Dell vows to be top PC producer in China

The boss of Dell Inc has vowed to become the top PC maker in China, the world's most populous market.

But in Beijing yesterday, Michael Dell, chairman and chief executive officer of the company, admitted that there was still a long way to go.

Dell only holds an 8.5 per cent share of the Chinese PC market at the moment.

He said: "But we see a huge market potential in the coming years." The lifting of China's trade barriers in the coming two years will be positive for the nation,as well as offering significant opportunities for Dell Inc to expand its market share, he stressed. China is currently the fourth largest market for Dell.

"We enjoy very rapid growth here and China can be the third largest market for us in a few years," Dell said.

Company figures show that in the first quarter of the 2004 fiscal year ending on April 30, Dell Inc's PC shipments and sales to China increased by 48 per cent and 35 per cent, respectively. And the sales of its servers continued to hold down the No 1 position. Meanwhile, the shipments of both its desktops and notebooks also increased by 50 per cent.

"We will continue to strengthen our market strategies to sustain our growth," Dell said.

According to Dell, the company will further penetrate all of the different markets in China in the coming two years.

In another development, Dell said the company is going to offer customer electronic products to the Chinese market in the latter half of the year, which is quite successfully in the US.

However, the company will continue to focus more on the sales of its servers and professional services as there is large market potential, he said.

Dell says that doing business directly with customers will continue to help Dell Inc satisfy a range of customer requirements.

(China Daily)