Since HDD (Hard Disk Drive) production in January is usually the lowest compared to other months in a year, even the branded vendors - which enjoy first priority in HDD supply - began to face HDD shortage, affecting shipments of the Taiwanese ODM (Original Design Manufacturing) makers in the first quarter of 2012. The first quarter tends to be the off season and the Chinese New Year holidays have shortened the number of working days in January 2012. Added by the labor shortage after the holiday and strained component supply, the Taiwanese desktop PC shipment volume is estimated at approximately 13.3 million units, down 9.2% sequentially and up 2.5% year-on-year in the first quarter of 2012. HDD production at HDD plants in Thailand has begun bouncing back earlier than expected, and branded vendors were relieved from the shortage before regional system integrators, and thus reducing the shortage impact on Taiwanese Taiwanese ODM makers. So far, Taiwanese makers suffered the greatest impact in January when HDD supply was the tightest. HDD supply gradually recovered in February and March, and branded vendors have been increasing their inventory levels, resulting in rising demand in this period and bolstering shipments of the Taiwanese desktop PC industry in the first quarter of 2012.