Acer posts strong MEA annual growth

In the MEA region Acer holds the number 2 position in the supply of Notebooks, fuelled by a 73.1% year-on-year growth. In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia it holds the umber one position with a 26.8% market share in Notebooks. It commands an overall market share of 20.1% in the UAE which has also seen a 73.1% year-on-year growth in the supply of Notebooks, and in Turkey it holds the number two spot with a market share of 13%.

The 2006 MEA growth figures have been provided by independent research firm IDC. The IDC figures show that Acer holds the number three overall market position in MEA, but more importantly that it is growing much faster than the number one and number two manufacturers.

In the sector's most competitive area, mobility, Acer continues to be Saudi Arabia's number one supplier of notebook PCs with a 26.8% market share. The Kingdom is widely viewed as the region's largest market.

To support this growth, the company's Jebel Ali facility will now also serve as its Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region headquarters, and continues to be headed by Emanuele Accolla, Vice President, EMEA and Director for META region. Krishna Murthy will continue as General Manager of Acer Computer Middle East.

"Acer is a brand with enormous traction in the Middle East. Our customers expect leading-edge technology in the market place before similar technologies are offered by other vendors, and our 50% year-on-year growth in the region is a reflection of this customer demand,"

said Accolla.

"Acer has identified three macro areas on which to focus: mobility, enterprise and convergence. We believe technology in the home is converging and want to be one of the first to offer convergence solutions to our customers."
Acer expects to capitalize on its strong PC sales, using its strong regional name recognition and reputation for excellence to propel it into the converged solutions marketplace.

"Our PC sales, particularly notebook sales, remain very strong across the region. In Saudi Arabia, the largest technology market in the Middle East, we have grown 42.1% year-on-year, and Acer remains the Kingdom's number one supplier of notebook PCs," said Murthy.

In the enterprise space, Acer has made great strides. In 2006 Acer won the tender to supply Emirates Airlines with desktop computers for the next three years. The three-year deal involving 21,000 desktop computers, clearly demonstrates Acer's industry-based capacity and complements its dedicated home and SME business units.

In early March of the year 2007, Acer won the prestigious Dubai Quality Award (DQA), in recognition for Acer's business excellence. The Dubai Quality Award 2007 was presented by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council.

"We are very pleased to receive this award which underscores our key values of determination and leadership, and demonstrates the major effort our company has put toward ensuring business excellence," said Emanuele Accolla, Vice President, EMEA and Director for the META region.