Brazilian computer manufacturer Positivo has struck a partnership with Japanese maker Vaio to produce its PCs locally.
This marks the first international partnership for Vaio, which was sold by Sony to investment fund Japan Industrial Partners in 2014 and had been focusing on the Japanese market ever since.
Under the agreement, Positivo will start selling Vaio PCs in Brazil as of October this year. The product design will remain Vaio’s job, while the Brazilian partner will manufacture the items, provide post-sale support and local marketing.
The news of the partnership follow a sales drop reported by Positivo at the start of 2015,caused by price increases introduced to reflect the dollar hike in relation to Brazil’s currency, the real.
Some 1.964 million PCs were sold in the first three months of the year in Brazil, so 20 percent less than in the same quarter in 2014, according to analyst house IDC.
The analyst’s expectation is that PC sales in Brazil will shrink even more in 2015, after three consecutive years of diminishing sales.
Dell is the current market leader in the Brazilian PC market, followed by Chinese manufacturer Lenovo and Positivo.