Despite the financial turmoil globally, the top-two makers of industrial personal computer (IPC) in Taiwan , including Flytech Group International Inc. and Winmate Communication Inc., are mulling M&A as strategy both at home and in China.

Except for Flytech and Winmate, other IPC makers in Taiwan are battered by the global financial fallout 
over the past several months. Both Flytech and Winmate said they have idle funds to acquire counterparts, and are eying a few in China.

Flytech is keeping an eye on the subsidiaries of the mainland-listed firms, while Winmate is targeting domestic public-traded IPC makers. As of the end of the third quarter this year, Flytech had NT$1.306 billion (US$39.1 million at US$1:NT$33.4) in cash and cash-equivalents, compared with NT$930 million a year earlier. In the same period, Winmate had NT$602 million (US$18.02 million) in cash and cash-equivalents.

Flytech concedes that it is always conservative in financial operations, which will help it weather the global economic downturn. Furthermore, the company will use its ample cash to acquire competitors to enlarge market shares worldwide.

Flytech scored NT$48 million (US$1.43 million) in pretax earnings, or NT$0.58 (US$0.017) in earnings per share, in October alone, for a historic high monthly earnings record.

Winmate noted it registered NT$1.198 billion (US$35.86 million) in cumulative sales in the first 10 months of this year, up 33.28% year-on-year and exceeding NT$1.115 billion (US$33.38 million) posted in the whole of last year.

In terms of EPS in the first three quarters of this year, Winmate was the most profitable IPC maker in Taiwan by posting NT$5.24 (US$0.156), followed by Flytech with NT$4.28 (US$0.128).