SMC sees light at the end of the channel

Vendor predicts a three-fold growth

Vendor SMC Networks is predicting a three-fold growth in channel turnover by year-end.

The firm, which manufactures local area network (Lan) hardware and broadband connectivity devices such as network interface cards, hubs and switches for the small to medium sized enterprise marketplace, claimed that the move will help raise its profile in the UK market.

SMC is privately owned by parent company Accton Technology, which posted a turnover of $408m (£288m) at the end of financial year 2000. The firm operates across the globe, ranging from the UK and Europe to North America, Australia, Japan, China, India and Korea.

Dave Moss, territory manager in northern Europe for SMC, said the channel is critical to SMC's expansion plans, claiming that it will be announcing a partner recruitment drive "very shortly".

"We are very confident about our ability to live up to expectations," he said, adding that the number of shipments, including original equipment manufacturer business, had increased five-fold last month, compared with March, and that the "sellout in the channel" had doubled in the same month. Moss said that he was expecting 10 to 12 per cent growth in the networking arena over the next 12 months.

But Tony Lock, a senior analyst at Bloor Research, was cautious about SMC's claims. "In terms of Lan hardware, I wouldn't say it was going to be a great year, because many companies do not find upgrading their Lan infrastructure a necessity. But, if SMC is that confident, good luck to them."