Determined to broaden the services it offers, Synnex Canada has opened a technology solutions division to go beyond shipping boxes to VARs.
“We want to bring solutions to our resellers so we’re more than a pick-and-pack distributor,” said Keith Jalbert, who has been named vice-president and general manager of the new unit.
It’s one of two new divisions the company has opened. The other is a consumer electronics unit aimed at stereo and audio-visual resellers.
The technology solutions division will cover enterprise products as well as the point-of-sale gear that Synnex’s EMJ Data division has been selling. Most of the hardware and software are already in the company’s line card, said Synnex Canada CEO Jim Estill. “We’re just delineating it a bit more clearly for our vendors and customers” by setting up the division, he said.
But Jalbert also said he and his staff of seven will assemble security, telephony and print solutions channel members can take to their customers.
One of the first is called PrintSolv, a way partners can assemble a cost-per-page printer lease for customers, similar to solutions offered by major printer manufacturers.It uses a Windows tool licensed from PrintFleet Inc. of Gananoque, Que., to discover printers on a network and estimate how they’re used so a solution can be suggested to the customer.
Once signed, a software agent stays on the network and alerts the distributor when supplies like toner are running low. The supplies are shipped directly to the customer, but the VAR is invoiced.
A PrintSolv roadshow explaining the program begins Sept. 19 in Calgary and goes to Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal.
Jalbert said vendors such as Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, Xerox and Brother back the tool.
His division is also looking to assemble solutions for security products, which already include Fortinet threat management appliances, Barracuda Networks virus and Web filtering appliances and Tipping Point intrusion prevention systems. New to the line card is Brocade’s load balancing gear.
In the telephony area the distributor already carries Internet solutions from Bell Canada. Jalbert said he is looking to add other vendors to create packages attractive to small and medium-sized organizations.
Jalbert came to Synnex Canada from Agilysys, a U.S.-based value-added distributor, where he had been the Canada manager of its Keylink Systems distribution division for seven years.
He said he made the jump because “the opportunity to start fresh and grow a business unit was really appealing.”
Synnex Canada’s expansion into the consumer electronics market follows efforts by Ingram Micro and Tech Data.
Kevin Baggs, who has been named vice-president and general manager of the new CE division, is targeting stereo stores, camera stores, professional audio-visual companies and home theatre specialists for products ranging from LCD televisions to networking cable.
Distributors these resellers have been relying on carry between 10 and 15 vendors, said Baggs, compared to the hundreds that Synnex offers.
It can also offer other advantages, he said. “Due to our size we’re able carry more inventory (than smaller distributors). We have three warehouses – in Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver – and with the logistics behind us we can ship same day for next day delivery.” It can also drop ship product to customers but bearing the resellers’ label.
The CE space is growing fast, noted Tony Olvat, a vice-president of research at IDC Canada. According to a recent online survey by the company, 55 per cent of Canadians have a home network, while 25 per cent have a room designated as a home theatre or specialty audio-visual space.
Baggs, who’s been with Synnex and its predecessor, Merisel, for 10 years, said the new division will be officially launched next month with the signing of several manufacturers.
There are some 7,000 potential stores to be signed across Canada – not including big box retailers – he said. “If I could get half of those I’d be doing very well.”
