Norfolk-based audiovisual distributor Midwich is celebrating after tying another top brand into an exclusive deal on its projector range.

After recently forcing Sony to restrict access rights on the VPL-EX5+ projector to Midwich reseller partners, it has announced that Hitachi’s CPX- 264 projector is to be a Midwich-only product.

Darren Lewitt, Midwich’s divisional director, argued that the product’s low cost of ownership might make it a big seller, and not just in the education market.

“We are offering a three-year unlimited lamp warranty,” he said. “That is standard in the education sector, but we are actually offering it to all other sectors.

“In these financially difficult times, the private sector buyers will appreciate that too.”
However, Hitachi’s business-to- business sales manager, Ioan Williams, said selling on price and cost of ownership might downplay the technical advantages of this new range. “This is an exceptionally powerful and flexible device.”

As the projector weighs 1.8kg, it could easily be used by mobile workers. “You do not need a PC to drive your display, just a memory stick, so this will appeal to people who want to travel light,” he said.

This might be a low-cost system for end users, but partners should not imagine that means slim margins, Williams argued.
“The point of the exclusive deal is that Midwich committed to selling high volumes, which meant that we could offer the resellers a good deal,” he added.