Taiwan IT firms among world’s best performers

Four Taiwan IT firms rank among the top ten in the world in terms of their performance amid the global economic slowdown, according to Business Week’s annual report. In the June 1st issue, th US magazine listed Inventec Corp., Quanta Computer Inc., Wistron Corp., and Acer Inc. as ranking 4th, 7th, 8th and 10th respectively.

Three US firms are among the top ten, (Amazon - 1st; Oracle - 2nd; and IBM - 5th) while one firm from Germany (SAP - 3rd), India (Bharti Airtel Ltd. - 6th) and China (QQ.com - 9th) complete the top ten. To qualify for the top 100 IT firms worldwide, a company’s annual revenue must exceed US$600 million, excluding any monopolies.

In addition to the four companies already mentioned, Taiwan had ten companies ranked in the top 100. These were: High Tech Computer Corp. (ranked 13th), Asustek Computer (ranked 26th), Foxconn Electronics Inc. (ranked 40th), Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (ranked 48th), Compal Electronics Inc. (ranked 50th), and Simplo Technology Co. (ranked 52nd).

Even with the economic slowdown, the demand for certain products remains strong. The Commercial Times reported that despite a shortage of glass substrates, the outlook for Taiwan’s thin-film-transistor liquid crystal display panel industry remains positive for the third quarter on the back of strong demand. Lee Kun-yao, chairman of AU Optronics Corp., the largest LCD panel maker in Taiwan, said the average capacity utilization at Taiwan’s panel makers was below 50 percent in the first quarter of 2009, and currently stands at over 80 percent.

David Hsieh, vice president of the greater China market at Display Search, expects prices to continue upward into June. TV panels, whose prices remain relatively unchanged, will probably see an increase of at least US$10 per unit in June. In particular, 40-inch and 42-inch panels are both set to rise in price.

Not only do Taiwanese IT companies dominate the top ten, but a recent report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) also places Taiwan as the 6th most innovative country in Asia for the forecast period 2009-2013. According to the United Daily News, Taiwan had an index of 9.44, which is only topped by Japan, which has the highest-ranking index of 10.