FSC shakes up distribution strategy
Vendor strips some distributors of their right to sell certain product lines
Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC) has stripped some of its distributors of the right to sell selected product lines as part of a distribution shake-up.
The vendor announced last year that it was looking to axe some distribution partners from its portfolio completely (CRN, 25 September 2005). However, last week Ian Newall, volume and channel sales director at FSC, said that only two distributors had seen changes to their portfolios.
Newall told CRN that Bell Microproducts will no longer have access to its volume workstation line and will focus on the high-end enterprise servers and storage products. Also, Computer 2000 (C2000) will now only focus on its workstation line, Celcius. The vendor’s remaining distributors – Northamber, Micro Peripherals, ETC and Ingram Micro – will continue to have access to all of FSC’s products.
“We want all of our distributors to have the right focus so that VARs can get good access and delivery times,” Newell said. “These changes have all been mutually agreed.
“We are continually reviewing our distribution strategy, so there may be more changes going forward.”
Steve Lockie, managing director of C2000, said: “We have not been selling FSC products for some time since we mutually agreed that we could not do the right thing for each other.”
Graeme Watt, president at Bell Microproducts Europe, told CRN: “We weren’t doing the volumes in the low-end, and the high-end kit fits in better with our strategy.”
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