宏達國際外包部分智能手機生產業務

HTC Corp. began to outsource production of some of its smartphones for the first time this quarter, as it looked to slash costs and pursue customers in developing markets.

宏達國際電子股份有限公司(HTC Co., , 簡稱：宏達國際)本季度首次開始外包部分智能手機的生產業務，目的是降低成本，爭奪發展中市場的客戶。

The Taiwanese smartphone maker has outsourced at least three of the new models in its midprice Desire series to Taiwan-based contract manufacturer Compal Electronics Inc. and China's Wingtech Group, said people familiar with the matter. Both assemblers began to mass produce smartphones for HTC this spring, the people said. Traditionally, HTC has produced all of its phones at its own factories.

據知情人士透露，宏達國際已將中檔價位的Desire系列中至少三款新機型外包給了臺灣合同製造商仁寶電腦(Compal Electronics Inc.)和中國大陸的聞泰集團(Wingtech Group)。這些知情人士稱，今年春季這兩家制造商已開始爲宏達國際批量生產智能手機。以往，宏達國際的所有手機都在自己的工廠生產。

The move accompanies other efforts by HTC, which isn't profitable, to turn around its business. Chairwoman Cher Wang has taken a more active role in management in the past year, and the company recently hired Samsung Electronics Co.'s former U.S. marketing chief, Paul Golden, as a consultant to beef up its marketing.

與此同時，陷入虧損的宏達國際還採取了其他措施來扭轉經營狀況。過去一年中，該公司董事長王雪紅加大了在公司管理方面的參與度，該公司最近還聘請了三星電子(Samsung Electronics Co.)前美國市場營銷總監戈爾登(Paul Golden)擔任顧問，以增強公司的營銷能力。

HTC has long focused on high-end phones and resisted outsourcing, even as competitors from Apple Inc. to Nokia Corp. have turned to contract manufacturers to focus on design and save costs over the years. But as HTC struggles to hold its ground against Samsung and rapidly growing Chinese brands, it has decided to launch more low-price phones this year with the help of contract manufacturers.

宏達國際長期以來側重於高端手機，並拒絕外包生產業務；而過去幾年來，從蘋果公司(Apple Inc.)到諾基亞公司(Nokia Corp.)等競爭對手已經紛紛將生產業務外包給合同製造商，以便能夠專注於產品設計和節省成本。但是宏達國際難以招架住三星(Samsung)和迅速崛起的中國大陸品牌的挑戰，該公司在今年決定在合同製造商的幫助下推出更多低價手機。

Once the world's largest smartphone maker by shipments at its peak in 2011, HTC has since seen its stock slump by more than 86% amid unsuccessful marketing campaigns, supply-chain mishaps and growing competition. The mistakes brought HTC its second net loss on record in the first quarter, and it has fallen out of the world's top 10 smartphone makers since last year. The company's stock rose by the maximum daily limit of 6.9% on Monday to 169 New Taiwan dollars (US$5.59) on expectations that HTC would forecast a return to profit for the second quarter when it releases guidance on Tuesday.

宏達國際在2011年頂峯時曾是全球出貨量最大的智能手機制造商，此後，受營銷策略不成功、供應鏈事故和競爭加劇的影響，該公司的股價下挫逾86%。這些失誤導致宏達國際第一季度出現了第二次季度淨虧損虧損，去年還跌出了全球十大智能手機制造商行列。週一，宏達國際的股價漲停，至新臺幣169元(約5.59美元)，漲幅6.9%，因投資者預期，宏達國際在週二公佈業績預期時會預測第二季度將扭虧爲盈。

HTC declined to comment.

宏達國際不予置評。

Chief Financial Officer Chialin Chang said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal in March that HTC was considering the possibility of using contract manufacturers, but that the company had no plans to outsource its flagship HTC One line or its key midprice phone, the Desire 816. The company's high-end phones are still its earnings drivers, said Yuanta Research analyst Dennis Chan.

宏達國際雖然繼續在自己的工廠生產最先進的設備，但已將一款面向大陸市場的重要手機的生產外包出去。兩位知情人士稱，聞泰集團正準備量產Desire 616，這款手機搭載低成本芯片製造商聯發科技(Mediatek Inc.)生產的八核處理器；聞泰集團也爲小米(Xiaomi Inc.)等大陸品牌生產手機。

While it is keeping production of its most advanced devices in-house, HTC has outsourced a high-power smartphone aimed at the China market. Chinese contract manufacturer Wingtech, which also makes phones for Chinese brands such as Xiaomi Inc., is readying to mass produce the Desire 616, which will run a fast eight-core processor made by budget chip maker Mediatek Inc., said two people familiar with the matter.

其中一位知情人士表示，聞泰集團也爲宏達國際生產Desire 210，該款手機是該公司迄今爲止價格最低的智能手機，上個月在印度推出，售價爲8,700印度盧比（合145美元）。

Wingtech also manufacturers HTC's cheapest smartphone to date, the Desire 210, which was launched last month in India for 8,700 rupees (US$145), one of the people said.

另一位知情人士稱，臺灣的仁寶電腦在第二季度開始爲宏達國際生產Desire系列的部分智能手機；仁寶電腦也爲諾基亞代工。

Taiwan's Compal, which also supplies Nokia, began production in the second quarter of some HTC Desire series smartphones, another person said.

巴克萊(Barclays)分析師Dale Gai表示，外包生產業務將有助宏達國際節省一些研發成本。不過他認爲，這不會成爲該公司扭虧爲盈的關鍵因素，因爲宏達國際的主要產品仍由該公司自己生產。