TriGem

Last updated • 5 min readFrom Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

TriGem Computer Co., Ltd.
Native name
삼보컴퓨터
Industry
  • Computer
  • Electronics
  • Telecommunication
Founded2 July 1980;44 years ago (1980-07-02) in Seoul, South Korea
FounderLee Yong-tae
Defunct2010;15 years ago (2010)
FateSee § Receivership
Products
  • Computers
  • laptops
Divisions
Website www.trigem.co.kr   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
Averatec
Company type Subsidiary of TriGem
Founded2003;22 years ago (2003)
Defunct2012;13 years ago (2012)
Headquarters Santa Ana, California, United States
Website www.trigem.co.kr   OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

TriGem Computer Co., Ltd. (Korean : 삼보컴퓨터; RR : Sambo Computer, abbreviated TG, also known as TGSambo), was a South Korean personal computer manufacturer and technology company. Established in 1980, TriGem was the first Korean company dedicated to manufacturing computer systems. [1] It delivered Korea's first microcomputer in 1981 and the first Korean IBM PC compatibles in 1984. [2] From that point until its breakup in 2010, [3] it alternated between the first- and second-largest computer manufacturer in South Korea, competing with Samsung Electronics. [2]

Contents

History

Foundation (1980–1997)

TriGem Computer was founded in 1980 by Lee Yong-tae with ₩10,000,000 in start-up capital. [3] TriGem was the first Korean company dedicated to manufacturing computer systems, [1] bucking from the trend of established chaebol conglomerates such as Hyundai, Lucky-Goldstar (LG), and Daewoo, who had opened divisions to manufacture electronic components that go into computers (namely DRAM) but who were reluctant about fully entering the burgeoning global microcomputer market. In 1981, TriGem delivered Korea's first microcomputer, and in 1984, they developed the country's first IBM PC–compatible personal computer. [2] In 1982, TriGem forged a partnership with Seiko Epson of Japan, committing to build computer peripherals such as printers for the latter on an OEM basis. By 1990, TriGem cornered dot matrix printer production in Korea, with an 80-percent market share. [1] The company began manufacturing Epson's Equity line of personal computers in 1987, after Epson had purchased a 20 percent stake in TriGem. [4] By 1990, TriGem produced close to 500,000 computers annually; from 1987 to 1990, TriGem manufactured 300,000 computers for Epson. [5]

TriGem's partnership with Epson winded down in the turn of the decade, after Epson announced that they would ramp up production of its computers at the company's manufacturing plant in Portland, Oregon. In 1989, TriGem Computer opened a subsidiary in the United States, amid plans to market computers under their own name in the country. Setting out to innovate in the field of personal computing, the company redirected eight percent of their gross sales into the research and development end of this subsidiary. The company planned a line of PC-compatible desktop computers, notebooks, and workstations based on the EISA and Micro Channel buses. [5] TriGem also manufactured a SPARC-based laptop, OEMed for RDI Inc. of San Diego. This laptop, named the Brite Lite, was capable of running Unix, DOS, and Macintosh applications. [6] Also in 1990, TriGem entered an OEM relationship with CMS Enhancements of Irvine, California, to manufacture computers under the CMS brand. This proved near-fatal for CMS after a price war in 1992 pulled them out of the market, with hardly any of these computers being sold. [7]

Vertical growth (1997–2003)

By the mid-1990s TriGem was the largest manufacturer of laptops in Korea. Sales of personal computers hit a slump in 1998, with TriGem producing 1.1 million that year, down from 2 million in 1997. With a looming bankruptcy amid $600 million in losses, TriGem turned to the creation of other ventures in order to recoup profits. [8]

The first and largest was eMachines, a maker of sub-$1000 personal computers for the American market. [8] Established in 1998, eMachines was a joint venture between TriGem, Korea Data Systems, [9] and Japanese computer maker Sotec. [8] By early 1999, eMachines was the fourth-largest personal computer manufacturer in the United States. [9] Production of eMachines' computers was largely done at TriGem's factory in Ansan, with concurrent production lines in Taiwan and Japan. [8]

TriGem's second largest venture in the late 1990s was Korea Thrunet, a subsidiary that provided broadband Internet in Korea. It was the first Korean company listed on the Nasdaq, in 1999. [10] Stakeholders in Thrunet included Microsoft and the KEPCO, an electric utility company run by the state of South Korea. [11] Other TriGem ventures included Narae Mobile Telecom, a mobile carrier in Korea, and joint ventures with SoftBank Korea and Yahoo! to distribute the former two's software. [8]

TriGem's Ansan factory produced 5.4 million laptops in 1999. Hewlett-Packard placed an order for 1 million TriGem-built laptops in early 2000. [8]

Averatec

In 2003 TriGem launched Averatec, another American subsidiary established in Santa Ana, California, that sold only laptops. Unlike the American TriGem Computer or eMachines, Averatec operated largely independently and did not contract TriGem for the manufacture of its laptops. During TriGem's time in receivership (see below), Averatec continued to design and deliver laptops to stores. [12] As of 2012, Averatec is no longer in operation.

Decline, receivership, and breakup (2003–2010)

In 2003, Thrunet fell into receivership amid sharp drops in revenue. [3] It was eventually purchased by competitor Hanaro Telecom in March 2005 for ₩471.4 billion (US$460 million). [13] TriGem's computer business suffered accordingly in the early 2000s. Although it trailed close behind Samsung and LG, margins shrank as it vied for the bottom-end of the ever-cheapening personal computer market of the early 2000s. [3] American computer maker Gateway, Inc., purchased eMachines in 2004 for an estimated $289.5 million: $30 million in cash and 50 million in shares of Gateway stock. [14]

In 2005, TriGem itself entered receivership after announcing bankruptcy. [12] Although it had been the second-largest domestic computer behind Samsung to that point, its international shipments of personal computers had fallen rapidly, against a ten percent growth in global PC sales from 2004 to 2005, [15] due to strong competition from Chinese and Taiwanese computer vendors. [3] Also cited by insiders was a botched refocus as a consultant for the design of computer systems for outside companies (ODM), a segment in which they had failed to find many high-profile customers. [16] In the interim, Averatec continued designing and selling laptops in the retail market. [12] Lenovo Group, the third-largest computer company in 2006, was rumored to be in talks to purchase TriGem amid auctions of its assets in 2006. [17] Instead the venture capital company Celrun was named as its purchaser, relaunching the company in 2007. [3] [18] Despite making some inroads with Staples to vend a variety of TriGem's products in 2008, [18] TriGem again collapsed in 2010, when Celrun itself filed for receivership, seeking protection from creditors. TriGem shortly after was broken up to separate profitable units from doomed ones. The second son Lee Yong-tae purchased most of the good assets and from them established TG Computer Inc. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portable computer</span> Lightweight, compact computer with built-in peripherals

A portable computer is a computer designed to be easily moved from one place to another, as opposed to those designed to remain stationary at a single location such as desktops and workstations. These computers usually include a display and keyboard that are directly connected to the main case, all sharing a single power plug together, much like later desktop computers called all-in-ones (AIO) that integrate the system's internal components into the same case as the display. In modern usage, a portable computer usually refers to a very light and compact personal computer such as a laptop, subnotebook or handheld PC, while touchscreen-based handheld ("palmtop") devices such as tablets, phablets and smartphones are called mobile devices instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Acer Inc.</span> Taiwanese multinational electronics corporation

Acer Inc. is a Taiwanese multinational company that produces computer hardware and electronics, headquartered in Xizhi District, New Taipei City, Taiwan. Its products include desktop PCs, laptop PCs, tablets, servers, storage devices, virtual reality devices, displays, smartphones, televisions and peripherals, as well as gaming PCs and accessories under its Predator brand. As of 2024, Acer is the world's sixth-largest personal computer vendor by unit sales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gateway, Inc.</span> Former American computer hardware company

Gateway, Inc., previously Gateway 2000, Inc., was an American computer company originally based in Iowa and South Dakota. Founded by Ted Waitt and Mike Hammond in 1985, the company developed, manufactured, supported, and marketed a wide range of personal computers, computer monitors, servers, and computer accessories. At its peak in the year 2000, the company employed nearly 25,000 worldwide. Following a seven-year-long slump, punctuated by the acquisition of rival computer manufacturer eMachines in 2004 and massive consolidation of the company's various divisions in an attempt to curb losses and regain market share, Gateway was acquired by Taiwanese hardware and electronics corporation Acer in October 2007 for US$710 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PC-98</span> Series of PCs by NEC, sold primarily in Japan

The PC-9800 series, commonly shortened to PC-98 or simply 98, is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2003. While based on Intel processors, it uses an in-house architecture making it incompatible with IBM clones; some PC-98 computers used NEC's own V30 processor. The platform established NEC's dominance in the Japanese personal computer market, and, by 1999, more than 18 million units had been sold. While NEC did not market these specific machines in the West, it sold the NEC APC series, which had similar hardware to early PC-98 models.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zenith Data Systems</span> American computer company (1979–1996)

Zenith Data Systems Corporation (ZDS) was an American computer systems manufacturing company active from 1979 to 1996. It was originally a division of the Zenith Radio Company, after they had purchased the Heath Company and, by extension, their Heathkit line of electronic kits and kit microcomputers, from Schlumberger in October 1979. ZDS originally operated from Heath's own headquarters in St. Joseph, Michigan. By the time Zenith acquired Heathkit, their H8 kit computer already had an installed fanbase of scientific engineers and computing enthusiasts. ZDS's first offerings were merely preassembled versions of existing Heathkit computers, but within a few years, the company began selling bespoke systems, including the Z-100, which was a hybrid 8085- and 8088-based computer capable of running both CP/M and MS-DOS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compaq LTE</span> Line of laptop computers

The LTE is a line of notebook-sized laptops manufactured by Compaq Computer Corporation, introduced in 1989 and discontinued in 1997. It was the first notebook computer sold by Compaq and the first commercially successful notebook that was compatible with the IBM PC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of laptops</span>

The history of laptops describes the efforts, begun in the 1970s, to build small, portable personal computers that combine the components, inputs, outputs and capabilities of a desktop computer in a small chassis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Epson ActionNote</span> Series of laptop computers

The ActionNote was a series of notebook-sized laptops developed by Epson America in 1993. The series was Epson's answer to the small businesses and home office market for laptops and initially ran alongside their corporate-oriented NB series of laptops. The series was segmented into premium and low-cost offerings and included a subnotebook, the ActionNote 4000. The bulk of the laptops' manufacturing was performed by ASE Technologies of Taiwan, with the exception of the 650 and 660 series, which were produced by Compal, and the short-lived initial entries into the 700 series, which were produced by Jabil Circuit. The ActionNote received mixed, mostly positive, reception in its lifespan before Epson America silently left the personal computer market in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canon Computer Systems</span> American subsidiary (1992–2001)

Canon Computer Systems, Inc. (CCSI), sometimes shortened to Canon Computer, was an American subsidiary of Canon Inc. formed in 1992 to develop and market the parent company's personal computers and workstations. The subsidiary also assumed the responsibility of marketing Canon's printers and photocopiers, which were formerly sold by other Canon divisions. It went defunct in January 2001.

3D Microcomputers Wholesale and Distribution, Inc., often referred to as 3D Microcomputers or 3D Micro, was a computer company based in Markham, Ontario. The company was among the top five personal computer vendors in Canada in the mid-1990s. The company was partially owned by Hong Kong–based computer manufacturer PC Chips for several years; many of the parts for 3D Micro's computers were of overseas origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Librex Computer Systems</span> American computer manufacturer

Librex Computer Systems Inc. was a short-lived American subsidiary of the Nippon Steel Corporation that manufactured notebook computers from 1990 to 1992. Librex had roots in Nippon Steel's Electronics and Information Systems Division (EISD) back in Japan, which starting in 1986 had formed joint ventures with several high-profile American computer companies. Librex was Nippon Steel EISD's first venture in the United States; it also set up Nippon Steel Computer PLC in the United Kingdom to sell identical products. The company's notebooks received praise in the technology press, but a fierce price war in the market for laptops in the early 1990s combined with dwindling profit margins compelled Nippon Steel to dissolve Librex in 1993.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CMS Enhancements</span> US computer company (1983–1993)

CMS Enhancements Inc. was an American computer company headquartered in Irvine, California. Founded in 1983, the company's main product lines in the 1980s were internal and external hard drives and tape drives. The company's hard drives were chiefly sourced from Seagate and reconfigured in bespoke configurations for certain computing platforms, such as the Macintosh, the IBM PC, and the Compaq Deskpro, among others.

Delta Computer Corporation was a short-lived American computer systems company active from 1986 to 1990 and originally based in Canton, Massachusetts. The company marketed a variety of IBM PC compatible systems featuring Intel's 8088, 80286, and i386 processors under the Deltagold name. Delta also marketed a variety of peripherals, namely modems. The company was well known for the styling of their products, bucking from the ubiquitous beige color of the vast majority of computer cases available on the market at the time by offering their computers in two-tone charcoal black, with gold trim. After a widely publicized failed move of their headquarters to Akron, Ohio, Delta filed for bankruptcy in 1990 and soon after disappeared from the market.

Practical Peripherals, Inc., was a private American computer peripheral manufacturer active from 1981 to 1999 and based in Los Angeles County. Founded by Michael Seedman, the company specialized in telecommunications products, primarily modems, for personal computers. Seedman led the company from its inception in 1981 until 1993, after Practical Peripherals was sold to Hayes Microcomputer Products.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vadem</span> Defunct American computer company

Vadem Inc., later Vadem Limited, was an original design manufacturer, chipset designer, and computer design firm active from 1983 to 2013. The company chiefly focused on the design of mobile computers such as laptops, rendering their services to companies such as Zenith Data Systems, Osborne Computer Corporation, and Sharp Corporation, among others. In the late 1990s, the company released their own branded product, the Vadem Clio, a PDA.

Micronics Computers, Inc. was an American computer company active from 1986 to 1998 that manufactured complete systems, motherboards, and peripherals. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Micronics was one of the largest domestic motherboard manufacturers in the United States in the 1990s. After acquiring Orchid Technology in 1994, the company entered the market for multimedia products, such as graphics adapters and sound cards. In 1998, Micronics was acquired by Diamond Multimedia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Intégral Peripherals</span> Defunct American data storage company

Intégral Peripherals, Inc., or simply Intégral, was an American computer hardware company based in Boulder, Colorado, and active from 1990 to 1998. It was the first company to manufacture hard disk drives with a platter diameter of 1.8 inches, smaller than the typical 2.5-inch hard drives used in laptops and other mobile devices. Initially met with market skepticism, Intégral found success in the mid-1990s with design wins in products by IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and Toshiba, among others. However, its investors dropping out of the company amid the 1997 Asian financial crisis caused the company to file bankruptcy in 1998, after which it was acquired by private equity firm H&Q Asia Pacific.

Xebec Corporation, formerly Microcomputer Systems Corporation, was an American computer hardware company active from 1969 to 1990. The company was primarily known for their data storage products, especially their hard disk controller ICs. A major customer of Xebec was IBM, who used their disk controllers extensively in the PC XT in 1983, their first PC with a hard drive preinstalled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Korea Data Systems</span> 1984 – mid 2000s South Korean electronics company

Korea Data Systems Co., Ltd., was an international electronics manufacturer based in Seoul, South Korea that manufactured primarily cathode-ray tube (CRT) and liquid-crystal display (LCD) computer monitors. KDS also produced word processors, laptops, and other computer hardware. The company was founded in 1983 and had over 1,200 employees worldwide at its peak. In 1999, it formed an American joint venture with TriGem of Korea and Sotec of Japan, named eMachines, which at its peak in 1999 was the fourth-largest manufacturer of computer systems in the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">MPC 1600</span> First fully IBM PC–compatible system

The Multi-Personal Computer (MPC), better known as the MPC 1600, is a line of desktop personal computers released by Columbia Data Products (CDP) starting in 1982. The original MPC, released in June 1982, was the first commercially released computer system that was fully compatible with the IBM Personal Computer.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Sakowski, Nat (September 9, 1990). "TriGem, aiming to become an Asian Compaq, begins producing its own PC line". Marketing Computers. 10 (9). The Nielsen Company: 38 – via Gale.
  2. 1 2 3 Campbell-Kelly, Martin; Daniel D. Garcia-Swartz (2015). From Mainframes to Smartphones: A History of the International Computer Industry. Harvard University Press. p. 144. ISBN   9780674286559 – via Google Books.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Jeong-hoon, Ahn; Lee Gyung-jin (October 29, 2015). "Korea's TG Computer sets example in corporate restructuring". Pulse. Maekyung Media Group. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022.
  4. ↑ Li, Bing (1991). Factor-matching as the Key to Global Competition: The Case of Computer Firms in Korea and Taiwan (Doctorate thesis). George Washington University – via Google Books.
  5. 1 2 Fisher, Susan E. (August 6, 1990). "TriGem plots distribution strategy for U.S. market". PC Week. 7 (31). Ziff-Davis: 131 – via Gale.
  6. ↑ Marshall, Martin (November 12, 1990). "Sparc Laptop Will Run Unix, Mac, DOS". InfoWorld. 12 (46). IDG Publications: 8 – via Google Books.
  7. ↑ Takahashi, Dean (October 4, 1992). "CMS Enhancements Struggles to Recover From Series of Costly Blunders". Los Angeles Times: 3. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. ProQuest   281699826.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mi-Young, Ahn (January 2000). "From Rags to Riches". Electronic Business Asia. 11 (1). Reed Business Information: 50 – via Gale.
  9. 1 2 Staff writer (March 31, 1999). "eMachines Is Fourth in U.S. Sales of PCs". The New York Times. p. C25. Archived from the original on November 13, 2021.
  10. ↑ Shameen, Assif (November 20, 1999). "Thrunet Proves Asian Internet Valuations Are Haywire". Asiaweek. Time Inc. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022.
  11. ↑ Staff writer (November 18, 1999). "Korea's Thrunet Makes Successful Nasdaq Debut". Computer Business Review. New Statesman Media Group. Archived from the original on December 1, 2022.
  12. 1 2 3 Chuang, Tamara (June 11, 2005). "Santa Ana laptop maker Averatec downplays investor TriGem's bankruptcy". The Orange County Register: 1 – via ProQuest.
  13. ↑ Galbraith, Michael (March 1, 2005). "Thrunet takeover to stabilize Korean broadband market by Hanaro Telecom". Telecom Asia. Archived from the original on May 3, 2016.
  14. ↑ Fried, Ina (March 11, 2004). "Gateway completes eMachines buy". CNET. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on August 1, 2021.
  15. ↑ Staff writer (May 19, 2005). "TriGem Files for Court Receivership in Korea". Asian Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company: A2 – via ProQuest.
  16. ↑ Tong-hyung, Kim (May 19, 2005). "TriGem Computer files for bankruptcy". The Korea Herald . Herald Corporation. Archived from the original on December 16, 2019.
  17. ↑ Staff writer (September 1, 2006). "Lenovo Undecided on TriGem Acquisition". eWeek. QuinStreet Enterprise – via Gale.
  18. 1 2 Yoo-chul, Jim (April 24, 2008). "TriGem Eyes Re-Listing Next Year". The Korea Times . Archived from the original on December 1, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.