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March 2006 - Today, ABIT Computer Corporation and Universal Scientific
Industrial Co. Ltd. (USI) completed the transfer of the ABIT motherboard brand
and related intangible assets to a new joint venture company established by
both ABIT and USI. The new company, registered as Universal ABIT Co., Ltd.,
will tender a consideration consisting of NT$350 million in cash, 20 million
units of special shares, and 5 million units of warrants to purchase the above
mentioned intangible assets of ABIT, including patents, trademarks, et-cetera.
With the new partnership, ABIT receives a strong financial backing from which
to continue its core business, and also eliminates the financial straits which
began late Q4 2004.
USI President C. Y. WEI stated that with the new partnership, the ABIT brand
would receive USI's full resource backing and support. In addition, USI will
not only assist ABIT with world-class manufacturing, but will also help accelerate
ABIT's product diversification, improving ABIT's competitiveness in the marketplace.
At the same time, channel and end-customers can also benefit greatly with ABIT
being able to leverage USI's global service network, greatly improving overall
customer satisfaction. ABIT will take this opportunity to transform into a Taiwan-based,
R&D and marketing focused global branding company, expanding through tech-related
products and channel marketing. Regarding rumors about the disappearance of
the ABIT brand and the discontinuation of ABIT's after-sales service, WEI stated
that ABIT will not only improve on its already outstanding product quality and
customer service, but will also have a lot of space for development into new
markets.
Currently, the ABIT brand offers mid- to high-end motherboards, products that
target the hot overclocking, PC gaming, and PC Desktop enthusiast segments.
Its products include the Fatal1ty Gaming Motherboard Series endorsed by five-time
World Champion gamer Johnathan “Fatal1ty” Wendel, and the MAX series, a high-end
overclocking motherboard lineup which features ABIT's patented Silent OTES™
heatpipe cooling technology. At this year's CeBIT fair in Hannover, Germany,
ABIT introduced the world's first DDD (digital input, processing, and output)
speaker system – the iDome D500 – a 2.1 channel personal digital theater system
aimed at PC users. With optical inputs and fully-digital technology, ABIT once
again displays outstanding innovation and development capabilities.
If consumers aren't familiar with USI, it is because USI is a design, manufacturing
and service (DMS) firm that focuses on enterprises. USI's clientele include
the world's largest personal computer, LCD mainboard, and storage solution brands.
USI is a part of the ASE Group, which is the world's largest provider of independent
semiconductor manufacturing services in assembly and testing. USI has an original
market capitalization of NT$7.6B, with 2005 revenues topping NT$52.2B, and over
10,000 employees worldwide. USI's product offerings include:
- Computing: Desktops, laptops, servers, and storage-related products
- Communications: Wi-fi, Bluetooth, Wi-fi ADSL, and UWB
- Consumer: Multimedia centers, digital media converters, Internet radio,
and home network storage devices
- Car Electronics: Auto parts, Telematics, EPS, Flat Panel Device Control
Boards, SHD, Point-of-Sale devices
With this transaction and the added support of USI, ABIT has successfully transformed
from a manufacturing company into a global product development and brand marketing
organization.
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