Acer (company)

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Acer

Type	Public (TSEC: 2353)
Founded	1976
Founder	Stan Shih et al.
Headquarters	Taipei, Taiwan (ROC)
Industry	Computer
Products	Laptops, Desktop Computers, IT services
Revenue	$11.1 billion USD (2006)
Net income	$338 million USD (2006)
Employees	6,554 (2005)
Subsidiaries	Acer Computer Australia, Acer India, Acer America Corporation
Website	www.acer.com

Acer (LSE: ACID) (Mandarin:宏碁股份有限公司) is a Taiwan-based company which by 2004 had grown to be one of the world's top five branded PC vendors, and now is ranked one among the top four PC vendors. It owns the second largest computer retail chain in Taiwan, Acerland, second only to Asus. Acer's product offering includes desktop and mobile PCs (laptops), servers and storage, displays, peripherals, and e-business solutions for business, government, education, and home users.

1 History
2 Operations
3 Products
4 Motorsport
5 See also
6 References
7 External links

[edit] History

Multitech, which was founded by Stan Shih (施振榮) and six other people in 1976, was renamed Acer in 1987. The global headquarters is in Hsichih City, Taiwan. In 2002, the pan Acer Group employed 39,000 people supporting dealers and distributors in more than 100 countries. Revenues reached US $12.9 billion that year. In 2000, Acer spun off its manufacturing operation (as Wistron Corporation) to focus itself on branding business. In deciding to support the sales of its product lines through specific marketing activities that best utilise distribution channels, Acer grew worldwide while its labour force contracted. By 2005, Acer employed 7,800 people throughout the world while maintaining a global sales and service network. Revenues were US$4.9 billion in 2003^[1] and US$11.31 billion in 2006. Acer's North American market share has slipped over the past few years while the European market share has gone up. Much of their success in Europe can be attributed to their ongoing association with the Ferrari Formula 1 Team and the former F1 team, Prost Grand Prix in 2001. They have recently broadened the scope of their relationship with Ferrari by announcing they will sponsor the Formula One team until 2008. Acer ranks as the world's No. 4 branded PC vendor.

[edit] Operations

[edit] Australia

The Australian subsidiary of Acer is Acer Computer Australia (ACA). The subsidiary was established in 1990, and is currently Australia's third largest personal computer vendor, behind Hewlett-Packard Australia and Dell Australia and New Zealand. ^[2] Acer Computer Australia 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. Acer Computer Australia has 480 employees as of 2006. ^[3]

[edit] India

Acer's subsidiary in India is Acer India, which apart from being top in the overall PC desktop and notebook market, is the leading vendor in key segments such as education. Its headquarters are in Bangalore, India.

[edit] Europe, Middle East and Africa

Acer is the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region leader in the notebook sector, holding 18% market share in Q1 2005. Confirming its leadership in the EMEA notebook market, in 2005 Acer ranked first in 13 countries: Italy, Spain, Austria, The Netherlands, Switzerland, The Czech Republic, Russia, Portugal, Belgium, Denmark, Poland, Hungary and Slovakia. Europe was the company's biggest market in 2005.^[4]

[edit] 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 Corporation. In September 1990, Acer acquired Altos Computer Systems, one of the top manufacturers of multiuser and networked UNIX computer systems for commercial markets. In February 1997, Acer acquired Texas Instruments® Mobile Computing business, including the award-winning TravelMate and Extensa notebook lines, making Acer the fourth-leading notebook manufacturer in the United States. Acer America's Canadian office, in Mississauga, Ontario, handles sales and marketing, manufacturing, and customer service activities in Canada.