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IT is
hypocritical to shrug off the impact of a stalled
economy outside the borders of the
United States,
according to a Hewlett-Packard Co. executive.
“That’s
why it’s called a global economy; everything is
connected. I’d turn around if somebody tells me the
region wouldn’t be affected by the US recession,”
Christopher Morgan, HP Asia-Pacific and
Japan
senior vice president, told the BusinessMirror.
However,
Morgan, who’s been in
Asia for nearly a decade, said he sees
Asia
being resilient enough to withstand any impact if the
downturn in the US economy hits it.
“More
businesses from the West are opening up in Asia, while
Asian economies continue to grow on the consumer side,
giving the region a unique dynamic to withstand the
impact of a recession in the United States and Europe,”
Morgan said after a dinner he hosted for selected
journalists.
He flew
in Manila to talk with HP’s sellers in the Philippines.
He is
optimistic of growth, especially in the Philippines,
because of the continuing move to the digital age. So
much so that Morgan said the world’s largest printer and
computer manufacturer plans to ramp up investments on
its printing and imaging business in the
Philippines.
“With
less than 10 pages of content going digital [every day],
there’s a lot of opportunity for HP here,” Morgan, a
journalism major, said on Wednesday.
He said
HP is seeing the segment of businesses and consumers
“off-ramping from analog and on-ramping to digital,”
growing and increasing their investment in the country
logical.
While he
couldn’t give figures, Morgan said the increase in
investment would focus on the small and medium-size
businesses in the country.
“We’re
also increasing our investment on the consumer side,
especially outside of major [metropolitan] areas.”
Morgan’s
optimism is based on the sales-revenue growth of the
company in the Philippines. He said he is “pleased” with
the country’s performance for the past 18 months. And
while he acknowledged the ramifications of a stalled US
consumer market, Morgan told the BusinessMirror the
region “is more resilient compared to a decade ago.”
Based on
this optimism, HP launched several products and services
fashioned to the cost-sensitive businesses in the
region.
This
year, HP expects to aggressively push its low-cost
printers currently being sold at under $400 in the
Philippine market. It is also expected to launch its
software for companies with in-house advertising units
that Morgan said “shortens the time when you decide
content and bring it to customers.”
“The
whole publishing industry continues to shift from analog
to digital, and we’re targeting those doing so.”
The
company also expects to intensify its rewards program
targeting high-volume buyers of ink cartridges. Launched
five years ago, HP said it currently has some 3,000
members of its rewards program in the Philippines.
Precisely because the country posts a low penetration
rate in personal computers and broadband access that
Morgan sees the potential for HP’s Philippine
businesses.
“These
are the elements that can help the Philippines remain a
strong growth market for HP, recession or not,” he said.
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