Ilion and Azlan lock horns over Digital networking supply rights

Networking specialist Azlan has come to blows with archrival Ilion after the latter insisted it will take on Digital's networking product line in the UK.

According to Allan Mack, UK managing director of Ilion, the distributor has recently begun selling Digital networking products through its French subsidiary.

Mack said: 'Azlan has virtually had an exclusive agreement with Digital's networking unit and it is certainly one of its main vendors.

'We expect to be signed up with Digital in the UK on 1 April 1998, and to be distributing the vendor's full range of products.'

Mack was confident of gaining Digital's business rights and a business development manager has already been appointed in France to handle the Digital account.

Richard Pryor-Jones, UK managing director of Azlan's products group, confirmed Digital had been planning to sign Ilion in the southern European area, which includes France and Italy but not the UK. He said the decision was on hold.

A source said: 'Azlan had put it to Digital that it would not make sense to overcrowd the channel, so the vendor reconsidered.'

He added: 'I think Azlan would be severely disappointed if Digital signed Ilion because it would mean a fight for market share - which equals a drop in margins. I believe the agreement will be stalled for the foreseeable future.'

In a prepared statement, Guy Buyst, sales and marketing vice president of Digital Europe's networking products group, claimed that Ilion would not be signed as a network products business partner in France.

Buyst refused to make further comment on the prospect of Ilion distributing Digital's networking products in the UK.