Acer computer equipment: country of origin, brand history, promising areas of activity. Acer company: loyalty to the traditions of quality Acer whose company

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In 1976, in Taiwan, Stan Shih, along with his wife Caroline Yeh and other partners, founded a company called Multitech International, which included only eleven people.

From the very beginning, the company intended to engage in the supply of electronic components and consulting in the field of microprocessor technologies.

However, during the first years since its founding, it developed the necessary products for game creators. Over time, Stan Shea will completely switch to the computer equipment market, and will no longer deviate from the given direction.

The Acer founder's career began with him successfully designing and developing Taiwan's first calculator. Within a few years, Multitech International was founded, a future global supplier of personal computers.

The initial capital of this enterprise was only 25 thousand US dollars. At the time Stan Shea left Acer Group, the combined annual revenues of the three firms (Acer, Wistron and BenQ) exceeded $22 billion, but this happened much later.

He also became a member of the board of directors of all three companies, having a hand in the creation of each of them. In addition, Shi was a member of a number of social and community organizations.

The Acer founder has received numerous awards throughout his career. Back in 1976, Stan Shih was included in the list of the ten most outstanding young people in Taiwan.

He received a similar title in the early 80s, and in the late 90s he became international leader of the year. Full list awards looks quite impressive, and it could well become a topic for a separate article.

A graduate of National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan, Shi received his bachelor's, master's, and honorary doctorate degrees in 1968, 1971, and 1992, respectively (Department of Electronic Engineering). He was also awarded the Doctor of Engineering Certificate of Merit from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 1997.

He subsequently became the first Asian CEO to receive the Thunderbird School of Management's highest honor, an honorary doctorate in international law. Stan Shea became known not only for his successful business and work on his brand, but also as the creator of unique management models, one of which clearly illustrates the viability of the global IT industry.

In 1987, the company was renamed Acer, and subsequently became world famous under this name. At the same time, the brand received support from the government, which played a significant role in its successful promotion.

This support allowed us to increase production volumes of inexpensive computers and enter the world market.

Acer's very first PC was called MicroProcessor-I. A year after its release, the first 8-bit computer appeared in Taiwan - MicroProcessor-II.

In the 80s, a subsidiary was founded (the future BenQ brand), a division was created to develop its own microcircuits, and representative offices of the company were opened in Germany and Japan.

By the way, the word “acer” was borrowed from Latin and meant “swift”, “purposeful”. It perfectly reflected the process of rapid development of the digital world and the subsequent successes of the company itself in this area.

Instead, it actively developed subsidiaries and individual areas. For example, a fairly well-known manufacturer computer parts and components are AOpen - a company that is practically not associated with Acer, and, nevertheless, is its subsidiary.

The same can be said about the largest manufacturer of liquid crystal matrices ALI. There are also many companies founded by former employees of the company. Thus, the origins of the famous company ASUS are former Acer engineers.

In 1988, the corporation received the reputable name Acer Group, which is still used today. It included three large companies.

The beginning of the 21st century was marked by a targeted change in the structure of the company, which had a very beneficial effect on the business as a whole. In those years, the IT industry was not experiencing better times, however, Acer managed to overcome the crisis and increase its revenue.

At the same time, they also reduced the number of labor forces. Effective marketing strategies were developed and successfully implemented, which helped in utilization of existing distribution channels.

In 2003, the company presented its own concept of the “digital home” of the future, and this happened at a press conference. Acer presented a high-tech integrated system that included five main devices: a PC, an LCD TV, an E Box, a radio and a tablet.

In addition to the keyboard and wireless mouse, The PC was equipped with a control system and a remote control. Its feature also included the ability to instantly change modes (for example, from listening to audio to watching video).

By 2005, the company employed only 7.8 thousand people. However, in just a few years, revenues have grown by more than US$6 billion. The greatest success was observed in the European market. Acer's market share has grown steadily.

In the mid-2000s, almost the only possible growth factor for the computer industry was the production of consumer laptops. That's exactly what the company did, and it diligently stayed the course for the next few years.

While Acer's main competitors were chasing online sales and large accounts, the company itself was focused on retail consumers, preferring more traditional distribution channels.

By 2007, it had become the third largest supplier of personal computers in the world, and was in second place in the production of laptops.

Acer strived to become almost the largest PC manufacturer in the whole world and, it must be said, took very confident steps in the given direction. However, customer demands were changing quickly, and this also had to be taken into account.

In 2008, a company called E-TEN was acquired, allowing Acer to finally enter the smartphone market. The first known line of such devices was the Tempo series.

In 2009, the X960 appeared on the Russian market. It was the first multifunctional smartphone from the Acer Tempo series under Windows control Mobile. It was very easy to operate thanks to the original animated 3D interface, which looked like a desktop. There was also a special application for quick updates.

Every year, customer requests have steadily grown, but Acer has managed to offer interesting and unusual technical capabilities by developing new gadgets.

The Acer Liquid line of smartphones was notable for the fact that it included the world's first mobile device with an Ultra-HD camera. This device was already working under control Android systems. The company tried to keep up with competitors in this too.

The Iconia Smart smartphone with an all-metal body also ran Android OS. Unfortunately, it turned out to have a non-standard screen resolution, and therefore not all applications could work correctly on it. In general, the Liquid line turned out to be particularly successful.

A year later, the company’s specialists began creating a “cloud” software. In addition, the corporation itself became a sponsor of the Olympic Games.

Unfortunately, during this time the Acer company did not please its fans with the release of interesting mobile devices(not counting budget models), and competition in the Android gadget market was very high.

They practically forgot about the corresponding unit. The situation changed when the CloudMobile S500 smartphone was announced. This happened in 2013, just after a major reorganization, when the CEO and chairman of the board resigned due to the company's poor financial performance.

And this despite the fact that at that time Acer was fourth in the production of personal computers worldwide.

It was equipped with a productive Qualcomm processor the latest generation, as well as best sound among Android devices at that time.

The design was especially remarkable: original and minimalistic; metal plates on the body and rounded ends. The entire front surface was protected by solid glass, and on back surface no fingerprints were left.

However, this is perhaps the beauty of the company’s approach: the average consumer does not need to pay extra for a logo famous brand, and at the same time it receives decent quality, and the company itself receives deservedly high sales.

According to this criterion, Acer is noticeably ahead of many of its other competitors. Their success cannot be compared with the success of Apple, and all this with great opportunities and affordable price. By the way, Stan Shea once said that Apple does not know how to sell inexpensive equipment, and therefore is unlikely to be able to cope with the competition.

And today Acer's ambitions are obvious, and they have every chance of becoming No. 1. The company is headquartered in Taiwan, but has offices and factories in many countries around the world and employs thousands of people.

For the last ten years, Acer Group has been in the top 5 largest producers PC. In addition to computers, laptops and smartphones, the company develops and produces server equipment, digital devices, home media systems, displays, projectors, netbooks and tablet computers.

In terms of sales volumes, the corporation, together with its divisions, maintain a leading position in the Asian and Latin American markets, and is also one of the leading computer manufacturers in the American and European markets.

However, in their homeland, Acer remains nothing less than the creator of the first national PC. There are many such companies in Taiwan, but none of them have been able to have a similar impact on the computer market.

Quite important for Acer is Russian market. It's no secret that companies like Dell don't favor domestic buyers too much, but Acer acts completely differently. Buyers have access to new products, and a range of products is available even in small stores. The company has also been active in online sales in recent years.

There are a lot in Taiwan computer companies, but there are very few that managed to have such a big impact on the computer market as did Acer, producing ready-made systems, laptops and, more recently, also smartphones. The list of manufactured products also includes projection equipment, consumer electronics and various peripherals and components.

Having now become one of the most influential corporations, Acer Group originates from a small computer company Mulitech International, founded by Stan Shih in 1976. A small starting capital of 25,000 US dollars and a couple of dozen employees - everything is standard and very sad. However, in the early 80s, they managed to obtain significant subsidies from the government and were the first to launch mass production of IBM-compatible computers in Taiwan. It was in those years that the main principle of the company was laid, which is still used today - the production of inexpensive computers with good performance and acceptable quality. This approach has fully justified itself. Already in 1985, the company began to open representative offices in other countries (Japan and Germany were the first). Various divisions begin to form, the name of which already contains the word "acer". Of these, special mention should be made Acer Peripherals- in the future it will be from this that the brand will be born BenQ. Here it is appropriate to mention another well-known Taiwanese company - ASUS, which was organized by four engineers who left Acer.

The year 1988 was marked by the fact that the entire corporation had already changed its name to the one used today, and the Acer Group. Acer translated from Latin as "sharp, vigilant, swift". However, there are other, less pleasant meanings - "caustic, sullen, shrill", such a capacious word. In the same year, it entered the American market. To do this, the company is acquired Counterpoint Computers. Further - more: European positions are strengthened by acquiring the Dutch Kangaroo Computer B.V. And this was just the beginning. Acer It is rapidly developing, capturing new markets and absorbing other companies. In 1997, the company managed to become one of the leaders in the computer market.

At the beginning of the 21st century, a major restructuring was carried out, rejuvenating the overweight company. This is how it appeared Acer Group, consisting of three components - Acer, Wistron And BenQ. If such restructuring had not been carried out promptly and promptly, then most likely Acer Group would stop having so much great value, since the then crisis in the IT industry seriously reduced the company’s income.

To date Acer Group owns four brands - himself Acer, and also Packard Bell, Gateway And eMachines. In 2008, the company entered the smartphone market and was acquired E-TEN. However, it was decided to abandon another brand so as not to confuse consumers. Smartphones are produced under the brand Acer.

Computers and laptops Acer, aimed at different users, are not considered prestigious. But they are inexpensive (no extra charge for a beautiful brand!) and are of good quality, which has determined their well-deserved popularity in the market. In this matter, they are significantly ahead of other well-known manufacturers.

Success Acer the exact opposite of success Apple. No prestige, but low cost good opportunities. By the way, the design of this product is very good. However, one cannot fail to mention Acer Ferrari– laptops belonging to the upper segment - here you have an attractive design and high performance and the price is the same Apple. But still - the vast majority of products Acer it's very cheap. Stan Shi himself once noted about his competitors that they simply do not know how to create and sell inexpensive equipment, and therefore will not withstand the competition. Target Acer- first place. And the corporation has every chance to achieve it.

The corporate headquarters is located in Taipei, Taiwan. The company's representative offices and factories are scattered around the world and provide employment to thousands of people. The company's products are very popular in the CIS countries.

Acer is a Taiwanese computer hardware and electronics company. The company ranks 487 on the Fortune Global 500 (2011).

Acer was founded by entrepreneur Stan Shea in 1976 and was originally called Multitech International. In the early 80s, thanks to government support, the company was able to establish mass assembly of inexpensive IBM-compatible PCs for the first time in Taiwan and enter the international market.

In 1979, the company designed the first Taiwanese computer intended for export.

In 1981 the company created 8-bit personal computer MicroProfessor-II based on MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor.

In 1985, the company created the world's first 32-bit personal computer, beating IBM.

In the same year, representative offices were opened in Japan and Germany, and in 1987, Acer Laboratories Incorporated was created - a division for the development and production of its own chipsets. The next year, the entire corporation was renamed Acer (in Latin, this word means “active, purposeful, smart”).

Just in 1988, the main breakthrough to leadership occurred: Acer acquired the American company Counterpoint Computers (San Jose, California), at that time a major developer and manufacturer of mini-computers. In 1989, in the same way, the Taiwanese bought the Dutch company Kangaroo Computer B.V., which then became the basis of the production facilities of the AcerEurope division.

Also in 1989, Acer and Texas Instruments, a leader in the US semiconductor industry, created a joint venture to produce memory chips. In 1990, Acer acquired Altos Computer Systems, one of the leaders in the production of multi-user systems, for $94 million. In 1991, Acer engineers developed ChipUpTM technology, the license for which was acquired by Intel in 1994.

In 1992, Acer's headquarters were moved to Singapore: the company was growing rapidly, and this city-state had an extremely favorable business climate.

In March 1996, Acer opened an assembly plant in Finland, aimed at the Russian and CIS markets.

In 1997, Acer, which had already become one of the leaders in the computer industry, acquired a branch of Texas Instruments, specializing in the development and marketing of portable computers.

In the same year, Acer introduced new platform called X Computer. The main goal is to present the user with several specialized devices instead of an expensive universal machine.

In 2000, one of the production divisions was separated into an independent company, Wistron.

In December 2001, Acer announced the separation of its Acer Communications & Multimedia division into a separate company called BenQ; in 2006, Acer sold its BenQ shares.

In 2007, Acer acquired eMachines, which is sold as an independent brand.

In 2007, Acer acquired Gateway and Packard Bell.

In March 2008, it was announced that Acer was buying E-Ten Information Systems (manufacturer of Glofiish communicators, which have gained wide popularity in Russia and Ukraine). The acquisition of the company was completed in the third quarter of 2008. The transaction amount is estimated at $290 million.

In February 2009, at the Mobile World Congress exhibition in Barcelona, ​​the company presented its first product line of communicators (the company itself calls the devices smartphones), produced by the resources of the E-TEN company. The latter is clearly evidenced by two models in the line - the Acer DX900, sales of which began in Russia in December 2008 under the name Glofiish DX900 and the Acer X960, which is a regular restyling of the original glofiish X900 model.

Acer building in Taipei, Taiwan.

Acer is one of the world's largest manufacturers of personal computers in general and laptops in particular. It would be more accurate to say “especially laptops,” whose owners we are. Last year, the Taiwanese manufacturer managed to overtake Dell in sales of laptop computers, so it now ranks second place in the world. AND first place in our country, held by Acer for many years. In total, the company operates in more than one hundred countries around the world. All divisions within the Pan Acer Group have more than 39,000 employees and combined revenues of approximately $13 billion.

The Russian market has always been quite important for Acer, unlike HP and Dell, which traditionally do not favor the attention of Russian users. New Acer products, as a rule, appear in our country quickly, Acer products richly presented even in small stores.

Over the past ten years, the Taiwanese corporation Acer Group has consistently ranked among the five largest personal computer manufacturers in the world. In terms of sales, Acer and its subsidiaries firmly hold a leading position in the computer markets of Latin America and Asia, and are also considered one of the leading computer companies in the United States and Europe. Meanwhile, in its homeland - Taiwan - Acer is known primarily as the creator of the first national PC.

ACER was founded by entrepreneur Stan Shea in 1976 and was originally called Multitech International, with a charter capital of $25,000 and a staff of only 11 people.

Stan Shih, founder of Acer.

The company was initially focused on the production of microelectronics. True, for the first five years the company was developing various products for Taiwanese game manufacturers. Gradually, Stan Shea came to understand the fact that catching up with the world's leading manufacturers household appliances It wouldn't be easy, and the company switched to the then-nascent personal computer market. Since then, Acer has virtually not deviated from its chosen course, focusing almost entirely on the PC market.

In the early 80s, thanks to government support, the company was able to establish mass assembly of inexpensive IBM-compatible PCs for the first time in Taiwan and enter the international market. Acer's first computer, called the MicroProcessor-I, appeared in 1981, and the following year the company introduced the MicroProcessor-II, Taiwan's first eight-bit PC. Almost immediately it appears new model, based on the 286 processor.

In 1984, a subsidiary of Acer Peripherals was founded, which later began operating under its own brand BenQ. In 1985, representative offices were opened in Japan and Germany, and in 1987 the company was created Acer Laboratories Incorporated- a division for the development and production of its own chipsets. The next year, the entire corporation was renamed Acer (it is taken from Latin and translates as “maple”).

Acer was named after the maple tree.

In general, Acer tends not to concentrate all resources within one company, but to develop separate, independent areas. Take the same AU Optronics, one of the world's three largest manufacturers of LCD matrices, or ALI (Acer Laboratories Incorporated), a fairly prominent chipmaker, or AOpen, a manufacturer of PC components - these companies are practically not associated with Acer. By the way, in addition to “adult subsidiaries”, there are many companies in Taiwan founded by former Acer employees. The most prominent example is Asus, founded by four people who previously worked as engineers at Acer.

Just in 1988, a major breakthrough to leadership occurred: Acer acquired the American company Counterpoint Computers (San Jose, California), at that time a major developer and manufacturer of mini-computers. In 1989, the Dutch company Kangaroo Computer B.V. was purchased by the Taiwanese in the same way. , which then became the basis of the production capabilities of the AcerEurope division. Also in 1989, Acer and Texas Instruments, a leader in the US semiconductor industry, created a joint venture to produce memory chips. In 1990, Acer acquired Altos Computer Systems, one of the leaders in the production of multi-user systems, for $94 million. In 1991, Acer engineers developed ChipUpTM technology, the license for which was acquired by Intel in 1994. In 1992, Acer's headquarters were moved to Singapore: the company was growing rapidly, and this city-state had an extremely favorable business climate. In 1997, Acer, which had already become one of the leaders in the computer industry, acquired a branch of Texas Instruments, specializing in the development and marketing of portable computers. Even before this, in March 1996, Acer opened an assembly plant in Finland, aimed at the Russian and CIS markets.

Extreme restructuring and rapid growth also have their downsides. In the second half of the 90s, the corporation grew so large that it became difficult to manage. Problems began to arise with financial accounting, coordination of work in the markets of different regions, etc. In 2000, Stan Shea, then still running Acer, carried out a dramatic structural reorganization, which resulted in the creation of Pan Acer Group. Simply put, a single conglomerate called Acer was divided by its owner into three industrial groups: Acer, Wistron and BenQ. This made it possible to expand production activities, focusing on the development latest technologies and promotion of computer and telecommunications equipment under new trademarks. Acer itself from production activities refused and focused on promoting the brand.

In the general crisis of the industry, hi-tech could not bypass the Taiwanese corporation. Pan Acer Group found itself in a difficult situation in 2001 due to a combination of circumstances that, superimposed on each other, made the decline particularly rapid. As a result of the recession in the global market, corporate customers have suspended purchases of new computer and telecommunications equipment. Acer's business at that time consisted of two parts: the first direction was the production of components for IBM, Motorola, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, the second was the production of computers under its own brand. The decline in demand has hit the company's entire business.

And the year 2001 turned out to be very sad for Pan Acer Group. Its revenue decreased by $1.6 billion compared to the previous year. The business of the holding's main divisions - Acer Group and Wistron Group - decreased by 20.6% and 25%, respectively. In September 2001, Acer's share price fell to almost a historical low - $22.9 per share. The foreign bankers who arranged credit lines for Acer became nervous. Stan Shea, the founder and chairman of the holding's board, has never been inclined towards centralized management. According to Western recipes corporate governance at the time of crisis, the concentration of all resources in one hand was required. Representatives of Western bankers turned to Lian Kuo-Shu, chairman of the board of one of the largest Taiwanese banks, Chiao Tung Bank, with a request to clarify his position regarding Acer. Kuo-Shu replied that he would not refuse to support the company. Believing that Stan Shea would be able to maintain control over the enterprise, investors were not mistaken. In 2002, Pan Acer Group quickly regained its lost positions. Its turnover for the year amounted to $12.9 billion, an increase of $3.4 billion compared to 2001.

In January 2005 Gianfranco Lanci replaced the legendary Stan Shih as president of Acer Corporation. Starting his career at Acer Italy as Managing Director, he was soon elected President of Acer EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in 2003. In the same year, he was promoted to President of Acer Inc. OBG (Acer Business Group for Regional Development), coordinating sales and marketing activities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North and South America.

Gianfranco Lanci, President of Acer.

The appointment of Gianfranco Lanci as President of Acer Corporation is in recognition of the outstanding results he has achieved in Europe through his innovative management style and development of an effective business model. In his new position, Gianfranco Lanci will be able to use all his experience and knowledge in order to further develop Acer's business around the world.

In 2006, Acer, which made such a huge contribution to the history of the development of the IT industry not only in Taiwan, but throughout the world, celebrated its 30th anniversary. 30 years of continuous growth of the company in a rapidly developing industry testifies to the correctness of the company's chosen course. A long-term strategy focusing on research, innovation and marketing has created the foundation for the company's comprehensive development and ensures that Acer is fully prepared to face any challenges of tomorrow.

Today, Acer produces desktop and laptop computers, server equipment, storage devices, monitors and peripherals, digital devices, LCD TVs and e-business solutions for use in businesses, government, education, and homes. Acer has created a consolidated sales network and service in more than 100 countries around the world. Fifteen Acer factories with a total production area of ​​more than 1 million m2, located in the USA, the Netherlands, Finland, Malaysia and Taiwan, produce wide range products - from keyboards, monitors and fax machines to laptops, Desktop computers, servers, workstations, video conferencing systems. In addition, Acer produces integrated circuits, DRAM, ASIC, and BIOS components. Acer's strategic partners are Texas Instruments, Intel, Microsoft, Novell, Santa Cruz Operations. In addition to its main manufacturing facilities, Acer has 30 separate assembly facilities in 24 countries.

And finally, we all together wish Acer further success - after all, what the Russian laptop market will look like in the future depends not least on it.

Brand: Acer

Industry: computer equipment, electronics

Products: monitors, desktops, laptops, tablets, netbooks, projectors, smartphones, etc.

Owner company: Acer Inc

Year founded: 1976

Headquarters: New Taipei, Taiwan

Performance indicators

Financial performance indicatorsAcerInc., $ million

Source : company data, annual report

Company history

The history of Acer began in the already legendary 70s of the last century for the modern IT industry. It was then that, for example, Apple (1976) and Microsoft (1977) were formed. The history of Acer Corporation is part of the global history of the industry.

The company created by the young Taiwanese entrepreneur Stan Shih was then called differently and, admittedly, rather nondescriptly - Multitech. The starting capital was also modest (although more than Apple) - $25 thousand. The company then employed 11 people and was developing various kinds of content for the newly emerging electronic (not yet computer, of course) games. Nothing unusual, everything is like everyone else.

Unlike Japan (and subsequently Korea), Taiwan relied on small and medium-sized businesses. Already in the 60s, technology parks were created there, and the condition for receiving various types of benefits was the development of high-tech products. The low cost of labor (at the time described) attracted foreign capital - primarily Japanese - to locate production in Taiwan. They had to be “fed” with components, which is what numerous small companies did. Very similar to modern Russia, isn’t it? But there are also differences.

Sources describing the history of Acer in its early years contradict each other. Thus, some say that for the first five years of its existence, the future leader of the IT industry was engaged in the production of components for game manufacturers. At the same time, Russian Wikipedia indicates that already in 1979, i.e. already in the third year of its existence, Acer (then still just the future Acer) had already launched the first Taiwanese export-oriented computer on the market. Two years later, the company created the 8-bit personal computer MicroProfessor-II based on the MOS Technology 6502 microprocessor. It turns out that a small company at that time developed its own computer, and at the same time produces components for games? Apparently yes. Sources say nothing about Acer investors, which means that the development of computers was carried out with their own funds, i.e. obtained from those same components. And computers at that time were a risky business.

A fateful, as we would say today, decision was made in 1981, when the company left the games market, completely concentrating on the production of computers. Essentially, it was a choice between a bird in the hand (components) and a pie in the sky (computer). Today we know what Stan Shea and his colleagues did, but it was not an easy choice. Let's say that Bill Gates acted differently, as evidenced by the name of his company: Microsoft. And only today, almost thirty years later, the software giant is thinking about producing hardware (it is not yet clear what it will be, perhaps mobile phones). But let's return to Acer.

In 1985, the company created the world's first 32-bit personal computer, beating IBM. The strategy for further development was almost obvious: acquisitions. The first of the significant events in this series occurred in 1988, Acer acquired the American company Counterpoint Computers (San Jose, California), a major developer and manufacturer of mini-computers. In 1989, in the same way, the Taiwanese bought the Dutch company Kangaroo Computer B.V., which then became the basis of the production facilities of the Acer Europe division. Also in 1989, Acer and Texas Instruments, a leader in the US semiconductor industry, created a joint venture to produce memory chips. In 1990, Acer acquired Altos Computer Systems, one of the leaders in the production of multi-user systems, for $94 million.

However, the positions taken must be maintained while the market was changing before our eyes, becoming low-margin. Manufacturers' price wars cut profits significantly: if in 1988, with a sales volume of 530 million, the profit was more than 25 million, then by 1990, with a sales volume of almost a billion US dollars, the profit was only 3.6 million. In addition, a strong local the currency reduced the profitability of export operations. And Taiwan is a small island.

It was necessary not only to change the strategy, it was necessary to change the business model. However, the first such attempt was unsuccessful. The new top manager, Leonard Liu, who joined Acer from IBM, began introducing American standards into the Asian company. Result: mass layoffs, losses. In 1991, Acer, for the first time in its history, indicated a negative figure in the annual report for the “profit” column: - $22.7 million. Stan Shih resigns, but the shareholders fire not him, but Leonard Liu. Let's remember a similar story at Apple: Steve Jobs still had to leave there, only to return much later. After all, the West is the West, the East is the East.

Having received "credibility", Steve Shea acts. In a 1995 interview with Financial World, he compared Asian computer makers to Asian restaurants - it's delicious, it's everywhere, but it's completely impersonal. In contrast to the current situation, Stan Shea wants to build a computer McDonald's - a company with a strong brand and strict quality standards. This was something that had never been done at the time: instead of assembling computers in Taiwan and then transporting them to local markets, Shi shipped only components for local assembly. Comparing computer components with buns, meat and cheese, he establishes a new algorithm for manufacturing computers, which results in not only a dramatic reduction in logistics costs, but also a sharp increase in the level of service. Like his “ideal,” Shi not only opens his own assembly plants, but also sells franchises for the right to assemble products under the Acer brand. The analogies with fast food were so clear that Stan Shea became known as the “Ray Kroc of the PC industry.” Who is Ray Kroc? This is the man who turned a provincial roadside café of the McDonalds brothers into a global chain of fast food restaurants. Stan Shea did much the same thing in his industry: he saw a new business model and implemented it.

And within a few years he found himself face to face with serious problems. The world has changed again. The general crisis of the hi-tech industry could not bypass the Taiwanese corporation. Pan Acer Group found itself in a difficult situation in 2001 due to a combination of circumstances that, superimposed on each other, made the decline particularly rapid. As a result of the recession in the global market, corporate customers have suspended purchases of new computer and telecommunications equipment. Acer's business at that time consisted of two parts: the first direction was the production of components for IBM, Motorola, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, the second was the production of computers under its own brand. The decline in demand has hit the company's entire business.
The results of 2001 turned out to be very sad for Acer. Its revenue decreased by $1.6 billion compared to the previous year. The business of the holding's main divisions - Acer Group and Wistron Group - decreased by 20.6% and 25%, respectively. In September 2001, Acer's share price fell to almost a historical low - $22.9 per share. The foreign bankers who arranged credit lines for Acer became nervous. Stan Shea, the founder and chairman of the holding's board, has never been inclined towards centralized management. According to Western recipes for corporate governance, at the time of crisis, the concentration of all resources in one hand was required. Representatives of Western bankers turned to Lian Kuo-Shu, chairman of the board of one of the largest Taiwanese banks, Chiao Tung Bank, with a request to clarify his position regarding Acer. Kuo-Shu replied that he would not refuse to support the company. Believing that Stan Shea would be able to maintain control over the enterprise, investors were not mistaken. In 2002, Pan Acer Group quickly regained its lost positions. Its turnover for the year amounted to $12.9 billion, an increase of $3.4 billion compared to 2001.

In January 2005 Gianfranco Lanci replaced the legendary Stan Shih as president of Acer Corporation. Starting his career at Acer Italy as Managing Director, he was soon elected President of Acer EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) in 2003. In the same year, he was promoted to President of Acer Inc. OBG (Acer Business Group for Regional Development), coordinating sales and marketing activities in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, North and South America. In 2008, Lanci further strengthened his position at Acer, becoming president and CEO of the company.

However, in 2011, the Italian found himself “out of the game.” The reason for his resignation was disagreements with members of the board over the course of the company’s development. The decision was made on March 31 at a meeting of the board of directors and took effect immediately. Lanci's duties were temporarily assumed by the Chairman of the Board JT Wong(J.T. Wang).

“Lanci had disagreements with the majority of Acer’s board members regarding the further development of the company,” the official statement says vaguely. In particular, disagreements arose regarding the scale of the business, the pace of development, the consumer value of goods, brand positioning and resource management.

According to industry sources, the real reason for the departure was that Acer was unable to withstand the fierce competition from Apple. By the way, this is precisely the reason why the former head of Nokia, Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, and the former head of LG Electronics, Nam Yong, resigned.

According to market participants, the emergence iPad tablet in 2010 had a very strong impact on the netbook sector, which, in fact, merged with the laptop sector entry level. As a result, Acer saw no growth and introduced its own Tablet PC in November 2010. Acer is inferior on another front as well competition- the smartphone market. As a result, Gianfranco Lanci was forced to leave his post. True, the improvement in the situation is not yet noticeable: judging by the results of the 1st quarter of 2012, the indicators, albeit slightly, are deteriorating. All hope lies in choosing the right policy in relations with other participants in a very complexly configured market. Here's an example.

Recently, Acer management has already criticized Microsoft's decision to release its own tablet computers Surface on Windows 8. And today the CEO of the Taiwanese company himself gave Redmond residents a direct warning. “We have already suggested that Microsoft rethink this. “Think twice,” said Acer CEO J.T. Wang in an interview Financial Times. “This [Surface release] will create a huge negative impact on the ecosystem, and other brands may react poorly to it.”

Microsoft has already acknowledged the likelihood of a negative reaction from its OEM partners to the appearance of tablets under its own brand on store shelves along with devices from Samsung, Asus, Acer and other companies, and noted that such competition could “affect their commitment” to the platform. Not only does Wong fully agree with Microsoft's assumption, he also believes that the Redmond people will sell partnerships for next to nothing: "This is not what you are good at," he continued, "so please think twice."

Still, it is useful to have a business partner who is able to speak without being embarrassed by his directness.

A story about the Acer company in the historical context of the separation of Taiwan from mainland China, their relationship with Japan and the USSR is possible. Presenter - Rustam Vakhidov, project "Brandyatina" of the radio station "Mayak".

For those who want to relax - 100 seconds about Acer

Love stories

I prefer Acer brand computers because I heard good reviews about them. But when I came to computer store, I was not satisfied with the appearance and price of computers of this brand. Then I turned my attention to the Emacchines laptop, which suited me in all respects. And when I bought it, I was happy to discover that this brand is a sub-brand of the Acer brand.