Pioneer Computers scores first stage of $270m China Education project

Australian PC manufacturer Pioneer Computers has won the first stage of a $270 million project with China’s Ministry of Education to refresh computers at schools across 27 provinces.

Pioneer managing director Jeff Li said the company was last week awarded a $10 million deal to provide new computers to around 100 schools spread across the southern Chinese province of Guangxi. Each of the schools has between 40 and 80 students.

Li said the company beat out Chinese rivals Lenovo and Tongfan largely due to its solution for handling language exams.

He added that Pioneer’s Australian branding benefitted the company in vying for business in China where there was something of a cultural cringe regarding locally produced products.

“We got a good response in China due to the Australian brand. There is a natural feeling from [Chinese] end users that things from overseas are better,” Li said.

Hoping to capitalise on this fact Pioneer Computers will soon release into China and other overseas markets a new DreamPhone smartphone with a 4-5 inch screen running Android.

Speaking the language

Language exams in Chinese schools traditionally involve two teachers per student to supervise the written and spoken components. Using a voice recording and remote access solution developed by Pioneer Computers and an unnamed Chinese technology partner students are able to complete language exams unsupervised.

Li said the Ministry of Education’s favourable response to the solution gave him confidence that Pioneer would be a front runner to service the remainder of the project spanning a further 26 provinces. China has a total of 34 province-level administrative units, including 4 municipalities, 22 provinces, five autonomous regions and two special districts. Independent Taiwan is also claimed as a province.

Li added that beating Lenovo for the first piece of the Ministry of Education project was especially sweet after Pioneer lost out to the Chinese company in vying for a large contract with the NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) in 2009. Pioneer is currently woking on a proposal to deliver to DET a similar solution to that which is being rolled out to schools in China’s Guangxi province.

The first part of the Chinese deal alone would deliver a solid boost to Pioneers’ bottom line, which last financial year saw total turnover of around $40 million. Adding further impetus Pioneer recently won a $15 million deal with the Ministerio de Educación to supply around 150,000 PCs to schools in Spain.

Li affirmed that Pioneer Computers sells 100 percent through the channel with the company boasting around 4000 partners in Australia.