Cautious VAR welcome to FSC acquisition plan
Vendor quick to reassure channel partners as it completes the acquisition of services division
Resellers have given a lukewarm reception to Fujitsu Siemens Computers’ (FSC) acquisition of the Product Related Services (PRS) division of Siemens Business Services (SBS), which will now be able to provide hardware and related services to end-users.
In a letter to FSC’s channel partners, Ian Snadden, director, channel and SME sales, said partners would “benefit from FSC’s increased ability to consult, design, implement and service from one source for industry growth segments, namely, Dynamic Data Center and Mobility”.
The letter continued: “There are no planned changes to our existing partner/channel strategy. FSC’s PRS will retain its key services focus. Services such as consulting, system integration or outsourcing will also in future be done by our partners. Also, high-volume product services will continue to be provided through channel partners.”
PRS has 5,000 employees worldwide and had sales of around £1.3bn for the previous fiscal year. The acquisition is effective as of 1 April and will see PRS operated as a separate subsidary.
Asked if the acquisition could upset FSC’s channel partners, Snadden said: “I don’t think the acquisition will cause any conflict for our channel partners. The division we have acquired provides bespoke packaged services around products that resellers can sell on – it is not providing consultancy services.”
Mark Goodwin, managing director of VAR CBC Computer Systems, said: “We’re seeing more and more manufacturers offering services so this acquisition is no surprise to us. I think as resellers we have to accept it, but I don’t think manufacturers will be able to keep up the same service levels that resellers can provide.”
Tony Davis, managing director of VAR Elcom IT, said: “While this acquistion does have the potential to cause conflict with FSC’s channel partners, it need not do so if handled carefully and sensibly.”