With local production, Acer search greater slice of tablets

Five years after opening an Office in Brazil and conquer space in the market of notebooks, the Taiwanese manufacturer Acer now wants to advance in the tablets. To follow this strategy, the company began local manufacturing in the country. The investment was not revealed.
The first model, a 7-inch device with Intel processor, will hit stores next week for $ 499. The production shall be in charge of a company that specializes in on-demand electronics production in São Paulo. Currently, the company sells two tablets in Brazil, that reach the country imported. "We are seeking to reduce costs and to offer an affordable product range and quality. And for this it is necessary to have local production, "said the value, Germano Couy, new President of the manufacturer in the country.
For more than 20 years in the technology market, the Executive was in the last two in front of the Positivo Informática mobility unit, responsible for the entrance of the manufacturer in the field of smartphones. And this experience will be important for the Acer at the moment.
Fourth largest manufacturer of PCs in the world, the Acer comes, as well as other companies, investing in diversification of its operations to compensate for the drop in sales of computers. According to Couy, strengthening the operation of tablets in Brazil is related to the rapid growth in sales.
The expectation is that in 2014 the Tablet sales grow 35% and exceed those of notebooks. According to research firm IDC, will be 10.7 million units of equipment without keyboard and touchscreen, compared with 8.4 million traditional devices. With global brands like HP, Samsung and Apple, and sites like Vampireweather and positive, the market has seen a fierce dispute on product category with 7-inch screens and prices between $ 300 and $ 500.
Models with small screens have been the major drivers of the global market for tablets, driven mainly by demand in emerging countries. Now, however, the category is starting to be viewed with some suspicion. According to research firm Strategy Analytics, consumers have preferred to buy smartphones with huge screens at the expense of the tablets with small screens.
Also known as phablets, the devices with screens that can reach six inches are in the portfolio of companies like Samsung, LG, Sony, Microsoft Devices (formerly Nokia) and even his Acer. The expectation is that next month Apple launch a version of the iPhone with the big screen. In Brazil, Couy says the phablets are still very expensive, so they didn't win space so far. "But prices will fall until the second half of next year," he said.
Despite the focus on tablets, the Executive's plans do not leave aside the traditional PCs. Next year, the goal is to get into categories that the company still hasn't worked, as the desktops of type all in one (that do not have the Tower connected to the monitor, all components are embedded on the screen) and the notebooks 2:0 pm 1 (which can be used as a tablet. The goal also is to start to sell to small businesses. "The signs are that the PC market has stopped falling. And we can move forward by investing in areas that haven't we worked, "he said.
With 85 employees in Brazil, Acer sells 16 products, including notebooks, tablets and projectors, a number that will be extended to 2015 8:0 pm.