Dell to set up build-to-order PC shops in Asia

Dell Corporation (Thailand) managing director Anothai Wettayakorn said the company will expand its business in the consumer market. It will allow end users to purchase customised configure-to-order (CTO) or build-to-order (BTO) products from the Dell Concept Store or Dell Shop, which will be opened early next month. Thailand is the first Asian country where Dell will provide the BTO option and distribute its products via Dell Shops.

CTO manufacturing lets customers to choose the configuration or features of products that they want.

In the initial stage, the company will set up five Dell Shops at Pantip Plaza, IT Mall and IT Zeer Rangsit. It plans to set up 20 Dell Shops countrywide by the end of the year.

He said once a customer places an order for a CTO product, the order information will be immediately transferred from the Dell Shop to the manufacturing unit in Penang, Malaysia, in order to deliver the product to customers in Thailand within 7 days.

The company will also provide a warrantee of on-site services for a year to customers.

"Our CTO products will provide end users with a choice of customising their laptops or personal computers. The CTO products will be shipped to customers within seven days," the managing director said.

Dell consumer business marketing manager Krittawit Krittayaruangroj said the company has also announced two new laptop lines - Studio 15 and the Inspiron Mini 9 - that offer complete personalisation.

The Studio product line is available with an Intel Core 2 Duo Processor. It comes with a 150-inch display and offers a variety of options to cater to customers' diverse demands. Meanwhile, the new Inspiron Mini 9 features an Intel Atom processor. It is a small, easy-to-carry device, ready-to-connect device, suited for teens and travellers. It is a portable and affordable netbook with an 8.9-inch glossy light-emitting diode display and starting weight of only 1 kilogram.

The company distributes its consumer products via three distributors - Ingram Micro, Com 7 and Weltech.