Acer Inc said first half profit after tax (PAT) jumped 201% to NT$2.7bn ($84.7m) on revenue up 55.6% to NT$66.93bn ($2.1bn). The higher than expected revenue prompted the Taipei, Taiwan computer manufacturer to revise full-year PAT forecast from NT$5bn ($156.9m) to NT$7.5bn ($235.3m). The strong 1H profit was enhanced by sale of long-term investments and stocks, but the company warned last year’s loss by Acer Semiconductor Manufacturing Inc (ASMI), now TSMC-Acer Semiconductor Corp was also higher than expected.
In a separate announcement yesterday, Acer Group chairman and CEO Stan Shih, said members of its Acer Semiconductor Group will be moved to the company’s X Business Unit (XBU). The reorganization follows the company’s June divestment of a 30% stake in ASMI to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), which also saw TSMC assume management control of ASMI. Acer’s four remaining chip concerns – Acer Laboratories Inc, Apacer Technology Inc, Taiwan Semiconductor Technology Corp, and Acer testing Inc, will be moved into XBU.
Shih said the reorganization is purely an adjustment in organization structure. In the future, Acer will continue to invest aggressively in the semiconductor industry. However, Shih added that while we have no short-term plans to sell our semiconductor stocks, we do not rule out the possibility for our semiconductor companies to form strategic alliances with other partners to enhance our long-term competitiveness.
