Acer targeting 15 percent growth in PC shipments

• By Meryl Kao / Staff reporter

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Acer Inc (宏碁) yesterday said it is targeting year-on-year growth of more than 15 percent in consumer PC shipments in Taiwan this quarter, backed by seasonal shopping events such as Singles’ Day.

Acer’s consumer PC shipments in Taiwan rose 15 percent year-on-year in the first 10 months of this year, Acer brand product and marketing manager Wu Ko-chien (吳克謙) told reporters on the sidelines of a news conference in Taipei showcasing the company’s Singles’ Day offerings, which include artificial intelligence (AI) laptops, thin-and-light notebooks, tablets and monitors.

Acer is targeting shipment growth of more than 15 percent year-on-year for this month, next month and the full year, supported by year-end promotional events and traditional seasonal demand, he said.

Acer Inc brand product and marketing manager Wu Ko-chien speaks at a news conference in Taipei yesterday.

Photo: Meryl Kao, Taipei Times

The overall PC industry has faced external headwinds this year, including delays in raw material and component deliveries, as well as sharp increases in the costs of key components such as memory chips, Wu said.

As higher material costs are expected to boost average selling prices for Acer’s consumer notebooks by nearly 30 percent this year, Acer’s Taiwanese revenue growth is expected to exceed its shipments growth, he said.

In terms of product mix, consumer models accounted for about 70 to 80 percent of Acer’s notebook sales in Taiwan in the first 10 months of this year, Wu said.

As the supply of discrete graphics cards and some mainstream processors remains tight and prices continue to fluctuate, inventory is allocated globally by Acer’s headquarters, limiting the availability of high-end graphics cards in Taiwan, he said.

As a result, models with discrete graphics cards account for about 15 to 18 percent of Acer’s consumer notebook sales in Taiwan, he said.

Acer’s Taiwan unit is seeking additional supply from its global headquarters and upstream suppliers, and the share could rise to 18 to 20 percent if availability improves, Wu added.

In Taiwan, Acer could adjust prices for some notebook models this quarter, depending on product-specific costs and inventory levels, rather than raising prices across the board, he said.