Richard Chen of ASUS

I am related to ICT journalism in Bangladesh. Sometimes, I interview representatives of foreign companies and recently I interviewed Richard Chen of ASUS. This interview was published in the July Issue of Computer Bichitra (www.cbichitrabd.com) the leading ICT magazine of Bangladesh. Here is the Interview along with a brief introduction:
ASUS is a name that is familiar to everyone. This Taiwan based company is one of the market leaders in many hardware products like motherboard, optical drive, CD-ROM, and so on. Actually, we are familiar with this company for many years here. In Bangladesh, it has a very vibrant present for the last few years. ASUS products are imported and marketed by Global Brand Limited in Bangladesh. Richard Chen looks after the south Asian markets including Bangladesh for ASUS and he makes frequent visits to Bangladesh. He likes Bangladesh a lot and he has become a fan of the Bangladeshi hospitality. Recently, he came to Bangladesh on such a visit. He gave an exclusive interview to Computer Bichitra:
CB: Tell us about your work and your company.
Richard Chen: My name is Richard Chang and I am the account manager for south Asia region of the world famous ASUS company. I look after Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and SRI Lanka. Our company is the world’s largest graphic card maker and world number four notebook maker. We are famous for our strength in research and development (R&D) and design. we're also famous for our consistent commitment to quality. We are based at Taiwan and most of our factories are in China. I first came to Bangladesh on December 2003 and I come to Bangladesh often.
Before joining ASUS, I worked for Transcend company.
CB: what is your view about the performance of ASUS in Bangladesh market?
Richard Chen: Bangladesh is a very nice country in terms of the friendliness and hospitality of its people. People here are very honest and they are very close to their family. Thanks to our local partner Global Brand We’re doing better and better. We are the top player in motherboard; we are also in the leading position optical drive and VGA card. It has happened thanks to the tireless effort of our distributor Global Brand and channel partners. We feel encouraged with our good performance here and we are planning to introduce mobile phone and networking products in the market of Bangladesh.
CB: What are the special features of ASUS mobile phones?
Richard Chen: ASUS is famous for its R&D. Our V55 is 5 centimeters, 350thousands pixels digital camera built in and it is too small and very light and fashionable. Our mobile phones have received award from Germany. Right now our mobile phones are used in some East Asian countries like China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Our mobile phones are also used in Australia and Thailand. Now we are talking to mobile phone providers of South Asia. In Taiwan, ASUS mobile phones have a market share of 8%-10% in Taiwan. We are performing well in high-end products.
CB: Bangladesh is a price sensitive market. Will ASUS phone be cheaper than other mobile phone sets?
Richard Chen: I agree with you that Bangladesh is a price sensitive market like the other SOuth Asian countries. We want to provide reliable and high quality products so that the consumers get the best value for their products. We will try to provide the best solution to and technology to the consumers.
CB: Are you satisfied with your Bangladeshi partner, Global Brand?
Richard Chen: Yes, I am highly satisfied with their performance. That is why I try to visit Bangladesh very frequently. I come after every other month. I am really amazed with the hospitality of the people of the country. I am also touched with the easy procedure in Dhaka airport and after I come out of the airport wherever I go, I get warm reception. The people at Global Brand are doing an excellent job of making our products popular.
CB: How is ASUS is doing in the other markets of South Asia?
Richard Chen: We are doing well in the other countries of South Asia too. In Pakistan, our optical drives and motherboard are very popular. We organized a large gaming competition in Pakistan recently. We are doing fine in India too. We have good relationship with some good universities in India.
CB: Do you have any plan to arrange any program, which shows social commitment of ASUS?
Richard Chen: Last month our channel partners visited China. We hope that this is beginning of our co-operation that would continue in the next quarters too. Now we are contemplating on sponsoring gaming competition. We are also planning to provide some scholarships for the ICT students. We want to make sure that ASUS can do something positive for the Bangladeshi society. The philosophy of ASUS is not just to make profit from a market but also do something substantial for the society we do business.

CB: What is your plan to carry out your promotional activities?
Richard Chen: We plan to do in several ways. First, we will publish advertisements in newspapers and magazines. We will arrange road shows in different places like universities and markets. We like to give importance Bangla Language in our promotional activities. We want to be localized and friendly to the local people.
CB: What is your plan future plan for Bangladesh market?
Richard Chen: Hopefully, towards the end of 2005 or in the beginning of 2006, we are going to introduce new ASUS products in Bangladesh such as notebook, networking products and mobile phone. Of course, it depends on the demand of the market here and on the demand of our channel partners.