IN RP MARKET: Taiwanese firm eyes success

BenQ, a Taiwanese company that sells and markets technology products including consumer electronics, computing and communications devices is looking at brighter prospects of operation here in the Philippines.

BenQ, which connotes the corporate goal of bringing enjoyment and quality to life was established in 1984 and was initially known as Acer Peripherals Incorporated.

Later on it became Acer CM (Communications and Multimedia) until finally it was renamed to BenQ Corp. with the launching of the “BenQ” brand in December of 2001.

In an exclusive interview during the recently concluded Computer Manufacturers, Distributors and Dealers Association of the Philippines (COMDDAP) exhibition at the SM City Cebu, BenQ Asia Pacific Corporation’s Business Line Director for the Development Department Steve Lin expressed the company’s positive prospects of establishing strong market presence in the country.

Lin said that BenQ is still under the preliminary stages of its operation here in the country after establishing a satellite office three years ago.

He said that they are still working on expanding their networks of distributors around the country and building partnerships with existing and potential dealers.

Here in Cebu, BenQ has started its presence in SM’s biggest Savemore outlet in Parkmall and Choi said that soon they will also be present in SM City Cebu’s appliance department.

“Our goal is to open one by one as we are still on the first stage of our operations. We are still going through distributors and resellers and building stronger partnerships with them,” said Lin.

Lin stressed that joining COMDDAP’s annual event provided them with the avenue to showcase BenQ’s wide array of products and it also anchored their future plan of also penetrating the huge Cebu market.

“Cebu is one of the potential markets BenQ is eyeing in the Philippines because it serves as a hub for the Visayas and Mindanao areas so we are optimistic with it as a growth area,” he said.

In terms of market share, BenQ made tremendous growth and penetration in the line of projectors. In fact, the company is considered as the second top supplier of projectors in the Philippines for the first quarter of this year according to a DTC report, a research company commissioned to study the Philippine market, said Lin.

“Our strategy for the Philippines is to create a niche market by making our prices affordable for a wide segment of consumers and utilizing technology that are above other competitors,” said Lin.

For the meantime, BenQ is only distributing their consumer market products in the Philippines and just last month, they officially launched their TV and camera products.

Once the brand stabilizes its presence in the market BenQ is also looking at the prospect of launching its mobile phones segment in the Philippines, said Lin.

BenQ Corporation is one of the companies within the huge BenQ Group which also includes: AU Optronics, the world’s leading manufacturer of LCD panels; Qisda Corporation; Darfon Electronics Corporation; Daxon Technology Inc; Wellypower Optronics Co., Ltd.; Raydium Semiconductor Corporation; Cando Corporation; Darwin Precisions Co., Ltd.; BenQ Corporation; BenQ Hospital and BenQ Guru Software Co., Ltd.

The company is one of the few Asian brands that have expanded beyond the 3C (Computing, Communications and Consumer Electronics) market as it has started leveraging its crystal TFT technology to make up what is known as the 5C strategy.