Dell Building a Global Comeback

Computing giant Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) recently reported quarterly revenue up 10 percent and earnings down a mite. The Americas remain the mainstay of the company's operations, with around 60 percent of total revenue (49 percent from North America).

Dell is reaching for higher-risk, greateropportunity markets, with the Asia-Pacific region experiencing 28 percent year-overyear revenue growth. Still, it's the smallest contributor to sales at a modest 14 percent share. It's arguably the arena with the heaviest competition, and local heavyweights such as Lenovo - which took the personal computing division off IBM's hands a few years ago - and Acer have a strong homefield advantage here.

Europe, the Middle East and Africa contribute 26 percent of sales. Dell is opening a manufacturing plant in Poland, where labor is cheap and the middle class is growing.

Dell is knee-deep in a year-long turnaround effort, and there is still a lot of work left to do before claiming any kind of victory. But there's an enviable balance in Dell's operations across geographic regions and product categories alike. In a few years, we may look back at today's low, low share price as the best buy-in point in years. Dell has the tools, the vision and the chutzpah to get it done.