Elmtec bursts onto distribution scene

Man and Machine picks new name for what remains of its UK distribution activities following Autodesk sale

A new name has entered the UK distribution space following a re-organisation at CAD outfit Man and Machine.

Elmtec is the new moniker for what remains of Man and Machine's UK distribution business following the sale of its Autodesk franchise to TDDatech in September.

Launching today, Elmtec has a database of about 1,000 active resellers and vendor franchises with the likes PNY, AMD and Google.

Elmtec marketing director Jasmine Gledhill said the distributor would retain a laser focus on CAD.

"Some of the [CAD] resellers are 100 per cent focused on software but it is also about the systems and hardware that support and utilise the software," she said. "There is a lack of knowledge on how to tally the two together and resellers like the fact we have that product knowledge."

Autodesk represented about 80 per cent of Man and Machine's £35m annual UK sales before the sale to TDDatech, which was in line with Man and Machine's Europe-wide strategy to morph from a VAD into a VAR.

About 17 staff now work for the UK Autodesk reseller business, with five moving over to Elmtec, which is Man and Machine's only remaining distribution arm.

Gledhill stressed that Elmtec remains part of the Germany-based group but needed to rebrand to distinguish itself from the rest of the business.

"This will put people's minds at rest that we are being run as a separate business but Man and Machine is a strong and historical name and we did not want to lose that history," she explained.

Gledhill said Elmtec plans to expand its vendor line-up in areas such as Google plug-ins and 3D printing.