Troubled Fujitsu rules out switch

Fujitsu's volume products division insists it will continue with its existing channel partners despite resignations at the vendor and rumours that its distributor Tplc has failed to reach sales targets.

Since July, Gary Hunter and Mahboob Hoque have both resigned as Tplc account manager at Fujitsu. Sarah Gillespie has now taken responsibility for the Tplc account.

UK sales director Frank O'Brien claimed the departures were unrelated and 'not indicative of any changes' at Fujitsu as many sales staff are moving between vendors. VP of marketing and business strategy Barrie Baxter also left two weeks ago and was replaced by Nick Stacey.

A source close to Fujitsu said the staff changes coincided with poor distribution sales at Tplc, which is a Fujitsu ICL subsidiary. 'Tplc should be selling 3,000 (Fujitsu) boxes a month through distribution but they only shifted 400 in October. Apparently, their off-the-page Fujitsu boxes are fine and their sales of other PCs are strong.'

O'Brien refused to disclose how much product Fujitsu has shipped and whether it had met its targets. 'The numbers are not to hand and I would not be forthcoming with them anyway,' he said. 'We will not discuss targets.'

Tplc general manager Neil Easdon said volume products is 'getting it together' after moving from ICL to Fujitsu. 'We are on course or thereabouts but now the sales plan is increasing, through our distribution and corporate channels.' He admitted Tplc has worked hard with Compaq in its recent PC sales drive and that its Hewlett Packard PC and server sales had risen in recent months.

O'Brien declined to comment on Tplc's strategy. The source said: 'As Fujitsu ultimately benefits from whatever money Tplc makes, they don't mind as much. If this happened to another distributor, they would be canned.'

Fujitsu does not want resellers to think it shows favouritism to Tplc or has any direct sales. O'Brien said: 'We want to be seen being whiter than white.'

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