so I for one say good luck to them!

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By Ian Bandy

Wednesday, November 30, 2005