The move is part of the broader strategy to enhance Acer’s footprint in the commercial sector in the Middle East.
The plan comes as Acer Group moves to regain credibility in the commercial segment following the rebranding of its commercial business that saw the group combine the Acer and Gateway commercial product lines under one umbrella.
Acer will take the combine commercial server product line to market under the Gateway brand. Mastandrea is upbeat the company has the “right” platform and solutions to address the SMB and corporate sectors in the META geography. “What the rebranding has helped us to achieve is to shake off the image of being perceived as a consumer focused company,” he remarks.
At the same time, Mastandrea states that in his new role that will include the responsibility for all the group’s brands that comprise Acer, E-Machines, Gateway and Packard bell, the company intends to grow its business in the region by 30 to 35%. “Over the last two years, we have been strategising on how best to address the commercial business which is largely driven through channel partners,” he says. “We are now ready to tackle this market segment as we have the right platform, solutions and strategy in place. The Gateway server line will be complemented by an equally stronger commercial desktop and notebook array.”
Mastandrea explains that Acer’s goal in the Middle East with its commercial strategy will be to re-qualify and recruit new corporate focused resellers so that they can address the company’s enterprise push in the region. “We have attained the stability in terms of our commercial focus and the company is ready to push this business through the channel in the Middle East,” he says.
He points out that presently, the group’s revenues from the region remain a mix of 50% from the retail segment, 30% from the SMB segment, and 20% from large enterprise accounts. In the next year, we can see that changing to around 30% from the retail segment, 50% from the SMB segment and the rest from corporate and government organisations,” adds Mastandrea.
Acer has dropped a few places in the overall market share in the region over the past few years. However, Mastandrea emphasises that the group’s new strategy, extended product roadmap including smartphones, tablets, notebooks, desktop PCs and servers will help it achieve its proper place on the ICT map in the region.
Mastandrea, outlined that Acer will also be unveiling a solution meant for education institutions incorporating everything from interactive whiteboards to student netbooks. Mastandrea adds that the company expects this solution to woo customers in the Middle East region and the African continent.
The Acer Group has performed well over the past years and is currently number two in the mobile segment globally and Mastandrea remains optimistic that the strategy the company has in the Middle East will give Acer the opportunity to regain some of the ground it have lost to its rivals in the region.
Following the appointment of Giuseppe Mastandrea as the new regional director for Acer Group Middle East, Turkey and Africa (META) region, the vendor has revealed that it will be raising the game of its server business in the corporate and SMB segment in the region.
