Acer Inc.

Acer Inc. ( ) is a Taiwanese multinational hardware and electronics corporation specializing in advanced electronics technology, headquartered in Xizhi, New Taipei City. Its products include desktop PCs, laptop PCs (clamshells, 2-in-1s, convertibles and Chromebooks), tablets, servers, storage devices, virtual reality devices, displays, smartphones and peripherals, as well as gaming PCs and accessories under its Predator brand. Acer is the world's 6th-largest PC vendor by unit sales as of January 2021.
In the early 2000s, Acer implemented a new business model, shifting from a manufacturer to a designer, marketer and distributor of products, while performing production processes via contract manufacturers. Currently, in addition to its core IT products business, Acer also has a new business entity that focuses on the integration of cloud services and platforms, and the development of smartphones and wearable devices with value-added IoT applications.
History.
Acer was founded in 1976 by Stan Shih (), his wife Carolyn Yeh, and five others as Multitech in Hsinchu City, Taiwan. The company began with eleven employees and US$25,000 in capital. Initially, it was primarily a distributor of electronic parts and a consultant in the use of microprocessor technologies. It produced the Micro-Professor MPF-I training kit, then two Apple II clones–the Microprofessor II and III–before joining the emerging IBM PC compatible market and becoming a significant PC manufacturer. The company was renamed to Acer in 1987.
In 1998, Acer reorganized into five groups: Acer International Service Group, Acer Sertek Service Group, Acer Semiconductor Group, Acer Information Products Group, and Acer Peripherals Group. To dispel complaints from clients that Acer competed with its own products and to alleviate the competitive nature of the branded sales versus contract manufacturing businesses, the company spun off the contract business in 2000, renaming it ro Wistron Corporation. The restructuring resulted in two primary units: brand name sales and contract manufacturing. In 2001, the company sold its manufacturing units BenQ and Wistron in order to focus resources on design and sales.
Acer increased worldwide sales while simultaneously reducing its labor force by identifying and using marketing strategies that best utilized their existing distribution channels. By 2005, Acer employed a scant 7,800 people worldwide. Revenues rose from US$4.9 billion in 2003 to US$11.31 billion in 2006.
Acer's North American market share has slipped over the past few years, while its European market share has risen.
In the mid-2000s, consumer notebooks were almost the sole growth drivers for the PC industry, and Acer's exceptionally low overheads and dedication to the channel made it one of the main beneficiaries of this trend. Acer grew quickly in Europe in part by embracing the use of more traditional distribution channels targeting retail consumers when some rivals were pursuing online sales and business customers. In 2007, Acer bought Gateway in the United States and Packard Bell in Europe, and became the third largest provider of computers and the second largest for notebooks, achieving significant improvement in profitability. Acer has strived to become the world's largest PC vendor in the belief that the goal can help it achieve economy of scale and garner higher margin. However, such a reliance on the high-volume, low-value PC market made Acer exposed when buying habits changed.
In 2019, Acer announced esports social platform PLANET9.gg, which aims to provide gamers and esports enthusiasts game analytics, community-organized competitions, socializing experience and more.
2013 re-organisation.
In November 2013, chairman and CEO J.T. Wang and president Jim Wong both resigned due to the company's poor financial performance. Wang had been reportedly due to leave Acer at the end of the year, and was supposed to have been succeeded by Wong. Acer co-founder Stan Shih took over as board chairman and interim president after the departure of Wang and Wong, and began to search for new candidates to assume the roles of CEO and president. On 23 December, Acer named Jason Chen, then the vice president of worldwide sales and marketing at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, as its new president and CEO, effective 1 January.
Fleet of Companies.
In September 2018, Acer spun off its gadget product business unit and found GadgeTek Inc. (G.T.I.), a company that is dedicated to providing smart gadgets that enhance the quality of life. Some notable products include Leap Beads; Leap Beads are designed to help people keep track of recited mantras. But instead of using them in conjunction with a metal counter, a companion app will record every prayer. A lotus blossom at the top of your current results opens slightly the closer you get to your goal. In addition to prayers, the beads also record your footsteps like a regular fitness tracker.
Operations.
As of December 2019, Acer has over 7,000 employees worldwide, operating in 40 countries/territories.
Australia.
Acer Computer Australia (ACA) was established in 1990, and is currently Australia's third-largest personal computer vendor, behind Hewlett-Packard Australia and Dell Australia and New Zealand. ACA has Australia's highest overall market share in notebook PC and tablet PC sales. The company is also Australia's leading PC vendor in government and education markets. As of 2006, it has over 480 employees.
The company repairs, assembles and manufacturers laptops and desktops in Sydney.
Europe.
Acer's EMEA headquarters are located in Lugano, Switzerland. From the late 1990s to mid-2000s, Acer had computer factories in Europe. The business area was the whole EMEA. In the Netherlands under the name of Acer IMS bv, there were two factories: Acer laptop factory in Den Bosch and Acer and IBM desktop factory in Tilburg. Acer also had facilities in Germany under the name of IMS in Ahrensburg and Hamburg. Acer computers are also assembled in Mingachevir, Azerbaijan.
India.
Acer's subsidiary in India is Acer India (Pvt) Limited, and was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Acer Computer International, Ltd. in 1999. It is a notable vendor in key segments such as education, desktop computers and low profile notebooks for education. The headquarters is in Bangalore, India.
Indonesia.
PT Acer Indonesia is a wholly owned subsidiary of Acer, and distributes their products through their main distributor PT Dragon Computer & Communication. Acer is currently the second largest computer vendor in Indonesia. In the first quarter of 2016, Acer recorded >81% market share in Windows tablet in Indonesia.
North America.
Acer America Corporation, headquartered in San Jose, California, is a member of the Acer Group. Acer's R&D, engineering, manufacturing, and marketing operations in the United States and Canada are handled by Acer America. The U.S. headquarters was opened with a staff of three in 1985, as Multitech Electronics USA, in Mountain View, California. In 1986, the U.S. headquarters were moved to San Jose, California.
Corporate social responsibility.
In 2005, Acer published its first environmental report, for which the company used the GRI guidelines. All of Acer's tier-one suppliers have acquired ISO 14001 certification.
In November 2012, Acer was ranked 4th place out of 15 in Greenpeace's re-launched Guide to Greener Electronics, with a score of 5.1 points out of 10. The Guide ranks electronics makers according to their policies and practices to reduce their impact on the climate, produce greener products, and make their operations more sustainable.
Greenpeace criticized the company for not setting out targets to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as intended in 2010 and for not providing external verification for the GHG emissions it reports for its operations and business travel. It also scored badly on the products criteria receiving no points on product lifecycle while Greenpeace noted that a higher percentage of its products need to meet or exceed Energy Star standards in order for it to score more points.
It received some praise for launching new products which are free from Polyvinyl chloride plastic (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) and the company informed Greenpeace
that the majority of its products will be PVC/BFR free in the near future. Acer also scored well on chemical management for lobbying for restrictions on organo-halogens and was commended for reporting on GHG emissions from its first-tier suppliers and investigating its second tier.
In its 2012 report on progress relating to conflict minerals, the Enough Project rated Acer the seventh highest of 24 consumer electronics companies.
Acer has been listed on the DJSI's Emerging Markets Index since 2014 and on MSCI's Global Sustainability Indexes in 2015-2016.
References.
39. Acer Expands Closed Beta for Planet9, a Next-Gen Esports Platform, CTIMES, November 2019. Retrieved 17th of November, 2020.
40. Acer unveils the SigridWave and announces new updates for Planet9, REVIEWCENTRAL, October 2020. Retrieved 17th of November, 2020.