Acer Founder Stan Shih sees branding as Taiwan’s next major industry to emerge

Acer Founder Stan Shih sees branding as Taiwan’s next major industry to emerge

Time magazine deems Acer Founder an Asian hero

Shih: I’m the most unlikely hero of heroes!

Bangalore, India (30 November, 2006) – Acer Founder Stan Shih expresses his honor for being selected as one of Time magazine’s 2006 list of Asian heroes. Shih is the only hero who was born and raised in Taiwan, and regards himself an unlikely hero because of his determination to break away from traditions – “me-too is not my style” approach. Times’ list is a tribute to the remarkable men and women who have shaped the times over the last six decades in Asia.

Choosing a professional manager over family to succeed his leadership in Acer, allowing employees to become shareholders, pushing for a common consensus and goal among employees, are all rarely practiced within companies of Asian origin. In fact, China’s media have described Shih as an extremely open-minded and mighty character.

Shih states that Taiwan’s IT industry was shaped by all Acer employees and partners in the company’s 30-year history as well as the competitors, hence, the distinction must be shared among all. Together, these people have contributed in making the PC affordable to the general consumer.

Shih believes that Time selected him for his vision and constant pursuit for innovation. “When I founded Acer 30 years ago,” said Shih, “I asked my employees to become the gardener of microprocessors. They believed that the microprocessor would drive the next industrial revolution. The Chinese were left behind in the first industry revolution in Europe; we couldn’t afford to miss the second opportunity.”

Shih recalls, “To begin with, no market existed for the microprocessor and Acer faced capital shortage. We took a detour by educating people about the technology through magazines and training schools, and engaged in microprocessor contract design for other manufacturers. Because of our accurate foresight, we developed the application of microprocessor that brought forth Taiwan’s high-tech industry, and made the PC affordable and available.”

Development of the microprocessor spurred the growth of Taiwan’s IT industry, making the island a center for IT manufacturing.

In 1989 Shih introduced two visions to Taiwan: High-tech Island and Global Citizen. Taiwan was already a high-tech island through the efforts of company employees, partners and competitors. But, Taiwan needed to improve significantly in terms of global citizenship, which Shih believed would be the driving force of globalizing Taiwan companies and brands. When Shih retired at the end of 2004, he committed himself to branding Taiwan and to realizing global citizenship.

Taiwan needs to find a new key industry, states Shih, following the IT, semi-conductor and TFT LCD sectors which are well-established and globally competitive. People are wondering when and what the next industry will be. Taiwan can integrate the fundamentals of those successful sectors to create the next industry and new growth engine – branding.

Although the Taiwanese believe that branding is the way forward, and many aspire to start brand businesses, there is lack of courage to set out. To solve this stalemate, Shih has set up a Taiwan Branding venture capital to help new businesses, and is always willing to share from his wealth of experience to help create new heroes from Taiwan.

“I hope the story of my contribution to the IT industry can inspire others,” pronounced Shih. “If Stan can, you can too.”

About Acer

Acer ranks as the world’s No. 4 branded PC vendor, designing easy, dependable IT solutions that empower people to reach their goals and enhance their life. Since spinning-off its manufacturing operation, Acer has focused on globally marketing its brand-name products: mobile and desktop PCs, servers and storage, LCD monitors and high-definition TVs, peripherals, and e-business solutions for business, government, education, and home users. Acer’s unique Channel Business Model has been instrumental in the company’s latest success. The model encourages partners and suppliers to collaborate in a winning formula of supply-chain management, allowing Acer to provide customers with fresh technologies, competitive pricing, and quality service. Established in 1976, Acer Inc. employs 5,600 people supporting dealers and distributors in more than 100 countries. Revenues in 2005 reached US$9.7 billion. Please visit www.acer.com.

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