Now, Acer Plans To Manufacture & Export Home Appliances From India

Taiwanese tech giant Acer is looking to venture into the home electronics market, with plans in the pipeline to manufacture and export appliances such as water and air purifiers, refrigerators and vacuum cleaners from India.

Harish Kohli, managing director, Acer India, told ET that the company is already on track to meet the targets for the first year of the revised production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme that started from April 2023 on the back of strong shipments in the commercial space and exports.

To diversify in a market that experienced growth, with revenue rising 19-20% in 2023, Acer plans to form AcerPure to sell consumer appliances. 

Kohli told ET that the company will be registered in India in the coming weeks, focusing on becoming a robust player in this segment. 

Acer intends to manufacture the products in India, utilising the expanding electronics manufacturing ecosystem, and is exploring export opportunities to neighboring countries through established electronics manufacturing service vendors.

“These products will have to come through from the EMS (electronics manufacturing services) vendors that we have already got in India or we have relationships with,” Kohli added.

Acer has obtained preferential market access certification, requiring over 50% locally sourced components for government procurement. Dixon Technologies is the company’s manufacturing partner in India, which signed up for the first version of the PLI scheme, and was able to meet the targets.

As per Kohli, currently, 100% of all-in-one computers and desktops are manufactured in India, and the company has introduced two series of commercial notebooks designed and made in India, with additional consumer models in the pipeline. 

Acer is now designing notebooks in India, exporting some models to countries like the Philippines. With the highest-ever bottom line achieved in 2023, Acer has become the second-largest company within Acer Inc in terms of overall market revenue.

On the back of the growth and potential, the Taiwanese company is also planning to expand into after-sales services with a subsidiary called High Point, which is already operational outside India and is due for an IPO in Taiwan, ET reported.

In October last year, Acer made its foray into the Indian electric vehicle (EV) market by licensing its brand name to mobility startup eBikeGo. 

The collaboration extends to the manufacturing of three-wheelers as well, broadening the scope of the partnership between Acer and eBikeGo.