CIE Systems Turns to Lease Plan for Computers

CIE Systems Inc. of Irvine said it will begin a lease and lease-purchase financing program for its business computer systems and electronic products. The company said it will fund the program up to $100 million. CIE is the second Orange County-based company this month to offer a lease program to spur sales of its computers and take advantage of remaining corporate tax benefits. Earlier this month, General Automation Inc. in Anaheim unveiled a similar program to promote sales of its Zebra line of business computers.

“What we’ve done is to give our dealers a powerful sales tool and eliminate the overhead and administration that goes with trying to provide financing for customers,” said Warren Blossom, vice president of C. Itoh’s Computer Systems Group.

Blossom said leasing and other creative-financing programs are gaining popularity within the computer industry. He estimated that they account for more than half of all computer sales. Another appeal of leasing is convenience, because a single lease can cover the entire computing package, such as service, software and peripherals.

CIE Systems is a subsidiary of C. Itoh Electronics Inc. of Torrance.