We have outgrown the market and launched some spectacular products in last one year : Acer India

Acer is known to be the fifth largest PC company in the world. The PC major like many of its hardware competitors is quickly transitioning into an IT services player. We try to understand how the journey has been for Acer India, its expanding product lines, and the opportunities in the Indian market, in an interaction with Chandrahas Panigrahi, Senior Director- Consumer Business, Acer India.

How is Acer India trying to build up a portfolio of innovative products and services? Please illustrate with some example.

Acer has evolved from a manufacturing powerhouse to a globally-recognized IT player.  Our long term strategy of investing significantly in research, innovation and marketing has paid off well.

Innovation is at the heart of everything we do. Recently at IFA 2016, we unveiled world’s thinnest laptop- ACER SWIFT 7 along with a curved screen gaming laptop – ACER PREDATOR 21X. So, we have been growing our product line. By offering products in various price ranges, Acer we have moved a step ahead to provide flexibility in terms of price and product features.

During the recent IFA event, Acer together with Starbreeze announced the first shipment of StarVR Head-Mounted Displays, marking the first key milestone in bringing VR experiences to new heights. This would be considered to be just a beginning. Acer would be looking at more opportunities in the education and healthcare sector.

How is it transitioning from hardware to software and to a services player in the IT space? 

Acer was one of the first few companies to realize the importance of transforming itself into a technology first business.

The transition has been comparatively smooth, because prior planning, and robust R&D has made ACER’s focus to connect with the masses with the help of technology resonate very well.  There have been difficulties, yet again, th­­e team made it sure that whatever changes happened, should be done at a pace, which would allow our consumers to grasp and accept it easily.

Can you give a rough breakup of the hardware/software/services share of business for Acer India?

India is the fastest growing economy in the world, and a key growth market for Acer. We have a comprehensive range of products for the Indian market, spanning Desktops, AIOs, traditional Laptops, 2 in 1 & convertible laptops, smartphones, monitors, projectors, Tablets and Servers. Acer has a strong presence in the consumer, SOHO, education, government, BFSI and large corporate segment. The company is steadily growing its presence in the SMB segment as well.

Another area where we have seen good success is in the education and research sector. Recently we have deployed one of India’s faster supercomputer at IIT-G campus. We will be working closely with the government and research institutions to provide high performance computers for various needs that benefit the country.

In the next 10 years, this industry will be all about content, hardware, services and software all packaged into one. That's where our strategy of being there in IoT comes in very handy. Also, Acer was one of the first PC companies to recognize the potential of the private enterprise cloud wave and announced its ‘Build Your Own Cloud’ (BYOC) Platform.

What is the key learning from the company's India performance in the last one year?

The last one year has been extremely fruitful for us. We have outgrown the market and launched some spectacular products along the way. We have also expanding to tier 3 and tier 4 towns to widen our customer base. Our learning is that if we meet the dynamic needs of our customers along with a commitment of service and quality, they will accept you whole heartedly. This is further reinforced by us winning India’s most trusted brand award 2016 recently.

We look forward to keep the momentum going and for another successful year.