A managed print powerhouse may be in the making with word Thursday that IDS Canada Markham, Ont. has acquired two Toronto-area managed print services providers; Cell-A-Net and National Print Services Alliance.
To date, IDS has been primarily focused on the province of Quebec, where it claims to be the largest independent dealer of imaging products and technical services, and also provides IT products and professional services. In a statement, IDS CEP Bill Hishon said these acquisitions are the first step in its plan to expand its portfolio of business solutions across Canada, beginning with this new Ontario foothold through Cell-A-Net, and cross Canada with NPSA.
Cell-A-Net and NPSA president Kevin Hiebert told CDN he has known Hishon for some time, and they both share a vision for a national, independent, best-in-class managed print provider.
“This looks like a perfect opportunity to put out strengths together,” said Hiebert.
Cell-A-Net will continue to operate as an independent brand, and Hiebert said he expects to expand as a result of the deal, which will provide Cell-A-Net with additional infrastructure and resources to accelerate projects its working on and go after new, larger opportunities. It will also allow IDS to offer additional services to its Quebec customers with branches in Ontario.
“This will broaden our portfolio a bit in terms of the breadth of solutions, it gives us the company size to go after much larger customers, and we have access to a bigger depth of expertise and skillsets, whether around products or solutions,” said Hiebert.
The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.