Acer restructures Middle East and Africa operations to enhance growth

The restructuring follows a highly successful year for Acer's regional operation with the announcement that the Europe Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region recorded the highest growth globally for the company in 2003.

"To keep ahead in business, it is imperative for our organization to have flexibility in regards to its internal operations. Our priority at Acer is to ensure that our products continue to hold a commanding position in the market and that our customers and partners receive the highest standards and service" said Emanuele Accolla, vice president, EMEA, Acer Computer.

"It became apparent to us that we could be more efficient and effective in the Middle East market by altering our structure. With the new management line-up in place, coupled with the introduction of new and exciting products, Acer is positioned to build upon our excellent performance in the region during 2004 and beyond," said Accolla.

By the end of 2003, Acer in EMEA accounted for the highest growth within the company with more than a 100 percent year-on-year boost in business. Additionally, in MEA during Q4, Acer ranked third in the personal computer market - with 5.4 percent market share - after achieving 135.5 percent year-on-year growth.

Acer was third in the notebook market with 11.6 percent market share, which was equal to 255 percent year-on-year growth. Considerable growth was also recorded in the desktop sector, where Acer holds the third place in the market with 4.3 percent market share - after recording 101.8 percent year-on-year growth.

Restructuring Arrangements
Acer's restructuring policy aims to ensure that its most experienced people contribute to the growth and success of specific product led business units. All of the managers, who are involved in the restructuring process, will continue to report to Accolla who is the vice president EMEA and managing director MEA.

In the region, Krishna Murthy retains his role as general manager of the Middle East and takes on the new role of business unit manager of displays and options, Acer MEA. Philip Ashkar, who remains the sales and marketing director for the Middle East, takes on the role as business unit manager for desktops and servers, Acer MEA.

Additionally, David Drummond is now managing director of Acer South Africa and also business unit manager for notebooks and mobile products, Acer MEA. Terry Brown takes on the role as manager of the Mediterranean area, and Marco Meraldi is the customer service manager for region one in EMEA and is also the customer service manager for Acer MEA.

"By dividing the business into various segments Acer is now poised to aggressively push our products into the market," said Murthy. "The restructuring follows a year of great success for Acer and we expect that with these changes we will continue to boost our share of the market."

Corporate Customers View New Acer Veriton
As part of Acer's strategy to continually increase market share and boost revenues, the company has implemented a plan for 2004 that will ensure that new technology will be introduced to the market on a regular basis.

To benefit from the Middle East's burgeoning corporate market, Acer today announced the launch of the Acer Veriton GT launch in the region. The desktop PCs, which are designed to meet the needs of corporate customers, are expected to bolster Acer's performance in the sector.

"The demand for high-performance desktops is consistently growing in the Middle East with corporate customers needing machines that can process more information at faster speeds," said Ashkar.

"With the introduction of the Veriton GT7600, GT5600 and GT3600 in the region we are providing customers from the private and government sectors with the most innovative technology."