Lite-On It Corporation (Taiwan, China)

The former and Lite-On Technology Corporation gathered some elite scientist and engineers from ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute) in 1995 to start an optical storage research and manufacturing business. To focus on the optical drive industry, Lite-On IT was spun separate company in 1999, listed in Taiwan in 2001, and was listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange on Nov. 5, 2004. In 2002 Lite-On IT added a new business unit, Digital Consumer, to leverage our core competencies in optical storage from the IT industry in the consumer space. A third business unit, Automotive Electronics, was added in 2006 to focus on optical devices for the burgeoning automotive entertainment market. We offer mature products such as CD-ROM, CD-RW, and DVD-ROM as well as more advanced products such as Combo drives (read CD/DVD, write CD-R/RW) and DVD-RW drives. We are also introducing next-generation Blu-ray drives in 2H 2006. We maintain a commitment to quality, innovation, and manufacturing excellence coupled with a drive to continually introduce new features and products. This has helped us not only survive but also grow substantially during a period of consolidation where other players were forced out of the industry. Moreover, we continue to expand our position. In April 2006 Lite-On IT acquired BenQ's ODD business propelling us to a global #2 position in the industry, and cementing our position as the world's largest OEM/ODM optical disc drive manufacture. We continually aim for market share growth in our original IT-based ODD business, expanded market share in the Digital Consumer space and new markets in the automotive industry as we look towards our future.