Sagemcom boosts distributor stable

Turner: Micro-P had a long history with Xerox prior to 2006

Communications vendor Sagemcom - the company formerly known as Sagem - has signed up Beta and Micro Peripherals (Micro-P) to distribute its new range of Xerox-branded standalone fax machines.

Ross Turner, printer and consumables business manager at Micro-P, said the Xerox branding should attract its corporate and B2B reseller customers.

"We already do the Samsung, Canon and Brother ranges," Turner said. "And we had a long history with Xerox prior to 2006. The other [brands] are very strong in the consumer market."

Nigel Morris, marketing director at Beta, said: "The story is that the technology really is all new. There are standalone faxes in the existing market, but these have the Xerox brand name."

Beta, as a well-established hardware distributor, was keen to add complementary products if customers have requested, Morris said.

Raphael Fainac, UK managing director for Sagemcom, said Xerox resellers had demanded standalone fax units, so Sagemcom has signed a four-year trademark licensing deal with Xerox to develop, market and support the range, which includes thermal, inkjet and laser office faxes.

Jeff Root, general manager at Sagemcom, said: "Unit sales are down, but that is true across all sectors of the IT hardware market. There are whole areas of business still using fax as a key communication tool and that need it as a dedicated device."

"If you need a signature on a piece of paper, that is where fax has the edge over email, and in key verticals including healthcare, legal, financial and logistics, that is critical."