Apple awards regional distribution to ECS holdings Group of Companies
Singapore, February 1, 1999 - ECS Holdings Ltd ("ECSH"), a subsidiary of main-board listed NatSteel electronics Ltd ("NEL") today announced that the group has been awarded distribution rights for Apple's range of consumer and professional desktop products in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.
ECSH will be the holding company for the ECS Holdings Group of Companies that comprises of ECS Computers (Asia) Pte Ltd in Singapore, K.U.Sistems Sdn Bhd in Malaysia and The Valye Systems Co. Ltd in Thailand. The ECS Holdings Group, with a network of more than 2,500 dealers in the region will be one of the leading distributor of computer products in south East Asia. This latest addition of Apple computer to the list of the group's existing distributorships will enable it to offer its dealers in the region a broader spectrum of products.
"To all of us at ECSH, the Apple distributorship is not only important for our business but it is a reflection of the confidence that the management of Apple places in our group. The strong global market response towards the iMac, the new and revolutionary Power Macintosh G3 line and stylish studio displays are the result of Apple's focus on bringing innovative and affordable products the meet the needs of consumers and professional users today. The ECS holdings Group is very proud to be awarded the distributorship for Apple Computer," says Mr Ng Hock Ching, Managing Director of ECS Holdings Ltd.
Said Mr Darke M Sani, Managing Director of Apple Computer South Asia : "Apple's focus is to continue to expand coverage of regional markets through partnerships with distributors with a solid track record in the consumer and professional segments. ECS Holdings' strong network and experience in these markets complement Apple's business strategy to continue the momentum of growth created by the iMac in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. In addition, ECSH will expand Apple's customer base by increasing penetration into new market segments, which we have not yet accessed.
"With the five-colour iMacs and the new Power Macintosh G3 launched recently, this appointment of ECSH is timely. It will enable us to achieve our goal of having our products and supporting services be easily available throughout South East Asia".
With the latest distributorship from Apple Computer South Asia, the ECS Holdings Group of Companies now has a very complete list of distributorship which include Hewlett Packard, Compaq, Sun Microsystems, Acer, Oracle, IBM, 3Com, Microsoft, Cisco Systems, Novell and Netscape.
ECS Holdings Group of companies was acquired by NEL in november 1998. Through the ECS Holdings Group, NEL now owns a strong distribution network in the region enabling it to expand its role in the gloabl supply chain. This distribution capability creates value within the supply chain, enabling NEL to better serve its customers and strengthen its competitive edge.
"This new partnership between ECS Holdings and Apple exemplifies the value of the supply chain. Today, within the NEL group we are able to serve our customers' needs in the global supply chain ranging from manufacturing to distribution," commented Mr chay Yee Meng, CFO of NatSteel Electronics Ltd.
About Apple Computer
Apple Computer, Inc. ignited the personal computer revolution in the 1970s with the Apple II, and reinvented the personal computer in the 1980s with the Macintosh. Apple is now recommitted to its original mission - to bring the best personal computing products and support to students, educators, designers, scientists, engineers, business persons, and consumers in over 140 countries around the world. Apple South Asia covers Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Guam and Brunei. Apple Asia's home page on the World Wide Web : http://www.asia.apple.com
Apple, the Apple logo, Macintosh, Power Macintosh, PowerBook, QuickTime, Mac OS and WebObjects are registered trademarks and iMac is a trademark of Apple Computer, Inc. Additional company and product names may be trademarks or registered trademarks of the individual companies and are respectfully acknowledged.
About ECS Holdings Ltd
ECS Holdings Ltd is majority owned by main-board listed company, NatSteel Electronics Ltd., the sixth largest contract manufacturer in the world. In november 1998, ECS Holdings entered into sale and purchase agreements to acquire a majority stake in the ECS Holdings Group of Companies - ECs computers (Asia) Pte Ltd, Singapore, K.U.sistems Sdn bhd, Malaysia, and The Value systems Co. Ltd, Thailand. Following the acquisition ECS holdings Ltd is now one of the largest distributor of IT products in South East Asia with more than 2,500 dealers in its network.
About NatSteel Electronics Ltd
NatSteel Electronics Ltd (NEL) is the sixth largest electronic contract manufacturer in the world in terms of revenue and provides electronic manufacturing services to many of the world's technological leaders. The contract manufacturing services of NEL include printed circuit board assembly, design and testing services, system and subsystem assembly of electronic products and logistic support for its customers. The NEl group has manufacturing operations in Asia, Mexico, USA and Hungary and sales offices in the Eastern region of USA and Scotland. NEL was listed on the Stock Exchange of Singapore in October 1997 and has a current market capitalisation in excess of S$1billion. NEL's home page on the World Wide web : http://www.nel.com
