NEC Corp. is set to conclude a tieup pact with struggling U.S. mainframe computer maker Unisys Corp. to provide it with technological aid in the area of computers for corporate users, sources said Tuesday.
NEC is expected to provide Unisys with high-end servers for sale under the Unisys badge in line with a global industrywide trend of miniaturizing computers and other information technology gadgets, the sources said.
The two firms may conclude capital affiliation arrangements in addition to the envisioned technological deal, they said.
Although Unisys has pushed its business on the strength of the global sales network it has run in more than 100 countries, it has taken a blow from flagging sales of large mainframe computers, its mainline merchandise, they said.
Unisys has also taken a beating from intensifying competition with IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. of the United States in the field of information systems equipment.
NEC wants to cash in on envisioned stronger ties with Unisys in overseas markets in the field of larger computers for corporate users, they said.
Overseas sales have been limited to some 20 percent of NEC's consolidated total.