Sony Ericsson, the mobile phone joint venture between Japan's Sony Corp and Sweden's Ericsson AB, has strengthened its management team in China to better compete in the world's largest cellular-phone market.

Sony Ericsson President Miles Flint has been appointed chairman of the Sony Ericsson China board while Gunilla Nordstrom, corporate vice president and head of China region, was named president of Sony Ericsson's China operations.

The move underlines a transformation for Sony Ericsson from a sales-oriented to a fully functional firm in China.

Under the arrangement, Nordstrom will focus on the co-ordination and enhancement of its China operations.

Previously, Sony Ericsson focused mainly on marketing in China with Jan Wareby, corporate executive vice-president and head of sales & marketing of Sony Ericsson, and Nordstrom jointly heading the China management team.

The three-year-old Sony Ericsson has been a big success story in the global mobile phone industry: it is rapidly emerging as the industry's trend-setter, posing a big challenge to market leaders Nokia and Motorola.

Sony Ericsson's China operations are "progressing very well," which is pushing the firm to boost its management team to further enhance competitiveness, according to Wareby.

China is now the largest single market for Sony Ericsson, contributing more than 10 per cent of its global unit sales of mobile phones, he said.

Sony Ericsson has built China into one of its strategic markets. Its joint venture in China - Beijing SE Putian Mobile Communications Co Ltd (BMC) is now the sole in-house manufacturing facility for Sony Ericsson.

And it has established one of its global development units in Beijing. China is one of its seven sales and marketing regions and the sourcing centre for China as well as the rest of Asia.

Sony Ericsson is now the No 5 mobile phone maker in China.

The firm has been rapidly expanding its market share by introducing glitzy high-end camera and music phones though most makers are struggling with dropping sales amid intensifying competition.

"We will continue to launch more Wow and high quality phones by focusing on imaging, entertainment (music and games) and enterprise solutions," said Wareby.

(China Daily September 2, 2005)