Acer optimistic about 2Q21 shipments in Asia Pacific

Acer expects shipments into Asia Pacific to grow sequentially in the second quarter thanks to the stay-at-home economy driven by the coronavirus pandemic, according to the company’s president of Pan Asia Pacific region Andrew Hou.

Hou pointed out that the recovery of the Asia Pacific PC market has been 1-2 quarters later compared to that in Europe and North America. Demand for PCs in the Asia Pacific market began picking up in the first quarter of 2021.

Acer has also continued its marketing and promotions of gaming products and activities in Asia Pacific and has hosted an e-sport tournament that will end on April 11, Hou noted.

Because of component shortages and lockdowns amid the pandemic, Acer’s gaming product sales in Asia Pacific in 2020 were weaker than in previous years. Acer’s gaming notebook sales increased only 34% on year in 2020, but sales of ultra-thin notebooks grew 55% and Chromebooks 389%, Hou said.

However, Hou expects Acer’s consumer and enterprise notebook shipments to all grow from a year ago in 2021. Acer’s revenues from Asia Pacific increased around 50% on year in the first quarter of 2021 with sales in the Philippines, Japan and Vietnam all doubling on year and those in Malaysia, Hong Kong and Singapore rising more than 50%.

In the first quarter of 2021, Acer’s ultra-thin notebook sales in the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, India and Indonesia doubled on year, while Chromebook sales in Indonesia, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and the Philippines were up more than 200% and gaming notebook sales in the Philippines and Vietnam also picked up over 200% on year, Hou said.

Hou expects PC demand to remain robust in the second half of 2021 due to seasonality, while orders from the education, government and enterprise procurement segments will also expand. Acer landed a total of US$49 million worth of procurement orders in the first quarter of 2021.

The company in the second quarter of 2021 will also have a chance to obtain procurement orders from Indonesia, Japan, India and the Philippines, with projects from them totaling US$128 million. DigiTimes