Barry Lam
Encyclopedia
Barry Lam is the founder and Chairman of Quanta Computer, the leading laptop
producer worldwide. He is also a major patron of the arts and a leading philanthropist in the area of culture and education. In 2011, Forbes
named him as the 376th richest person in the world and 6th richest in Taiwan
with a net worth of US$3 billion.
Barry Lam was born in Shanghai
and raised in Hong Kong
. His father was an accountant for the Hong Kong Club. He studied engineering in Taiwan, graduating from National Taiwan University
with bachelor and master degrees in electrical engineering.
In 1973, he and some former classmates founded Kinpo, a manufacturer of handheld calculators. As president of the company he built it into the largest contract manufacturer of calculators. In the late 1980s, he became convinced that notebook computers would be the next big product. He left Kinpo and founded Quanta Computer in 1988. He set up Quanta Computer with the help of a colleague C. C. Leung with capital of less than US$900,000. It had a turnover of NTD777 billion in 2007, US$23.7 billion.
Barry Lam is recognized as a leading visionary in the high-tech field. A combination of engineering talent, innovative thinking and entrepreneurial skills, has enabled him to build Quanta into one of the biggest high-tech companies worldwide. In 2006, Fortune Magazine recognized Quanta as one of the Fortune Global 500 Companies, and in 2007, Forbes placed Quanta 15th in its ranking of the world's most admired computer companies, the highest ranking of a Taiwanese company. Quanta designs and manufactures for clients such as Apple Inc., Compaq
, Dell
, Gateway
, Hewlett-Packard, Alienware
, Casper
, Cisco
, Fujitsu
, Gericom
, Lenovo, LG
, Maxdata
, MPC, Sharp Corporation
, Siemens AG
, Sony
, Sun Microsystems
, and Toshiba
. It is the largest manufacturer of PC notebooks worldwide and it has also diversified into servers, storage, and liquid-crystal display terminals.
Barry Lam established the Quanta Research and Development Center at its headquarters in Taiwan. The center works on many collaborative projects with major institutions such as MIT, National Taiwan University
and Academia Sinica
on producing next generation products.
Quanta Computer's flexibility has become a by-word for Taiwanese competence in the high-tech world, and Lam is seen as the founder of the engineering / design / manufacturing model, which launched Taiwan's High Tech Industry. Lam's visionary view of the PC notebook world can be seen as the driving force behind the success and prolific growth of the notebook in the late 1990s.
In May 2008, celebrating its 20th anniversary, Quanta was named as Taiwan's second largest private manufacturing enterprise. It had an annual turnover in 2007 of NT$777 billion, posting a 45% revenue growth. In 2001, a tough year for most computer companies, Lam led Quanta to world dominance as it became the largest notebook manufacturer worldwide and increased production by 50%. In 2002, Quanta moved production to mainland China
where it established a large manufacturing base with the aim of reducing costs.
(ODM) for the OLPC XO-1
by the One Laptop per Child project. Quanta took orders for one million laptops as of 2007-02-15. The OLPC project was also part of Quanta's Blue Ocean Strategy
, entering new market segments which are uncontested in terms of competition.
“If users paid fees [when using a public computer], the OLPC could become even cheaper. This is because when using your device, you would be actually using the resources of the public computer, so that the OLPC would not have to be equipped with computer functions at all. For instance, sending video and audio files, downloading games – depending on which game I want to play or which TV channel I want to watch – I can get them from a multimedia public computer. It could evolve into only paying for what you use, and not having to pay for what you don't use. The future, I believe, will be the age of OLPCs and public computers.”
He has a personal collection of more than 1, 000 works of art and in particular, he collects Chinese paintings and calligraphy. One of his favorite painters is Zhang Daqian
, and he has more than 250 of his works. He is sponsor of the Zhang Daqian Museum, which is housed in the artist's former home. He has incorporated a Museum of Art and Technology in the headquarters of Quanta in Taiwan, and he displays his personal art collection there.
He is chairman of the Advisory Committee of the National Palace Museum
, Taipei, one of the leading museums worldwide. It has the largest collection of Chinese artifacts in the world.
He is chairman of the Contemporary Art Foundation which manages the MoCA Taipei
. Its mission is to introduce diverse creative art forms from Taiwan, Asia and the rest of the world.
He is director of the renowned Cloud Gate Dance Theatre group, a Taiwanese modern dance group, which has performed in the Guggenheim Museum
in New York, and toured Europe extensively.
He is founder and Chairman of the Quanta Cultural and Educational foundation, which promotes culture, art and education in Taiwan. It promotes educational exhibitions and programs for schools free of charge. It has held more than 20 exhibitions in 291 schools, with more than 1.3 million young people participating in its educational activities. The foundation has received the Wen Hsin Golden Award from the Council of Cultural Affairs, Taiwan, for its outstanding promotion of social education many times.
In November 2002, Barry Lam announced that he would fund a new College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at his alma mater National Taiwan University
. It opened in July 2004, and is known as the Barry Lam Hall. It houses the Barry Lam Art Gallery in its basement.
He is chairman of the Dwen An Social Welfare Foundation, a charitable organization funded by leading business people in Taiwan.
He is a board director of the China Exploration and Research Society (CERS), a Hong Kong based group dedicated to understanding the natural wonders of China.
Laptop
A laptop, also called a notebook, is a personal computer for mobile use. A laptop integrates most of the typical components of a desktop computer, including a display, a keyboard, a pointing device and speakers into a single unit...
producer worldwide. He is also a major patron of the arts and a leading philanthropist in the area of culture and education. In 2011, Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
named him as the 376th richest person in the world and 6th richest in Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
with a net worth of US$3 billion.
Barry Lam was born in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and raised in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
. His father was an accountant for the Hong Kong Club. He studied engineering in Taiwan, graduating from National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University is a national co-educational university located in Taipei, Republic of China . In Taiwan, it is colloquially known as "Táidà" . Its main campus is set upon 1,086,167 square meters in Taipei's Da'an District. In addition, the university has 6 other campuses in Taiwan,...
with bachelor and master degrees in electrical engineering.
In 1973, he and some former classmates founded Kinpo, a manufacturer of handheld calculators. As president of the company he built it into the largest contract manufacturer of calculators. In the late 1980s, he became convinced that notebook computers would be the next big product. He left Kinpo and founded Quanta Computer in 1988. He set up Quanta Computer with the help of a colleague C. C. Leung with capital of less than US$900,000. It had a turnover of NTD777 billion in 2007, US$23.7 billion.
Barry Lam is recognized as a leading visionary in the high-tech field. A combination of engineering talent, innovative thinking and entrepreneurial skills, has enabled him to build Quanta into one of the biggest high-tech companies worldwide. In 2006, Fortune Magazine recognized Quanta as one of the Fortune Global 500 Companies, and in 2007, Forbes placed Quanta 15th in its ranking of the world's most admired computer companies, the highest ranking of a Taiwanese company. Quanta designs and manufactures for clients such as Apple Inc., Compaq
Compaq
Compaq Computer Corporation is a personal computer company founded in 1982. Once the largest supplier of personal computing systems in the world, Compaq existed as an independent corporation until 2002, when it was acquired for US$25 billion by Hewlett-Packard....
, Dell
Dell
Dell, Inc. is an American multinational information technology corporation based in 1 Dell Way, Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells and supports computers and related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one of the largest...
, Gateway
Gateway, Inc.
Gateway Computer Corporation, is a computer hardware company headquartered in Irvine, California, USA which develops, manufactures, supports, and markets a wide range of personal computers, computer monitors, servers, and computer accessories...
, Hewlett-Packard, Alienware
Alienware
Alienware is an American computer hardware subsidary of Dell, Inc. It mainly assembles third party components into desktops and laptops with custom enclosures for high-performance gaming. These products also support graphically intense applications such as video editing, simulation, and audio editing...
, Casper
Casper
Caspar, one of the Three Biblical MagiCasper may refer to:-Given name:*Casper , 5th Century ruler of the Mayan city of Palenque*Caspar Badrutt , Swiss businessman and pioneer of alpine resorts...
, Cisco
Cisco
Cisco may refer to:Companies:*Cisco Systems, a computer networking company* Certis CISCO, corporatised entity of the former Commercial and Industrial Security Corporation in Singapore...
, Fujitsu
Fujitsu
is a Japanese multinational information technology equipment and services company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is the world's third-largest IT services provider measured by revenues....
, Gericom
Gericom
Gericom was an Austrian computer equipment manufacturer, based in Linz, Upper Austria. The company was bought by Quanmax, Inc and subsequently converted to Quanmax AG.-History:...
, Lenovo, LG
LG
LG may refer to:*LG Corp., a South Korean electronics and petrochemicals conglomerate*LG Electronics, an affiliate of the South Korean LG Group which produces electronic products* Lawrence Graham, a London headquartered firm of business lawyers...
, Maxdata
Maxdata
Maxdata is a German based company that produces IT products, such as computers, notebooks and Monitors, it has been one of the top ten European IT producers for several years...
, MPC, Sharp Corporation
Sharp Corporation
is a Japanese multinational corporation that designs and manufactures electronic products. Headquartered in Abeno-ku, Osaka, Japan, Sharp employs more than 55,580 people worldwide as of June 2011. The company was founded in September 1912 and takes its name from one of its founder's first...
, Siemens AG
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
, Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
, Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
, and Toshiba
Toshiba
is a multinational electronics and electrical equipment corporation headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It is a diversified manufacturer and marketer of electrical products, spanning information & communications equipment and systems, Internet-based solutions and services, electronic components and...
. It is the largest manufacturer of PC notebooks worldwide and it has also diversified into servers, storage, and liquid-crystal display terminals.
Quanta
After his success with Kinpo, Barry Lam wanted Quanta to be more than a contract manufacturer. His vision was for Quanta to be a design manufacturer, a partner with its clients rather than just a supplier. As an SSDMM Provider, System Solution Design Manufacturing and Move, Quanta is very involved in engineering design for its clients. For Lam, Quanta's ability in combining designing power and functionality into lightweight packages has been the key to its success. Quanta offers combinations of features for each of its products which its clients can choose from. Once the design is agreed on, the next step is to get new, high-quality models into volume production quickly. These two steps, design capability and outstanding supply-chain management ensure profitability for customers and long-term relationships for Quanta.Barry Lam established the Quanta Research and Development Center at its headquarters in Taiwan. The center works on many collaborative projects with major institutions such as MIT, National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University is a national co-educational university located in Taipei, Republic of China . In Taiwan, it is colloquially known as "Táidà" . Its main campus is set upon 1,086,167 square meters in Taipei's Da'an District. In addition, the university has 6 other campuses in Taiwan,...
and Academia Sinica
Academia Sinica
The Academia Sinica , headquartered in the Nangang District of Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. It supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from mathematical and physical sciences, to life sciences, and to humanities and social sciences.Academia Sinica has...
on producing next generation products.
Quanta Computer's flexibility has become a by-word for Taiwanese competence in the high-tech world, and Lam is seen as the founder of the engineering / design / manufacturing model, which launched Taiwan's High Tech Industry. Lam's visionary view of the PC notebook world can be seen as the driving force behind the success and prolific growth of the notebook in the late 1990s.
In May 2008, celebrating its 20th anniversary, Quanta was named as Taiwan's second largest private manufacturing enterprise. It had an annual turnover in 2007 of NT$777 billion, posting a 45% revenue growth. In 2001, a tough year for most computer companies, Lam led Quanta to world dominance as it became the largest notebook manufacturer worldwide and increased production by 50%. In 2002, Quanta moved production to mainland China
Mainland China
Mainland China, the Chinese mainland or simply the mainland, is a geopolitical term that refers to the area under the jurisdiction of the People's Republic of China . According to the Taipei-based Mainland Affairs Council, the term excludes the PRC Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and...
where it established a large manufacturing base with the aim of reducing costs.
Teams
Barry Lam is renowned in Taiwan for his emphasis on employee satisfaction. His engineers and design teams are some of the best paid in Taiwan, and share in company profits. He has instilled his focus on design and quality into his entire team and employees regularly make suggestions for improvements in products. The Quanta Research and Development Centre includes an art gallery, library, gym, and swimming pool. A performance hall is also planned. Quanta has more than 30,000 employees of which over 3,500 are engineers.MIT Project T-Party
In 2005, Barry Lam and Quanta joined forces with MIT on Project T-Party, a five-year initiative that will create the next generation of platforms for computing and communication. Combining the huge brainpower of MIT with the practical skills of Quanta, the project aims to create new interfaces and explore new ways of managing and accessing information. Lam commented on the project, “We are very pleased to team up with the renowned research institution, MIT, to embark on a new IT trendsetting endeavor. Combining the exceptional research resources of MIT with the world-leading innovative design and manufacturing engine of Quanta, we are excited about the prospects of bringing brand-new products and services to the world that will improve all of our lives and cultures."One Laptop per Child
Barry Lam decided that Quanta would be the original design manufacturerOriginal Design Manufacturer
An original design manufacturer is a company which designs and manufactures a product which is specified and eventually branded by another firm for sale. Such companies allow the brand firm to produce without having to engage in the organization or running of a factory...
(ODM) for the OLPC XO-1
OLPC XO-1
The XO-1, previously known as the $100 Laptop, Children's Machine, and 2B1, is an inexpensive subnotebook computer intended to be distributed to children in developing countries around the world, to provide them with access to knowledge, and opportunities to "explore, experiment and express...
by the One Laptop per Child project. Quanta took orders for one million laptops as of 2007-02-15. The OLPC project was also part of Quanta's Blue Ocean Strategy
Blue Ocean Strategy
Blue Ocean Strategy is a business strategy book first published in 2005 and written by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne of at INSEAD. The book illustrates what the authors believe is the high growth and profits an organization can generate by creating new demand in an uncontested market space, or...
, entering new market segments which are uncontested in terms of competition.
Public Computers
Barry Lam considers that one path for the future is the availability of public computers in conjunction with OLPC. He envisages ‘public computers' available in organizations or schools which are accessible to anyone with a PC.“If users paid fees [when using a public computer], the OLPC could become even cheaper. This is because when using your device, you would be actually using the resources of the public computer, so that the OLPC would not have to be equipped with computer functions at all. For instance, sending video and audio files, downloading games – depending on which game I want to play or which TV channel I want to watch – I can get them from a multimedia public computer. It could evolve into only paying for what you use, and not having to pay for what you don't use. The future, I believe, will be the age of OLPCs and public computers.”
Patron of the Arts and Philanthropist
Barry Lam is one of the foremost patron of the arts in Taiwan, and a leader in the area of culture and education.He has a personal collection of more than 1, 000 works of art and in particular, he collects Chinese paintings and calligraphy. One of his favorite painters is Zhang Daqian
Zhang Daqian
Chang Dai-chien was one of the best-known and most prodigious Chinese artists of the twentieth century. Originally known as a guohua painter, by the 1960s he was also renowned as a modern impressionist and expressionist painter...
, and he has more than 250 of his works. He is sponsor of the Zhang Daqian Museum, which is housed in the artist's former home. He has incorporated a Museum of Art and Technology in the headquarters of Quanta in Taiwan, and he displays his personal art collection there.
He is chairman of the Advisory Committee of the National Palace Museum
National Palace Museum
The National Palace Museum is an art museum in Taipei. It is the national museum of the Republic of China, and has a permanent collection of over 677,687 pieces of ancient Chinese artifacts and artworks, making it one of the largest in the world. The collection encompasses over 8,000 years of...
, Taipei, one of the leading museums worldwide. It has the largest collection of Chinese artifacts in the world.
He is chairman of the Contemporary Art Foundation which manages the MoCA Taipei
MoCA Taipei
MoCA Taipei is a museum of contemporary art, located in Taipei, Taiwan.It was built during the period of Japanese rule in 1921 as Jan Cheng Elementary School, which now occupies a new structure on the back of the historical building.After WWII, it hosted the Taipei city government and became an...
. Its mission is to introduce diverse creative art forms from Taiwan, Asia and the rest of the world.
He is director of the renowned Cloud Gate Dance Theatre group, a Taiwanese modern dance group, which has performed in the Guggenheim Museum
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is a well-known museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States. It is the permanent home to a renowned collection of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, early Modern, and contemporary art and also features special exhibitions...
in New York, and toured Europe extensively.
He is founder and Chairman of the Quanta Cultural and Educational foundation, which promotes culture, art and education in Taiwan. It promotes educational exhibitions and programs for schools free of charge. It has held more than 20 exhibitions in 291 schools, with more than 1.3 million young people participating in its educational activities. The foundation has received the Wen Hsin Golden Award from the Council of Cultural Affairs, Taiwan, for its outstanding promotion of social education many times.
In November 2002, Barry Lam announced that he would fund a new College of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at his alma mater National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University
National Taiwan University is a national co-educational university located in Taipei, Republic of China . In Taiwan, it is colloquially known as "Táidà" . Its main campus is set upon 1,086,167 square meters in Taipei's Da'an District. In addition, the university has 6 other campuses in Taiwan,...
. It opened in July 2004, and is known as the Barry Lam Hall. It houses the Barry Lam Art Gallery in its basement.
He is chairman of the Dwen An Social Welfare Foundation, a charitable organization funded by leading business people in Taiwan.
He is a board director of the China Exploration and Research Society (CERS), a Hong Kong based group dedicated to understanding the natural wonders of China.
Honors
- 2007 Honorary Doctorate, National Taiwan University
- 2005 Honorary Degree: Doctor of Technology, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
- 2006 'Second Class Bright Star Medal' Taiwan Government
- 2006 and 2002 Wen Hsin Silver Award for outstanding promotion of social education, Council of Cultural Affairs, Taiwan
- 2005 Entrepreneur of the Year, Ernst and Young
- 2002 One of '25 Managers of the Year', Business Week Magazine
- 2001 and 1999 One of 'The Stars of Asia', Business Week Magazine