For the first time, Lenovo has reached the #1 spot in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) by market share according to final PC results released by IDC, a leading global market intelligence company. One in four PCs sold in the region is a Lenovo. Francois Bornibus, EMEA President, shares some of his thoughts behind this success and what’s next for Lenovo in this region.
I joined Lenovo 10 years ago. At that point, we were a company with just over 5% market share in PCs in our region, a rapidly expanding portfolio of products and a lot of potential. Despite being ranked in 6th place amongst our competitors, we knew Lenovo was a business with the right foundations to grow – a business that put its customers at its core and focused relentlessly on meeting and exceeding the expectations of those customers. 10 years down the road we’ve seen a lot of change! We’ve innovated in countless ways, delivering many firsts, from pioneering the world’s first 360-degree hinge, giving rise to the convertible laptop category, to delivering the world’s first 5G PC and the first ever foldable screen PC – the ThinkPad X1 Fold in 2020.
Our portfolio of products has expanded to become the widest in the PC industry, truly providing for all – from entry level laptops for students studying at home, to 1000s of PCs that power some of the world’s largest corporations. Even with the rapid growth, that real focus on delivering products that delighted customers endured. We took the strategic decision to build on the strength of our ThinkPad line and develop a consumer business in EMEA – a move at the time seen by the industry as bold. That burgeoning consumer business was the starting point for our now iconic Yoga brand of premium PCs, our evolution into the gaming market with Lenovo Legion, and products such as ThinkBook, dedicated to the small business market. We’ve built the portfolio out even further with smart devices, workstations, monitors and accessories, and an ever-expanding services business.
This expansion has driven growth in every sector where we do business. Compared to where we were 10 years ago, we’ve more than doubled our large business (commercial) share, seen our consumer share move from 4% to more than 20%, quadrupled our business in the small & medium business space and built a tablets business in the region, from nothing.
This single-minded focus on delivering quality products that delight customers has delivered rewards. Revenue is higher than ever before and for the first time, Lenovo has risen to the top of the PC charts in EMEA with a market share of 25.4% and secured the #1 position across both consumer and commercial customers.
Strength through partnership
Hitting this milestone has given us all an opportunity to reflect – particularly on those who have helped us get here. Without doubt, our channel partners, with us right from the beginning, deserve many accolades for their support and frankness in their dealings with us. We conduct more than 95% of our business with them – and it is these partners who provide the first line of insight into what is working and, just as importantly, what is not.
We’ve focused on making it easy for them to do business with us, automating tools and processes, whilst at the same time, striving to maintain the personal approach to business. So much of our success is down to the strength of these relationships and we thank them for their enduring support.
Culture counts
Lenovo’s culture – and the values of our employees that inform it have also driven so much of our success within the region. We take pride in our cosmopolitan make-up and, whilst we proudly celebrate our Chinese roots, we have an outlook grounded in a diverse, international workforce. We draw influences from across the 180 markets world-wide in which we do business – informing every aspect of our operation from product development to post-sales support.
It informs business decisions – for example, our approach to our manufacturing footprint – combining company-owned facilities and joint ventures, with those of Original Device Manufacturers. It gives us the ability to produce and supply product from across the globe, with facilities in Argentina, Brazil, China, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Mexico and the U.S. and ensure resilience during times of instability.
Our culture is also what binds us as Lenovo. When times are tough, it is the spirit, resilience, tenacity and support of those around us that sees us through. This has never been more in evidence than during the global pandemic.
No one can doubt that 2020 has proven a challenging year for many of us, which makes me even prouder of this result. I am humbled by the commitment of our team that keeps performing, whatever the circumstances. 2021 will inevitably present challenges, but the continuing, long-term normalisation of working, learning and playing from home will be sure to keep us busy, innovating to the benefit of our customers and delivering Smarter Technology for All.
