Northamber responds to shifting IT landscape
New chief executive Peter Hammett officially announced as 30-year-old distributor re-evaluates its product line-up
Northamber has made moves to readdress the balance after "seismic" changes in the PC landscape have caused it to reassess its product lines and change the way it interacts with customers.
The firm parted company with IBM earlier this year, and also recently confirmed it would be losing Fujitsu from its linecard.
As first revealed by CRN, the distributor has officially announced the appointment of Peter Hammett as its new chief executive, as it admits this is not the first time in its history that the needs of its customers have undergone a "seismic" change.
“This time it is the rapid transition of the tablets into the SMB sector and away from PCs into the cloud that has acted as the catalyst,” the firm said in a statement.
“As in the past Northamber’s response is to work closely with manufacturers who are on the leading edge of the marketplace and keen to support the channel by offering value to both the ultimate use and reseller business.
“This channel model is still highly relevant and effective, especially in the current financial climate where the need for secure partners and good credit is paramount. The recent appointment of Peter Hammett, and the company’s move away from the supply of solutions from IBM and Fujitsu have paved the way for an established national distributor like Northamber to reassess its product portfolio and develop a new range of value-added services geared towards the new requirements of its customers.”
Explaining the upcoming changes, new chief Hammett said: “Northamber is currently responding to changes in the requirements of both our vendor partners and resellers. This is leading to a move towards identifying a range of new products and services that meet the exacting needs of our established reseller customers.
"The next few months will see the rollout of a number of new initiatives, vendors and services all focused on maintaining Northamber’s reputation as a trusted and reliable partner for any IT reseller operating a successful business in the UK. As the requirements of our customers change so will Northamber."
David Phillips, founder and chairman of Northamber, added: “Though less involved in the running of the company; particularly since Peter’s appointment, I have seen that the IT landscape has transitioned faster than anyone could have predicted.
“The recent 14 per cent collapse in PC sales and the corresponding uplift in tablet and mobile device sales have challenged many of the biggest names in our industry. As an established channel business Northamber remains focused on responding and providing the products, logistics and financial services our resellers demand. This inevitably means changes to our vendor partners and the people who support them internally.”