Computer Input Devices

Mainland China and Taiwan have become the global centers for computer input device sourcing, with more than 195 producers competing for business.
In total, over 95% of all wireless input devices on the market are manufactured, at least in part, in the region.

To help you select the right suppliers to visit on your next sourcing trip, this 159-page report provides you with profiles of 88 major mainland China and Taiwan manufacturers.

The report also gives you a comprehensive supply-industry overview, to help you better take advantage of growth in these two computer input device production hubs.

What you'll get

Deep profiles of 28 leading suppliers, outlining their production and export capacities, R&D programs, QC procedures and future output plans. Based on personal factory tours and interviews with senior managers, this information is available nowhere else

Short profiles of a further 12 major manufacturers, detailing their production capabilities and key export markets, plus concise profile tables for an additional 48 suppliers

An easy-to-use product comparison table that compares over 270 popular mouse, keyboard and combo-set export models, with key specifications and color photos

Background information on manufacturers that supply to big buyers such as HP, IBM, Logitech, Philips and Samsung

How you'll benefit

Shortlist makers that specialize in the manufacture of mice and wireless keyboards that use Bluetooth or RF technology, as well as suppliers of optical mice

Discover which Taiwan suppliers are moving their operations to Dongguan, Shenzhen and Zhuhai in mainland China, and what this means for the prices you are offered

Get detailed production forecasts for the next 18 months so you can better target suppliers best able to meet your needs

Benefit from verified company background information and complete contact details

Executive summary

Mainland China and Taiwan are the global manufacturing centers for computer mice and keyboards. Makers in the mainland are either homegrown companies, joint ventures or off-shore manufacturing facilities of Taiwan-headquartered companies. Though many suppliers in Taiwan have factories in the island, majority of suppliers have already transferred part or all of their production to the mainland, mainly in the Dongguan, Shenzhen and Zhuhai in Guangdong province.

More than 100 companies manufacture computer input devices in mainland China, while at least 95 suppliers can be found in Taiwan. Large-and middle-scale makers have a monthly production capacity of 500,000 to 1.2 million mice, while small-scale makers' monthly capacity range from below 100,000 to 500,000 units. The capacity utilization among mainland makers can reach 65 percent to 70 percent, especially during peak seasons.

Ball or opto-mechanical types of computer mouse dominate the output from suppliers, probably for the last time this year. Makers are changing the direction of product development for mice, and they are ramping up production of optical models, as can be seen from their product catalogs. This developed after costs of optical sensors were drastically reduced upon the entry of new suppliers that now rival industry leader, Agilent Technologies. Taiwan makers already manufacture more optical mice than ball mice.

Keyboards can now be sourced in greater variety: traditional, multimedia, Office-type, illuminated or wireless.

Makers are adding not just hot keys, but also multimedia buttons, scrolling wheels, PC card or magnetic card readers and Internet keys. Makers are also freeing input devices from the encumbrance of wires. An array of wireless mice, keyboards and keyboard-and-mouse packages have been released this year, and even more will be introduced next year, when wireless RF and Bluetooth modules will become more affordable and available from a greater number of suppliers. At present and in the near term, 27MHz RF will be the most widely adopted technology for these devices. Many makers have a large production capacity for wireless units, but utilization remains generally low.

As a cost-cutting measure, most mainland-China makers subcontract SMT assembly to local suppliers. Except for the SMT assembly, about 25 percent of the makers have their own mold-making and plastic injection equipment. Small-scale mainland makers, on the other hand, outsource the plastic-injection process.

Among Taiwan makers, some have chosen to specialize in product design and R&D, delegating actual manufacture to subcontractors in the mainland.

This report covers 88 makers from mainland China and Taiwan. These companies range from large-scale manufacturers such as A4Tech to young but fast-growing suppliers such as G.Tech. Companies in this report have exported to a number of countries, including the United States, Japan, South Korea, United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Eastern European countries.

Industry overview

Mainland China
Factories located in mainland China dominate the Asian exports of the computer input device industry. In fact, over 95 percent of all wireless input devices in the market are estimated to have been manufactured in these factories. This group comprises local companies, joint venture firms and offshore Taiwan-invested factories, with products ranging from vanilla keyboards and ball mice for entry-level PCs, to multimedia-based slim wireless keyboards, mice and remote controllers.
Data from the China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID) suggest that the overall keyboard market in mainland China has been expanding at about 15 percent a year.

Revenue, however, has witnessed a more modest growth of about 8 percent. From June 2003 to May 2004, exports of keyboards and mice out of mainland China reached US$1.026 billion. Total export shipments for the year are expected to be 23.5 percent higher compared to 2003.

Asian countries account for over 30 percent of all exports out of mainland China, with Europe at just under 25 percent, and North America at a little under 10 percent, as other major export destinations.

The mainland China industry has witnessed a fairly high degree of flux in the past years. While there were over 100 keyboard manufacturers in 2003, keen price competition has pruned this number down significantly this year. The CCID does not anticipate a large number of new manufacturers entering this line, due to the low profit margins.

Among the provinces, Guangdong-based factories are the major exporters of computer input devices, shipping over 50 percent of the mainland's total exports. Suzhou in the southeastern seaboard is another major contributor with just under 30 percent market share. Shanghai, Tianjin and Jiangsu also have small pockets of exporters for computer input devices.

Major international buyers and marketing channels include Apple, Artech, CompUSA, Creative, Fujitsu-Siemens, General Electric, HP, IBM, Kensington, LG, Logitech and Microsoft, among other international brands.

Product range
Makers focus on three main types of keyboards: wired, wired-multimedia and wireless keyboards. This year, wired-multimedia keyboards have replaced vanilla keyboards as the mainstream export model. Global Sources estimates that wired-multimedia keyboards make up almost 55 percent of the mainland's total keyboard exports.

Wireless keyboard-and-mouse combos are also popular — especially among Taiwan-invested firms. There is an increase in the manufacture of high-end units featuring Bluetooth, although the export volume remains low given the relatively high price of Bluetooth modules.

The trend in mouse production is the increasing supply lines of optical and wireless mice. The manufacture of optical mice is expected to dominate production in 2005. Presently, ball mice, though low-end products, still have the biggest production volume from makers.

Samples of supplier profile

A4 Tech Corp.
Founded in 1987, A4 Tech Corp. specializes in the development, manufacture and sales of computer peripherals such as keyboards, mice and game controllers. This year, the company added speakers, PC cameras and wireless headsets to its product catalog. With seven sales or branch offices in Taiwan, Japan, mainland China, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Austria, A4 Tech generated US$100 million in sales revenues last year. It projects sales revenues to post a 20 percent growth in 2004.

A4 Tech manufactures all of its mice and keyboards in Dongguan, Guangdong province. The factory has a monthly production capacity of 4 million mice and 2 million keyboards. The company recently went through the second phase of its expansion project. It invested US$13 million in order to increase its production capacity by 150 percent.

A4 Tech's factory measures 47,000 square meters and employs over 3,000 workers. The ISO 9001-certified facility has eight insertion lines, six automatic tin stoves and 11 soldering lines that enable the company to handle PCB insertion to final assembly. All procedures are done in accordance with ISO 9001/9002 standards.

The eight assembly lines operate under four strict function tests following MIL-STD-105E guidelines to ensure product quality and reliability. In addition, all of A4 Tech's wireless input devices are fully tested using spectrum analyzers and high-frequency generators in isolated, magnetically shielded rooms.

A4 Tech's plastic injection workshop has 21 fully computerized plastic-injection machines with capacities ranging from 80 to 300 tons. To fulfill high quality printing demands, A4 Tech owns 15 automatic printing machines that can carry out multiple language layouts under strict QA and QC procedures.

The company has recently created an in-house tooling department. It has invested in a number of advanced tooling equipment such as turret milling machines, electric discharge machines and grinding machines, to ensure that the tooling process meets the standards demanded by customers.

A4 Tech's 27MHz wireless mice are also manufactured in its Dongguan facility, where wireless input devices have been produced since 1996. However, development of high-end models such as Bluetooth and 2.4GHz wireless mice and keyboards takes place in Taiwan.

A4 Tech sells a series of wired and wireless mice and keyboards. Its mice products include ball mice, optical mice, infrared mice, multimedia mice and notebook PC mice. Keyboards include traditional, multimedia and office versions.

Its wireless keyboards are usually packaged with a wireless optical mouse and RF receiver. A4 Tech also has prototypes of Bluetooth mice and keyboards, but no specific date for mass production has been announced. It plans to sell these devices in pairs, rather than as individual units. On the other hand, mass production for 2.4GHz wireless mice will begin before the end of 2004.

Among A4 Tech's most recent R&D achievements are improvements on scrolling wheels for mice and integration of function buttons. The scrolling wheel has been enlarged and provided with a soft tactile feel. Eight buttons have become standard in its mouse catalog. Several wireless optical mice have been scheduled for release in H2 2004.

Sample of product gallery

Mice Company:3G Model name/ number: 2.4GHz 4D Laser Wireless RF Hand Track Resolution (cpi): 400 FOB Price US$: 30

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