| BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : JUNE 14, 1999 ISSUE | ||||||||
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| INTERNATIONAL -- ASIAN COVER STORY
Chen Wen-Chi, President, VIA Technologies, Taiwan (int'l edition) CHEN WEN-CHI, PRESIDENT OF CHIPSET MAKER VIA TECHNOLOGIES INC., has learned that what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. And he's proof that the high-tech entrepreneurs of Taiwan remain the nimblest and most aggressive in Asia--smart enough to co-exist with mighty Intel Corp. Five years ago, when Intel started making chipsets--the semiconductors that assist a computer's central processor--Chen braced for battle. Some advised him to quit the business. Instead, he hung on as most of the industry's 30 companies were knocked out. Today, along with Intel, VIA is one of just four survivors. Chen succeeded by identifying shortcomings in Intel's chipsets and offering solutions. ''Because we're smaller, we can react to the market faster,'' explains Chen. ''After going against them, we should be able to compete against anyone.'' It helps that Chen, 43, once worked for Intel in the U.S. His familiarity enabled him to capitalize on Intel's main weakness, namely its slower reactions to changes in the market. Chen studied computer science at the California Institute of Technology. After three years in Intel's research labs, he started his own California-based chipset design company, Symphony Laboratories, which he later sold. His Taiwan ties helped him land a job in 1992 as president of VIA, then based in California. VIA had gone bankrupt when customers turned away from its main product: logic chips for workstations. Chen shifted VIA's headquarters to Taiwan, which he correctly sensed would become the center of the computer mainboard industry. At the time, VIA had fewer than 10 engineers working out of a small apartment. Chen's big break came two years ago when he won a large contract from Compaq. VIA now has 600 employees. Profits are forecast to grow 51% this year, to $50 million, on sales of $260 million. Since it went public in March, the stock is up 20%. Chen was raised Catholic but became a born-again Christian after returning to church three years ago. He likes to think that his company is being used by God to make a contribution to society. ''I don't think there's any question about anything as long as I'm following God's will,'' he says. Chen credits the training he and his top managers received in the U.S. for VIA's success. ''We believe the No. 1 requirement is still engineering quality,'' Chen says. So far, it's working. _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP |
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