e.Digital Corporation (fka EDIG)

[Tenderloin]

MP3 player makers enjoy export boom

Local MP3 player makers are enjoying a surge in orders from overseas markets, benefiting from D&M Holdings' takeover of Sonicblue in April.

Major MP3 makers said Sonicblue had dominated the U.S. market but it is out of the game for a while since the takeover, offering a huge chance for Korean players to grab new export orders.

Digitalway and iRiver are now clamoring to secure enough production to meet the fresh export orders.

Digitalway shipped about 60,000 units in June alone, which is double the usual volume. The company said it is now set to ship about 80,000 units in July. It is now rushing to kickstart its production line in China to handle surging export orders.

Its rival iRiver sold 40,000 units a month on average in the first half of this year. Notable is that it shipped 25,000 units to the North American market during the last week of June, a record-breaking performance.

The company said its production line is working at full capacity, adding that it can easily beat its target revenue of 150 billion won for 2003.

Korea is one of the major MP3 player production centers in the world, with leading manufacturers making inroads into overseas markets with solid brand power and advanced models.

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