Michael Dell

Dallas, Feb. 1 (AP): Dell Inc, attered by battery recalls and disappointing earnings, said yesterday that chairman Michael Dell will return to run the company he had built into one of the world’s largest makers of personal computers.

Dell’s appointment is effective immediately. He replaces Kevin Rollins, who also resigned as a member of the board.

During Rollins’ tenure, Dell was battered by a recall of 4.1 million potentially flammable notebook batteries made by Sony Corp. and by disappointing earnings. The company yesterday forecast fourth-quarter profit and sales below analysts’ consensus estimates of 32 cents per share on sales of $15.3 billion (euro11.81 billion).

The company’s accounting practices also are the subject of federal scrutiny. The US attorney for the southern district of New York has subpoenaed documents related to Dell’s financial reporting from 2002 to the present.

Dell has served as chairman since founding the company in 1984 and was chief executive until 2004, when he hand-picked Rollins as his successor. Dell defended the beleaguered executive in September, saying Rollins was not solely responsible for the company’s recent missteps.

Rollins joined Dell in 1996 and had a variety of roles before becoming CEO, including chief operating officer, vice- chairman and president of Dell Americas. Before Dell, he was vice-president and partner of Bain & Co management consultants.