Technology Reseller - v17 2019

technolog y reseller.co.uk NEWS : DISTRIBUTORS 07 Strong growth in smart tech Exertis reports strong growth in the UK Smart Tech market, with sales increasing by 65% in the period from April to December 2018. Sales of smart security products made up almost half of the total market value, with 35% growth in the year to date. Smart heating and cooling also grew by more than 47% over the period. Exertis Commercial Director Liam La Cumbre said: “We are seeing growth in all sales channels across the UK for Smart Tech product categories, with e-tailers leading that growth. The demand for Smart Tech products is a key driver of consumer spending, with double-digit growth driven by ease of connection and affordable products with tangible user benefits in convenience, security and safety, as well as the fun element of smart innovations.” Another area of strong growth is the smart speaker market. According to eMarketer, sales grew by 98.6% in 2018 and are likely to grow by one third in 2019. Nimans and DrayTek celebrate record sales Nimans and DrayTek recently held a special party at the distributor’s Manchester HQ to celebrate record sales of DrayTek networking equipment and to raise awareness of DrayTek’s enhanced ACS2 network management solution and new ruggedised outdoor access point. Judith Addison, Nimans Business Manager (Networking), said: “At the beginning of this year we set an ambitious target for DrayTek sales, which has now been surpassed, with sales growing by 50%.” She added: “Nimans and DrayTek have the ingredients for success to help resellers further develop their networking propositions. Our partnership will become even bigger and better throughout 2019.” DrayTek’s ACS network management technology provides real-time integrated monitoring, configuration and management for all current DrayTek routers, access points and switches. Lyreco to acquire PPE specialists Global distributor the Lyreco Group has reached an agreement with Broadview Holding to acquire personal protection equipment (PPE) distributors Intersafe and Elacin. The group formed by Intersafe and Elacin has a leading position in the PPE market in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and France, supplying generic and specialist PPE products, including custom-made hearing protection, protective glasses and respiratory and gas detection solutions. They also provide safety service solutions, such as risk assessment, training and education. Their consolidated turnover of € 125 million brings Lyreco’s total PPE revenues to more than € 200 million. Hervé Milcent, CEO of Lyreco, said: “Combining Intersafe and Elacin’s strong expertise with our excellence in logistics and sales operations will cement our ambition to become a European leader in PPE.” Completion of the transaction will take place after approval by the competition authority in the Netherlands. http://group.lyreco.com/gbr/ Synaxon/IOP partnership highlights opportunities in print for IT resellers Synaxon UK is encouraging members to take advantage of printing services and supplies offered by Internet of Printing (IOP) through the Synaxon EGIS platform. These include IBM- branded replacement supplies for HP printers and the eesyQ cloud service, which provides a single platform for the monitoring and management of customers’ printing assets and supplies. Mike Barron, Channel Director for SYNAXON UK, said: “It’s more important than ever for resellers to grab as much spend from their customers as possible. Partnering with IOP will give our members that opportunity, whilst streamlining the process of managing print for customers and making it as easy as possible to profit from supplies.” Paul Smith, UK Country Manager at Internet of Printing (IOP), added: “There is a wonderful opportunity for members to drive both their revenues and their margins by opening up the printer supplies opportunity. We observe many traditional supplies companies evolving into MSPs and there is a significant reciprocal opportunity for IT channel resellers to grab share in supplies. The IBM brand of replacement toner cartridges has a uniquely high level of recognition and trust with IT purchasers and delivers healthy margins for the channel. Additionally, our eesyQ mobile platform helps members manage all their customers’ requirements for office supplies and automates incoming orders.” Unify technical masterclass Nimans recently hosted its fourth annual Unify technical masterclass at the Oxford Belfry Hotel, where more than 40 engineers and technical heads from the UK’s Unify partner community gained an insight into Unify’s roadmap and the latest technology developments. At the event, outstanding contribution awards were presented to NIX Group for solution development; to Tetcom for solution deployment; and to Datasharp UK for solution excellence. Scansource named Avaya Cloud Distributor of the Year ScanSource was named the Avaya Global ‘Cloud Distributor of the Year’ at Avaya’s International Partner Conference in Dubai. The award highlights ScanSource’s commitment to developing and growing Avaya’s hosted cloud business, in addition to educating the channel on how to adopt a cloud model and sell Avaya cloud. www.scansource.eu Nimans waste pledge As part of a pledge to divert 100% of its waste from landfill, Nimans has appointed JWS Waste to reprocess over 100 tonnes of used card, paper, plastic and general waste. Used card, paper and clear plastic film will be fully recycled, with general waste sorted into material for recycling or processing into refuse-derived fuel at the JWS Materials Recycling Facility (MRF) in Salford. As part of the contract, JWS is already providing waste compactors and roll-on, roll-off containers and multiple wheelie bins to Nimans sites across Greater Manchester. Mike Barron