Mecer is one of South Africa’s most recognisable computing and electronics brands.
Founded in 1987 by the late David Kan, one of South Africa’s most respected tech entrepreneurs, Mecer quickly made a name for itself with affordable personal computers (PCs) for homes and businesses.
Born in Taiwan, Kan worked several odd jobs, including being a dishwasher, waiter, and truck driver, while growing up.
After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree from Pittsburgh State University in the US in 1986, he moved to South Africa to join his father, a trade envoy.
Kan initially worked in a cutlery factory but started ICT distributor Mustek shortly after meeting Mustek Corporation managing director Owen Chen at a PC exhibition in Johannesburg.
Kan borrowed $50,000 (R100,000 at the time) from Chen and his father to get the business off the ground. That was the only funding he needed to make Mustek a PC assembly and distribution giant in South Africa.
Mustek’s computing products were sold under its proprietary Mecer brand, which Kan managed, and quickly gained traction for their affordable prices.
By 2005, Mecer shared the position of South Africa’s top-selling PC brand with HP, each accounting for 20% of PC sales.
That means that one in every five computers sold in the country carried the Mecer name.
According to the International Data Corporation, Mecer’s market share had shrunk to about 14% by 2015.
That may be attributable to increased participation and competition from major international brands as general demand for PCs has skyrocketed over the past decade.
Fortunately, Mecer parent Mustek would also have benefitted from this, as an official distributor of devices from brands like Acer, Apple, Asus, Lenovo, and MSI.
As of Friday, 16 August 2024, Mustek had a market capitalisation of R748 million.
That is worth about 571 times the R100,000 invested in setting up Mustek when adjusting that amount for inflation. Its staff has also grown to around 1,200 people.
Kan remained humble about the reasons for Mustek’s success, arguing that he knew nothing about computers or business but that timing was on his side.
“The global PC industry started to take off in 1987, and Taiwanese companies were the main hardware suppliers to the global market. Being Taiwanese, I certainly took a lot of advantages as a startup,” he told MyBroadband before his passing in 2022.
All Mecer PCs are assembled by a local workforce at its head offices in Midrand, Gauteng.
Read the full article at MyBraodBand.co.za
To view all our Mecer products available in-store and online, click here.
Powered By