01732 759725 38 Q&A of products just to make stocking even harder for us! They will have a personal camera, a medium-sized room camera and a larger video bar. The likes of Yealink go even further with multi-camera systems for lecture theatres and rooms of up to 100 people. They are all expanding and all coming out with pretty much the same kind of market positioning. I think we’re running at 11,500 to 12,000 stock lines now. We used to have 10,000, but we’re way past that. TR: Do you supply these products to AV resellers as well as your traditional telecoms resellers, or would you leave that to Midwich? SM: We do have some AV customers, but we are primarily a unified communications specialist. Three years ago, we also moved into the security sector: CCTV cameras, like conferencing systems, are just another IP endpoint on the end of a Cat 5 cable, so they are no trouble for installers and allow our partner base to branch into a new sector of the market to grow their revenue. When we looked at it three years ago, the security market was set to double in size in five years. We’re talking about a multibillion pound industry. TR: As you say, a CCTV camera is just another IP endpoint. On that basis, there must be opportunities to diversify into many other areas. SM: Wherever there is something you can connect as an IP endpoint, it would make sense for us to look at that marketplace, but to be honest there’s so much growth in the collaboration market and so much going on that we already have a lot to keep us busy. One of the things about unified communications is that it can thrive in a recession because if you can reduce your travel, you can make savings; if you really embrace the hybrid working model, you can reduce the size of your office space, which has direct bottom line benefits for the company and causes the UC market to grow because more people need communication equipment. With everybody suddenly having to work from home, 2020 was a huge year for us, but 2022 was even bigger. After making do and getting whatever equipment they could at the start of the pandemic, people last year began to migrate up the value chain and buy products that enabled them to do their jobs better. So, moving away from USB corded headsets to Bluetooth or DECT headsets that let you roam up to 150 metres away from your telephone. Then, there is the natural cycle of replacement, which tends to be around two to three years, and which we are firmly in the middle of now. That recycling period, coupled with greater understanding of the benefits of having the right technology, is driving a growing market. There have also been interesting developments on the vendor side, notably the collaboration between Cisco and Microsoft towards the end of 2022 that enables Microsoft Teams, as well as Webex, to run natively on all Cisco equipment. Back at the start of the pandemic, when there were lots of different video platforms and collaboration platforms out there, I said the ultimate winners would be Cisco with Webex and Microsoft with Teams because of the power of those organisations, their foresight and their ability to play the long game. I think we’re seeing that come to bear. Zoom is still a very viable platform, and we are still a wholesale distributor of that product and Zoom-certified equipment, but it isn’t growing in the way it used to. By making their equipment interoperable, Microsoft and Cisco are laying the ground for Webex-Teams interconnections. It’ll be very interesting to see how that develops. TR: Are you a Cisco distributor? SM: Yes, for their video products, headsets and their MPP Multiplatform Phone systems, which allow you to connect your Cisco phone to any of their collaboration or hosted telephony systems. Traditionally, Cisco has directed its attentions to government and major It’s been almost 12 months since AV specialist distributor Midwich acquired UC and security distributor Nimans from Nycomm Group. In that time, Midwich has enjoyed a 40% rise in annual revenue to £1.2 billion, with organic growth of more than 20%. Nimans, too, has been growing strongly, benefiting from rising demand for UC and video security products. Technology Reseller finds out more from Nimans Marketing Director Stephen McIntyre. Technology Reseller (TR): Your parent company AV distributor Midwich Group recently announced record results, following growth of 40% last year. Was 2022 a good year for you too? Stephen McIntyre (SM): We saw significant growth last year too, of over 10%, and it was pleasing that Midwich has mentioned us as one of the major contributors to their record performance. Our main areas of growth have been around hybrid working, with strong demand for Microsoft Teams room systems driving the adoption of other solutions. When people have a meeting in their office Teams room, they will often be communicating with someone working remotely who will need a headset, a good speakerphone, a good camera. There’s a whole ecosystem that goes along with hybrid working, and that includes infrastructure-type products. Lots of home offices now need a good bandwidth router, so they are coming into the equation as well. The main beneficiaries are the headset and video conferencing vendors, all of which now have speakerphones and video products in their portfolios – and a range With Stephen McIntyre, Marketing Director, Nimans Q&A Stephen McIntyre
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