Lenovo, NEC Parley Over Joint PC Marketing

China’s Lenovo Group is in talks with Japan’s NEC Corporation for a joint venture in personal computers, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said, in a deal that would help them take on larger global rivals.

Our correspondent reported on Friday, that the Nikkei business daily said Lenovo planned to take a controlling interest in NEC’s PC unit. But a buy-out might be a delicate move as Japan eyes China’s growing clout, and sources told Reuters it was not clear what form the partnership might eventually take.

Lenovo, ranked fourth in the global PC market behind Hewlett-Packard, Dell Incorporated and Taiwan’s Acer Incorporated, is looking to tap NEC’s technology for development and expand its share of the Japanese market, the Nikkei said.

NEC, which is the top maker in Japan’s mature PC market but does not rank in the top 10 globally, would likely see the tie-up as a chance to take advantage of the fast-growing Chinese market.

The Japanese company, with a market value of $7.6bn, clocked sales of about 250 billion yen ($3bn) from the PC business last year, accounting for roughly seven per cent of its revenue, the Nikkei said.

Fund manager at Shinkin Asset Management, Tomomi Yamashita, said. “Demand for PCs is weakening with the advent of smartphones and tablets,” “As they seek a survival strategy, it is positive that they are looking to a growth area like Asia, rather than choosing a domestic partner.”

A spokesman for NEC declined comment. Lenovo declined to confirm the report, but said that the company was always looking at ways to expand its market share and talking to potential partners.

Shares of NEC ended 2.1 per cent higher, outperforming a 1.6 per cent fall in the benchmark Nikkei average. Lenovo’s Hong Kong-listed shares were up by 0.5 per cent in a Hang Seng index down by 0.4 per cent.

NEC, which controlled about 18 per cent of the Japanese PC market in 2009 – expects the PC business to post a profit in the year to March 31. Lenovo sells around one in four PCs in its home market.

NEC-branded PCs are expected to remain on the market once the deal is concluded, the Nikkei reported.

If the deal goes ahead, it would add to a growing trend of Chinese companies investing in Japan Inc, despite a strong yen. In 2010, according to Thomson Reuters data, acquisitions by Chinese firms in Japan totaled 11.8 billion yen, six per cent more than in 2009 and 52 times more than in 2008.

Fukoku Capital management’s CEO Yuuki Sakurai said one reason the Chinese are interested in buying Japanese companies is “so they won’t be accused of stealing their technologies.”

“Because they have a great amount of money in their pockets they are trying to see which companies are good for buying and I think this is going to be a wide-ranging wave throughout Japanese industry.”