Established in 1976 by Stan Shih and Carolyn Yeh, the Taiwanese Information and technology company (ICT) Acer Inc. has become a multinational with a presence in over 160 countries employing some 7,500.
Today Acer’s offerings across the PC and displays categories include a strong presence in gaming with 5G connectivity as well as a line for creators, where Acer’s new stereoscopic 3D experience with cutting-edge optical display and sensory technologies manages to bring virtual reality as close to a physical one as possible. The company is also active in smart solutions for the medical sector as well as public health systems, air monitoring, water quality/conservation, and even e-scooters
The current direction of the tech giant involves adapting to consumer lifestyles and focusing on enabling the right combination where hardware, software, and services all complement each other to pave the way for broader possibilities. Sustainability is always at the top of their agenda, championing the cause as a member of the RE100 initiative for renewable energy as well as local solutions right here in the UAE.
Economy Middle spoke to Acer’s top management in the MENA region; Massimiliano Rossi, EMEM Vice President, Michele Montecchio, General Manager, Acer Middle East and Joumana Karam, Head of Marketing – Acer MEA & e-Mobility Marketing Manager – Acer EMEA
What is the global vision for Acer?
Acer has been known since the beginning as a technology provider with the aim of bridging the gap between people and technology. Over the past few years, we’ve made more affordable PC technology and are proudly the forerunner in making this technology widely available.
We have different brands, from the gaming Predator to ConceptD, aimed at the creator market, as well as Acer consumer and commercial products. Overall, we are developing the company into a lifestyle brand, because we believe each product needs to be attached to our consumers’ needs and emotions.
Our products are expanding to include a portfolio of e-scooters. We also have another business unit that develops solutions in security which are mostly Asia-centric, as well as healthcare & smart cities.
In short, we are developing wider revenue streams outside the traditional core businesses. If we look at the investor part, already close to 20% of our total revenue comes from non-display, non-PC business.
What are some of the strengths of the GCC market and any exciting gaming-related topics you can share?
The Middle East is a very interesting territory to operate our business in, composed of different cultures and different purchase attitudes from customers. The region has a strong appetite for our entry-level products as well as our most premium gaming ones. Actually, the most premium sales happened from this region (Predator 21X, Predator Thronos, etc.). Education is also a very important market for us.
When it comes to gaming, we sell everything from casual gaming systems to the Predator range with the highest configurations. We have great hopes that also our Helios 300 Special-Labs will follow the same trend.
We also organize many events related to gaming and e-sports. Particularly during the pandemic, we have organized e-sports tournaments backed by our EMEA headquarters marketing. For two years running, we organized the Predator Sim Cup and we gave the option to all the middle east countries that we are responsible for to participate in it.
We also participated in the first EMEA Predator League that took place in Q4 2022. It’s based on a very exciting new game that combines cars and football, which is Rocket League. We were also the hardware sponsor for the Intel Arabian Cup for the year 2022.
Let’s get to sustainability. How does Acer tackle this issue?
As a vendor, and as a supplier, we have the responsibility of being more sustainable, and we have put together strategies in place over the years, so this isn’t a new concept for Acer.
For us, sustainability is a 360 approach. Just under two years ago, we introduced the Earthion Project which thrives to be more sustainable by using recyclable materials, and more sustainable processes to engage an ecosystem where our suppliers follow suit.
Earthion is a framework that is not only for the company but involves us as individuals in the company, our partners, our suppliers, and even our customers. We also have a tangible product range and portfolio for our customers, called the Vero series. These are made with some percentages of recyclable material.
The Vero product line are made of eco sustainable products which have at least materials that are 30% post-consumer recycled (PCR), and sometimes even up to 75%. Currently we have two Vero 14 and 15 inches available in the Middle East.
Sustainability and being green is part of our DNA. In 2022 we celebrated 30 years in the middle east and have excelled in our eco-conscious and sustainability focus. As part of recognition of being part of the society, we engaged in several activities including desert clean-up, e-waste collections, helping and volunteering in animal shelters, helping and volunteering in feeding labor camps, clothes donations, and we’ve also donated Aspire Vero products to the award winners of the schools who have done a great effort in sustainability in partnership with EEG Group.
For every person who purchased an Aspire Vero in UAE earlier in 2022, we have planted 10 trees in their name. We are proud to say we have received the Arabia CSR award for our efforts on the sustainability front. Sustainability is something that not only we talk about, but it’s also something that we live and we do in our everyday life.
