Quanta Computer president Michael Wang stated that the company has set a 12-month shipment goal of 10 million notebooks for the US$100 laptop project, initiated by the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) research initiative, starting from when actual shipments kick off at the end of the first quarter, 2007. The shipments will expand considerably at the end of next year, according to Wang.

Quanta will not categorize orders for the US$100 notebooks under its general notebook business, said Wang, noting that production for the US$100 laptop project will initially take place in Changshu, Jiangsu province (China), where Quanta mainly fulfills orders for its non-notebook products.

Besides being waterproof, sand proof and shockproof, the US$100 laptops may not only target children in third-world countries but may also attract children in Europe and the US, Wang noted.

Since being appointed as Quanta president in June, Wang has implemented what the company calls is its "SSDMM (system solution design and manufacturing move)" strategy, according to company sources. The "SSDMM" business model aims to separate some of the company's business departments, which can independently go public, as well as form new business groups with strategic partners, indicated the sources. Enormous manufacturing facilities for notebooks production plays an important role in backing the new business method, added the sources, who also revealed that Quanta is evaluating a new production base in Poland or other countries in Eastern Europe.

Unlike the "CMMS (Component, Module, Move, Service) " business model implemented by EMS provider Foxconn Electronics (the registered trade name of Hon Hai Precision Industry), our "SSDMM" emphasizes an integration of downstream business offerings, Wang noted. Quanta's new business method targets end-product solutions in the automobile, wireless (smartphones and third-generation handsets), entertainment (flat-panel TVs and consumer electronics products), enterprise (storage units and servers) and digital home sectors, which serves as guideposts in directing R&D, manufacturing and logistic services, according to Wang.

In addition, Wang claimed that rumors about Quanta buying BenQ's manufacturing division, or merging with Foxconn, are both untrue. However, Wang claimed that Foxconn has been a key partner of Quanta, by providing most of Quanta's PC components such as chassis, connectors and heat-sink modules.

By: DocMemory
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