Dell Inc.

is an American privately owned multinational computer technology company based in

Round Rock, Texas, United States, that develops, sells, repairs and supports computers and
related products and services. Bearing the name of its founder, Michael Dell, the company is one
of the largest technological corporations in the world, employing more than 103,300 people
worldwide
Dell's manufacturing process covers assembly, software installation, functional testing (including
"burn-in"), and quality control. Throughout most of the company's history, Dell manufactured
desktop machines in-house and contracted out manufacturing of base notebooks for
configuration in-house.[152] However, the company's approach has changed, as cited in the 2006
Annual Report, which states, "We are continuing to expand our use of original design
manufacturing partnerships and manufacturing outsourcing relationships." The Wall Street
Journal reported in September, 2008 that "Dell has approached contract computer manufacturers
with offers to sell" their plants.[153] By the late 2000s, Dell's "configure to order" approach of
manufacturingdelivering individual PCs configured to customer specifications from its US
facilities was no longer as efficient or competitive with high-volume Asian contract
manufacturers as PCs became powerful low-cost commodities.
Technical support
Dell routes technical support queries on products for the professional market according to
component-type and to the level of support purchased:[164]
1. Basic support provides business-hours telephone support and next business-day on-site
support/ Return-to-Base, or Collect and Return Services (based on contracts purchased at
point of sale)
2. Dell ProSupport provides 24x7x365 telephone and online support, a selection of 4 or 6hour onsite support after telephone-based troubleshooting, and a Mission Critical option
with two-hour onsite support, for customers who choose the highest level of support for
their most critical hardware assets