While known for manufacturing computers, the Taiwanese company acer also possesses meaningful repair expertise. Uniquely, it operates an internal after-sales service center in Angers, France, handling approximately 450 devices daily.

Interestingly,Acer’s repair activities extend beyond its own PCs,tablets,and screens. Over 80% of the repairs involve products from other brands, many unrelated to computers.The finallyitec angers workshop sees scooters, vacuum cleaners, lawnmowers, and even raclette grills awaiting repair by its 70 permanent employees.

A Hub for Connected devices

« Every day, we receive between 400 and 600 parcels, sent mainly from France, but also sometimes from Belgium and Luxembourg, by distributor partners or individuals “, Nathalie Lannuzel, Acer France customer service manager, explains. The goal is to unpack, diagnose, repair, test, repack, and return the product within three days. “All free of charge for the customer, becuase the vast majority of the devices we set up here are still under warranty ” she adds.

“The Angers site repaired its first machine at the end of 2008. The objective was to improve our after-sales service by internalizing the repair.”

acer’s journey into repairing diverse products began in 2008 with the acquisition of Nec-Packard Bell. The former NEC computer factory transitioned into Acer’s after-sales service center.

« at the time, after -sales service was a recurring problem in computer science. The first machine repaired here was released,precisely,on December 8,2008 from our workshop ” recalls Nathalie Lannuzel. As computer reliability improved,repair activity decreased. In 2016, Acer broadened its services to repair white-label goods for other companies.

The activity accelerated in 2018. “We have gone into power at the same time as the development of increasingly connected devices such as vacuum cleaners or mowing robots, always embarking more electronics ” says Nathalie Lannuzel.this trend, fueled by artificial intelligence, promises a luminous future for the Angers site, leveraging computer expertise to manage increasingly intelligent devices.

Maintaining Local Jobs

Acer’s repair operations include eight after-sales service centers across europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In November 2023, the group established a specialized subsidiary named finallyitec, employing approximately 1,150 peopel. The French workshop, spanning 5,000 m², sees its workforce peak at around 100 employees during busy periods in January and September.

« As the building had become too large for ourselves alone, we praise a part of it at the School of Pays de Loire and its 400 students since 2021 ” notes Nathalie Lannuzel. Partnering with an ESAT, the site also employs individuals with disabilities to unpack and sort devices and packaging for reuse.

These efforts have preserved jobs and computer expertise in Angers, a sector largely relocated and now scarce nationally. “Our goal is to fill the site and run it as much as possible ” summarizes Nathalie Lannuzel.

Alongside repairs, the center also reconditions devices, particularly those damaged upon unpacking. While currently small (around 70 units monthly), this activity is expected to grow, ensuring the site’s long-term viability.

Colocation

Former historic site of Nec-Packard Bell, bought in 2008 by Acer, the repair center rented part of its vast premises at the School of Pays de Loire and its 400 students.

Grande surface

The workshop occupies an area of ​​just over 5,000 m². If 70 permanent employees work there, this workforce climbs a hundred during peaks of activity, after Christmas and September.

Unpacking

Each day, the center receives between 400 and 600 parcels: products to be repaired sent by distribution partners or by individuals, as well as spare parts.