Westcon acquires Crane Telecommunications
More distribution consolidation as Westcon looks to grow its European voice and data portfolio
Distributor Westcon Group has made its second acquisition in just over a month with the purchase of Crane Telecommunications Group for an undisclosed sum.
Westcon, which recently boosted its security portfolio with the acquisition of security specialist distributor Noxs, will increase its voice and data portfolio with Crane. Currently both firms distribute Avaya, Nortel, Alcatel and Mitel, and Westcon will now gain relationships with Samsung and BT Network Services.
Barry Shakespeare, executive vice president of Westcon Europe, said in a statement: "When evaluating a company for a potential acquisition, two of the key considerations are the company's management philosophy and their customer orientation. Crane has developed an incredibly loyal customer base built squarely on relationships. This approach is very much like our own in both the solutions approach and technology focus."
David George, executive chairman of Crane Group, added: "Westcon Group and Crane share a heritage in delivering converged voice and data solutions for well over a decade. This acquisition enables our customers to increase their success by leveraging Westcon's complementary technologies and programme infrastructure. "
Dave Johnson, senior vice president, global channels development and alliances, Avaya, said: "With broader coverage and the combined strength of these two leaders, customers will benefit from a targeted vendor portfolio, which feature solutions and programmes such as VoicePoint and ConvergencePoint. Once the acquisition is complete, Avaya will continue to support the new, combined organisation delivering intelligent communications solutions that help customers transform their businesses with Avaya's market leading products and services."