Auto ID VAR/Systems Integrator Analysis
a stronger business case for a more
broad-line service offering? According
Adrian Harris: The case for
to Rowland, focus is almost everything,
specialist resellers/VAR has
never been greater.
“which is why niche is good”, he says.
“Without focus, a business continues to
struggle to find its true identity. With focus,
a company knows why it exists and what
it is to do, and therefore can assess its
<< task for them,” he remarked. progress against well-defined targets.
Morley stresses that his company’s Of course, a broad-line offering can be
relationship with its distributors is of strategically the right approach; if that’s
critical importance to his company’s the focus. However, the fact remains that
business. “After all, we are all working differentiation and true value added
on different elements of the same supply services are the keys to gaining market
chain,” he remarked. “I am sorry to say share.” As for Burnett, his preferred
that there are huge differences in the route is to concentrate on having a very
quality of service and support that we narrow focus. “This means that we can
get and this of course influences our build a reputation in our chosen market
purchasing patterns significantly. But it is sectors,” he said.
important that this relationship is two (based, for example, on sales forecasting
way, and resellers have their part to play. or stock-level agreements), joint enterprise
The right equipment, shipped when and marketing and sales support, and product Case for specialism
where it is supposed to go, sourced at a evaluation. “Although anticipating sales
competitive price, and supported by an volumes by make and model is very Adrian Harris, sales director at EXPD
efficient accurate and timely back-office difficult, especially in the present climate, (a partner of distributor Varlink), also
operation first attracted us to increase our we try to give distributors some indication believes that the case for specialist
purchases through distributor Varlink. But of what is in the pipeline,” he said. resellers/VAR has never been greater.
now, based on the confidence that this “We have purchased Auto ID equipment
good service has created, we find Do our commentators feel there is still from the huge IT resellers – there is
ourselves working increasingly hand in a strong market case for the dedicated absolutely no doubt that it is a purchase
hand.” Morley adds that this collaboration specialist reseller/VAR who concentrates on price alone with no pre-sale attention
works on several levels, such as forward on one or two technology vertical areas, to detail; ie. you buy a part number,” he
planning in the sales and supply chain or do they believe that, today, there is said. “However, to the credit of the big
resellers, they do not claim to
be anything else. I believe it’s
the manufacturers who open
these channels in the hope
of increasing volume; the net
result is the product gets
devalued and becomes
available to all resellers
through the channel,
irrespective of the level of
knowledge and experience
of that particular product.”
Clark, on the other hand,
doesn’t think that there are any
specialist areas that are large
enough in the Auto ID space,
such as RFID, to support an
entire business. “So, really
a broad approach in my view
is the sensible approach,”
he reflected. “This means that
you are not turning business
away because it is not your
area. I have seen that a few
Because of the nature of the products being stored, there will always be a need for people companies who do choose
to work in the warehouse, but technological advances will help to further optimise ‘niche’ specialised areas have
operational processes and, at the same time, improve the overall working environment.
struggled recently; RFID being
a good example.” >>
8 IT RESELLER – APRIL/MAY 2009
www.itrportal.com
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