HONG KONG, Nov. 26 /Xinhua-PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are expected to produce over 80 million digital still cameras in 2007 -- up 27 percent year-on-year, according to Global Sources' (NASDAQ: GSOL) China Sourcing Report: Digital Still Cameras ( http://www.chinasourcingreports.com/digitalstillcameras ). (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030303/LNM011LOGO-b ) The report shows Greater China accounted for more than 73 percent of global shipments in 2006. It is forecast to take a greater market share in 2007, as manufacturers gear up to increase production and exports. President of Global Sources' Electronics Business Unit, Mark A. Saunderson, said: "The global digital still camera market is highly competitive, both in terms of quality and price, with consumers very sensitive to both. "Greater China manufacturers are acutely aware of this, and are increasingly targeting mid- to higher-end markets with feature-rich products and competitive pricing. This trend has weeded out many entry-level companies, leaving a more robust manufacturing base." Greater China Manufacturers Expected to Expand Production Capacity in the Next 12 Months More than 65 percent of Greater China's manufacturers are preparing for an increase in output by expanding production capacity in the next 12 months, according to the report. Over half of these companies expect to achieve this by upgrading existing facilities or investing in new factories. Of digital still cameras manufacturers surveyed: -- 44 percent expect to increase capacity by 20 to 50 percent; -- 25 percent forecast capacity growth of up to 20 percent; and -- 31 percent intend to retain current capacity. The China Sourcing Report also shows these key trends for digital still camera manufacturers in the months ahead: -- mainstream product features include 5 megapixel resolution, 2.5in TFT LCDs and slim form factors; -- manufacturers intend to upgrade their management systems to shorten delivery times to export markets; and -- rising material costs continues to be one of the main challenges faced by manufacturers in Greater China. In-factory Interviews, Detailed Supplier Profiles and New Digital Still Cameras The 59-page China Sourcing Report: Digital Still Cameras provides proprietary market information from in-person factory visits to 11 manufacturers and interviews with 5 more suppliers. The surveys, price trends and supply forecasts aim to help buyers make better-informed purchasing decisions. Specialized Global Sources Websites, Trade Magazines and Trade Shows China Sourcing Reports ( http://www.chinasourcingreports.com/ ) are part of Global Sources' sourcing and product information services. These include Global Sources Online ( http://www.globalsources.com/ ), Global Sources trade magazines, China Sourcing Fairs ( http://www.chinasourcingfair.com/ ) and Global Sources Direct ( http://www.globalsourcesdirect.com/ ). China Sourcing Report: Digital Still Cameras is available at: http://www.chinasourcingreports.com/digitalstillcameras . Information about Greater China digital still camera suppliers and products can be found at http://www.chinasuppliers.globalsources.com/china- suppliers/Digital-Camera-5.htm . (Note: If the URL above wraps to a second line, paste both lines into the browser.) About Global Sources Global Sources is a leading business-to-business (B2B) media company and a primary facilitator of two-way trade with Greater China. The core business is facilitating trade from Greater China to the world, using a wide range of English-language media. The other key business segment facilitates trade from the world to Greater China using Chinese-language media. The company provides sourcing information to volume buyers and integrated marketing services to suppliers. It helps a community of over 647,000 active buyers source more profitably from complex overseas supply markets. With the goal of providing the most effective ways possible to advertise, market and sell, Global Sources enables suppliers to sell to hard-to-reach buyers in over 230 countries. The company offers the most extensive range of media and export marketing services in the industries it serves. It delivers information on 2 million products and more than 160,000 suppliers annually through 14 online marketplaces, 13 monthly magazines, over 100 sourcing research reports and nine specialized trade shows which run 22 times a year across seven cities. Suppliers receive more than 23 million sales leads annually from buyers through Global Sources Online (http://www.globalsources.com/) alone. Global Sources has been facilitating global trade for 36 years. In mainland China it has over 2,000 team members in 44 locations, and a community of over 1 million registered online users and magazine readers for Chinese- language media. Global Sources Press Contact in Asia: Camellia So Tel: +852-2555-5021 Email: Global Sources Investor Contact in Asia: Eddie Heng Tel: +65-6547-2850 Email: Global Sources Press Contact in U.S.: James W.W. Strachan Tel: +1-480-664-8309 Email: Global Sources Investor Contact in U.S.: Moriah Shilton & Christiane Pelz Lippert/Heilshorn & Associates, Inc. Tel: +1-415-433-3777 Email: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030303/LNM011LOGO-b DATASOURCE: Global Sources CONTACT: Press contact in Asia: Camellia So, +852-2555-5021, ; Press contact in U.S.: James W.W. Strachan of Global Sources, +1-480-664-8309, ; Investor contact in Asia: Eddie Heng of Global Sources, +65-6547-2850, ; Investor Contact in U.S.: Moriah Shilton or Christiane Pelz, , both of Lippert-Heilshorn & Associates, Inc., +1-415-433-3777, for Global Sources Web site: http://www.globalsources.com/ http://www.chinasourcingreports.com/

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