• Home
• /
• Local business

Flat-screen Maker AOC Debuts in UAE

DUBAI - Taiwan-based AOC, the world’s biggest manufacturer of flat-screen and LCD monitors, is expanding in the Middle East and will push ahead this year with plans to establish Dubai as its regional hub, senior executives of the company said on Thursday.

The company will build a warehouse and offices in Dubai and may eventually have a manufacture base in the country.

“The UAE, which has the best infrastructure in the region, is a good place to start our plans of expanding our presence not only in the Middle East, but also in Central Asia and North Africa,” said Brian Liu, AOC vice-president for sales in the Middle East, Central Asia, Indian Subcontinent and North Africa.

AOC, which manufactures monitors and LC display units for major electronics companies, will market its products in the region under its own brand.

“We are quite bullish that as a stand-alone brand we can flourish.We are already known in other parts of the world for our LCD monitors, flat screens and all-in-one product. We want to use those experiences in approaching the market here,” said Suchit Kumar, AOC’s general manager for Asia Pacific, Middle East, Central Asia and North Africa.

“In... 2005, we went to India where we were not known, but now we are the number two brand and the number one manufacturer. We are also well-established in the Philippines and Vietnam,” Kumar said.

AOC has maintained an average growth of more than 20 per cent for the past three years. In 2009, the company targets selling more than 20 million units under its own brand.

For 2009, AOC expects to garner at least a 5 per cent share of the Middle Eastern market for LCD monitors, flat screens and all-in-one components. By 2010-2011, the company projects its market share to increase to 10-15 per cent, and by 2012-2013, to 20 per cent.

Liu said that AOC is partnering with ASBIS Middle East and Compunics Technologies as its exclusive distributors in the Middle East. ASBIS has also been appointed as distributor for North Africa and Central Asia.

To kickstart its debut in the UAE, AOC will introduce into the market the world’s slimmest monitor — at a thickness of 9 millimetres — and the world’s first 22-inch monitor with an inbuilt DMP player that allows multimedia files to be played directly from a USB stick. By the end of the year, AOC all-in-one products will introduce touch screen models.

“We will have at least 25 models that will cater to specific group of users, from value to high-end models,” Liu said.

Ray Zhou, general manager of Asia Pacific, Middle East and Central Asia, said that AOC is confident it can compete with known brands operating in the UAE.

“Worldwide, the consumer market is demanding products that offer design functionality, wider applications, green credentials and competitive pricing,” Zhou said. “We are looking at the LCD market, which is evolving at a faster rate in these regions, and we will be leveraging on our business partners to drive our sales in these crucial markets.”

rocel@khaleejtimes.com