INTERVIEW: Taiwanese brands taking the main stage

INTERVIEW: Taiwanese brands taking the main stage

With a substantial presence at this year’s GITEX trade exhibition, Taiwanese tech-brands are slowly but surely reasserting themselves on the center stage of technology.

October 16, 2012 11:24 by Eva Fernandes

When it comes to telling the story of Taiwanese tech-brands, the analogy of the Little Shoemaker proves quite handy—the little elves, the unsung behind-the-scene heroes, make for a good comparison to the role Taiwanese brands have played in the past.

For the past decade or so, Taiwanese brands have laboured behind the curtain to produce the hardware for big international tech giants. HTC, for instance, started in 1997 as a PDA manufacturer. Foxconn has been making iPhones and iPads for Apple and Asus has helped with the production of Macbooks. But all this has changed: over the past five years, these brands and other Taiwanese are beginning to reassert themselves as international players in their own right.

Shyh Perng Chang, Director of Taiwan Trade Centre, Dubai Office who is in town for the GITEX says he thinks branding and promotion are key aspects to establishing Taiwan on the international stage: “Taiwan has endeavored and focused on production and cooperation with world ICT giants in the past. But in recent years most of Taiwan industrialists are now paying more attention and budgeting for brand promotion in addition to production and R&D. Hopefully Taiwan can look forward to securing positive results in the future.”

Here in the Emirates, Taiwan has had a presence in GITEX ever since 1995, after Acer set up shop in Jebel Ali Freezone in 1992. In 2008, the Taiwan External Trade Development (Taitra) started its Group participation in GITEX featuring a special Taiwan Excellence and Taiwan Products Launch.

With brands like Acer, Asustek, Ritek, CMC, Aviation, Aiptek, MSI, Gigabyte and Edimax exhibiting at GITEX, it is fair to say Taiwan is well represented at the trade exhibition held at the Dubai World Trade Center until the end of this week. Chang says exhibiting at trade conferences like GITEX is key to establishing an international presence: “In addition to managing “brand promotion activities” domestically, we’ll also continue cooperating with international media for brand promotion, organizing Taiwanese dealers to participate in GITEX and similar events in this region as well as visit other MENA countries after or before GITEX.”