Comstor beefs up to meet demand

Network distributor Comstor has expanded its warehouse and increased its stock capacity. The company has bought a new storage facility and is already making use of the extra space.

Network distributor Comstor has expanded its warehouse and increased its stock capacity. The company has bought a new storage facility and is already making use of the extra space.

Simon Minett, operations director at the company, said: "We are progressively starting to use the new space and it will be fully up and running in January."

Comstor's stock level is worth about £40m, but it will now expand to up to £80m. Minett said: "We always try to maintain stock in line with business requirements."

Minett explained that the development was necessary because of increasing demand for networking equipment. "The expansion was a natural and logical move for the company and it will allow continued expansion," he said. "Cisco lead times are growing and customers are demanding products more quickly than before, he added. The company is constantly looking to increase its service levels to customers.

"We had to increase stock to buffer manufacturer lead times. There is currently a worldwide shortage of networking components which is throttling the growth of the internet networking industry. There are simply not enough chips to go around," he said.

Comstor is receiving between 40 and 70 pallets of equipment from Cisco every day as it tries to meet demand.