ScanSource expands in Canada

ScanSource expects to get it right this time in Toronto.

The Greenville, S.C.-based POS and automatic identification specialty distributor has opened a sales office in Canada’s largest city to complement its Vancouver office.

The new office will handle resellers from Manitoba, Ontario,

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, PEI and Newfoundland.

This is Scansource’s second go-around in Toronto. The company retreated from there a few years ago because of warehouse and inventory problems.

“”The warehouse always seemed to have the wrong products,”” said Mark Morgan, vice-president of sales for Scansource.

“”So we focused on centralizing distribution out of our centre in Memphis for all of North America and relied heavily on the Buffalo office for sales support for eastern Canada.””

Patrick Power, managing partner for Toronto reseller OAM Group, said ScanSource’s Canadian reorganization posed challenges for his company.

OAM, which used ScanSource for Zebra printers, had a local representative who provided support, only to see him moved to Buffalo. “”We had trouble with the new model and we started to have concerns as a result,”” Power said.

However, Power added, since ScanSource has moved back to Toronto the distributor is back to providing good service.

This Canadian expansion, according to Morgan, is part of an overall company sales strategy. The distributor has created a new SMB sales team along with a new focus on RFID training and awareness.

The company’s flagship event, Solution City, will venture outside the United States for the first time.

Bobby McLain, vice-president of marketing, said the company plans to hold this trade show and conference in Toronto in the June time frame at a site yet to be chosen.

McLain anticipates more than 100 resellers will attend the show, which will showcase solutions for 10 vertical markets.

ScanSource’s RFID Edge program, based on Webinars and seminars, is also coming here. McLain said ScanSource’s Web site is heavy with RFID materials to help resellers develop expertise in the technology.

Morgan said that ScanSource also wants to grow its reseller base here, which currently totals more than 2,000.

“”We did a good job with existing customer base and we can do much better with this new focus and are new specialty programs to grow that base in Canada,”” he said.

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Jim Love, Chief Content Officer, IT World Canada

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Paolo Del Nibletto
Paolo Del Nibletto
Former editor of Computer Dealer News, covering Canada's IT channel community.

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