David Kan
Born(1959-07-02)July 2, 1959
Taipei, Taiwan
DiedMay 19, 2022(2022-05-19) (aged 62)
South Africa
Alma materPittsburg State University
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder of Mustek
SpouseSu-Wen Annie Kan (1992-2004) Dionne Chen (2005-2022)
Children3

David Chih-Hsing Kan (2 July 1959[1] – May 19, 2022) was a Taiwanese-born CEO and founder of Mustek, one of the largest assemblers and distributors of personal computers and complementary ICT products in South Africa.[2] Mustek is the operational business division of the Mustek Limited Group, which also includes Rectron.

Early life and education

Born in Tapei, Taiwan, on 2 July 1959, Kan did a series of odd jobs growing up, including working as a dishwasher at the age of 15.[3] He was also a waiter, truck driver, and removal company worker.[3]

On completion of the Taiwanese equivalent of matric at Ta-Hwa Junior College in Hsinchu in 1980, he left for the US to study mechanical engineering at Pittsburg State University in Kansas.[3]

After graduating in 1986, he relocated to South Africa, where his father was working as an economic counsellor for the Republic of China.[1] Kan was working in a cutlery manufacturing facility when in 1987 he attended the first personal computer (PC) exhibition hosted by the Taiwanese government in Johannesburg.[1] It was here that Kan met the then managing director of the Taiwanese company Mustek Corporation, Owen Chen,[3] who was interested in setting up a warehouse in South Africa.[2] Kan made a partnership proposal with Chen and visited Mustek Corporation in Taiwan to receive training.[2]

Career

Kan set up Mustek in South Africa in 1987, importing and distributing components and assembling PCs for other brands, and then becoming manufacturer of the Mecer brand of computers.[1][4] Considered a pioneer in the tech space in South Africa, he led the development of the country’s first PC assembly plant.[1]

To get the business started, he borrowed $50,000 from both Chen and his father. That was the only capital investment the company would ever need.[3]

Kan attributed the company’s early success “with being at the right place at the right time”,[1] as the demand for PCs began to grow in the 1980s, and import tariffs gave Mustek a competitive advantage in establishing its dominance in the South African market.[1]

In 1995, Rectron was established as part of the Mustek Group to focus on the distribution of PC components.[1]

Mustek also comprises Mecer Inter-Ed, a controlling shareholding in Palladium, shareholdings in Sizwe Africa IT Group and Khauleza IT Solutions, and a substantial shareholding in Yangtze Optics Africa Cable.[5] Mustek operates in South Africa, with anchor operations in Zimbabwe, Kenya and Nigeria.[5]

The IT company listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange in 1997.[1] This made it the first Taiwanese company to be listed on a South African stock exchange.[6] In 2003, it did a dual listing on the Taiwan Stock Exchange through issuing Taiwan Depositary Receipts (TDRs).[7] In 2005, the company was responsible for about 25% of the computers sold in South Africa, and its ME-CER computer brand ranked first in personal computer sales in the country.[6]

Mustek reported an after-tax profit for the six months between 1 July and 31 December 2021 of R152 million, and an increase in revenue of 12.5% from R3.72 billion in 2021 to R4.19 billion in 2022.[8] At the beginning of 2022, Kan had increased his shareholding in the firm to 25.42%.[9]

Kan was a founding member of the Board of Directors of Zinox, a Nigerian tech brand launched in 2001.[10]

He died on May 19, 2022, aged 62.[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 McLeod, Duncan (19 May 2022). "Shock as Mustek CEO David Kan dies". Techcentral.co.za. Retrieved 2022-06-04.
  2. 1 2 3 Staff Writer. "Meet David Kan – the man who started Mustek South Africa". Retrieved 2022-05-21.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Staff Writer. "The incredible life of David Kan". Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  4. ↑ "萬宇科深耕南非 獲利看俏 受惠政府標案及消費成長 穩居當地PC一哥 法人：最被低估的TDR股" [Mustek is deeply involved in South Africa, and its profits are promising. Benefiting from government bids and consumption growth, it is firmly ranked as the top local PC company. Legal person: the most undervalued TDR stock]. Economic Daily News (in Chinese). 2010-07-22. p. C1.
  5. 1 2 Reporter, B. R. "Mustek founder and CEO David Kan has passed away". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  6. 1 2 Wang, Chunrui 王純瑞 (2005-10-11). "第三世界淘金 萬宇譜南非傳奇 走在約翰尼斯堡的街上、機場，發現許多人手上提著印有「MECER」的筆記本型電腦，一問才知道，這是南非第一大PC品牌，2月還獲南非總統姆貝基頒贈「南非之傲」獎，而打造MECER傳奇的，竟是來自台灣的商人。" [Gold Rush in the Third World Wan Yu Pu South African Legend. Walking on the streets of Johannesburg and at the airport, I found that many people were carrying laptops with "MECER" printed on their hands. After asking, I found out that this is the largest PC brand in South Africa. In February, South African President Thabo Mbeki was awarded The "Pride of South Africa" award was presented, and the person who created the legend of MECER was actually a businessman from Taiwan.]. Economic Daily News (in Chinese). p. A9.
  7. ↑ Chen, Changbo 陳昌博 (2003-04-28). "推動科技教育與電腦化成果逐步顯現 資訊產業發展潛力無窮" [Promote the gradual emergence of scientific and technological education and computerization achievements. The potential for the development of the information industry is boundless]. Economic Daily News (in Chinese). p. 37.
  8. ↑ Staff Writer. "Mustek makes R152 million profit in six months — benefitting from "new normal"". Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  9. ↑ Larkin, Philippa. "Tech boss David Kan and Old Mutual boost shareholding in JSE-listed technology group Mustek". www.iol.co.za. Retrieved 2022-06-24.
  10. ↑ Okonji, Emmanuel (2022-05-21). "Zinox Mourns as Founding Member, David Kan, Passes on". THISDAYLIVE. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
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