Polyvision partners with niche distributor

Polyvision announces new distributor while Maverick insists it declined reunion

Interactive whiteboard (IWB) maker Polyvision has sent shockwaves through the AV channel by refusing to re-engage Maverick following its re-emergence under new owner Computer 2000.

Polyvision sold through Maverick before it entered administration in November, but has shunned any reunion by announcing a partnership with niche AV distributor Anders + Kern.

Polyvision sales director Johann Maurissen explained the change of heart: “Maverick used to be a value added distributor, but we are not convinced it has the expertise to support us.

“Our IWB products are specially engineered and call for a degree of customer hand-holding because once installed they are very user friendly. We needed a company that has field sales people, that can take the product out and sell it.”

However, Maverick’s divisional director Mark Tildesley had a different account of events: “We were offered a chance to talk to Polyvision, but we declined. The only market for IWBs is education, and that is flat. And besides, Smart and Promethean have done such a good job. So it was thanks, but no thanks.”

Anders + Kern seemed confident that it could keep its contract with Polyvision. “We look forward to working with Polyvision for many years to come,” said Derek Kuziw, managing director at the distributor.

According to research house Decision Tree Consulting, more than 60,000 whiteboards will be installed in the public and education sectors alone in 2008.