HP signs Euro duo to fulfil forecasts

Manufacturer passes PC building buck to partners with channel-led configure-to-order programme

Hewlett Packard will appoint two partners as part of a programme that will see the manufacturer building PCs based on channel orders rather than according to its own sales forecasts.

As part of the move to a channel-led forecast, resellers will assemble, customise and distribute PCs from components supplied by HP.

The manufacturer plans to sign European partners Raphael, based in Italy, and Dutch company Info Products to its extended configuration to order programme, and intends to bring in a total of 10 channel partners to the programme by the end of next year.

Raphael will assemble and distribute HP?s Brio range of small business PCs, while Info Products will have access to the HP Vectra line of commercial desktops, along with existing Vectra wholesalers Northamber in the UK and Actebis in Germany.

HP Netserver network servers will also be included in the programme at a later stage, and Kayak PCs will be introduced to the scheme early next year.

According to Jos Brenkel, marketing manager of HP?s personal systems group in Europe, the programme is part of the vendor?s strategy to ?contend for the number one position in the European business PC market over the next two to three years?.

It is scheduled to start by the end of this year.

IBM also announced last week that it was streamlining its sales of PCs through the channel with its advanced fulfilment initiative, in an attempt to steal a march on direct-selling competitors within the corporate sector. It, too, will get large dealers to assemble computers from IBM components and ship them direct. The resellers will be based within IBM PC factories.

Big Blue is hoping to become more competitive against Dell and Compaq by cutting between five and 15 per cent of the costs associated with its business computers.