Haier, Legend, TCL Top China OEM List

EL SEGUNDO, Calif.— Haier, Legend and TCL rank among the top China-based original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of electronics products and major appliances by revenue, according to a new report issued by market research firm iSuppli Corp.

The market research firm said China's booming electronics market is growing multiple indigenous OEMs in each of the five major industry categories: computers, computer peripherals/data processing, consumer electronics, wired and wireless communications and industrial/automotive/medical electronics.

Haier Group was China's No. 1 electronics OEM in 2002, with revenue of $8.6 billion, according to the iSuppli rankings.

Legend Group was second with $4.3 billion in revenue. TCL Group came in third with $3.9 billion in revenue.

Part of iSuppli's complete 2002 ranking of the top 30 indigenous Chinese electronics OEMs is included in the table at right. A detailed analysis and report can be acquired through the company's Web site at www.isuppli.com.

According to the report, China's OEMs remain small compared to their overseas counterparts. Haier's revenue in 2002 amounted to only about 10 percent of Sony's total electronic sales, or viewed another way, in 2002, the combined gross electronic system sales of the top 30 Chinese OEMs represented only 64 percent of Hewlett-Packard's total sales.

"However, the Chinese OEMs quickly are catching up to the foreign competition in terms of year-over-year revenue growth," iSuppli concluded.

For component suppliers and others targeting the Chinese market, now is the time to establish relations with China's OEMs, because these companies may emerge as the dominant consumers of parts in the future, iSuppli said.