Craig Brunsden, chief marketing officer of Axiz, says product quality is key when allaying the fears of channel partners and end-users regarding locally-branded hardware.
Brunsden says local brands have always been serious competitors for multinational brands and are not inferior in any way: "Five or six years ago there were up to 15 different local brands, but today, thanks to market rationalisation, there are approximately six or seven strong, reputable local brands to choose from."
As a result of this consolidation, the market has reached critical mass, enabling local brand manufacturers to develop world-class infrastructure. "Having the right infrastructure in place is vital to the success of local brands. It ensures manufacturers not only supply a quality product, but also provide the much-needed after-sales service," comments Brunsden.
At the heart of after-sale service is the warranty. Brunsden says to compete on an even playing field, local brands need to ensure their warranty service is comparable, if not the same as that of multinational brands.
He cites the Axiz desktop PC as an example, with a three year (1 095 consecutive days) "carry-in" warranty on all standard desktops: "This is extremely important to end-users and the channel, as well as making it a very competitive product."
Brunsden says local desktop PC brands hold approximately 30% market share - equating to the sale of almost 400 000 PCs a year: "Three years ago there were only about half that number of local PCs sold a year. This demonstrates the solid success of local brands."
According to Brunsden, corporate South Africa has yet to warm to local brands. "There is understandable reluctance from this sector. Aside from a reticence to take risks, many corporate companies have a legacy of purchasing multinational brands or are tied into global purchasing agreements." In addition, Brunsden says multinational brands have also been competing very aggressively in this space. Despite the heat, Brunsden says he doubts local brands will be getting out of the kitchen anytime soon - good news for anyone thinking of IT investment in the future.
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Established in 1989, Axiz is an ICT infrastructure distributor whose product range comprises in-campus computing infrastructure, namely servers, desktops, mobiles, printers, networking, storage, memory, peripherals, components and consumables. The company enables customer efficiency and productivity through its partners, by merging technology with intelligence, and providing quality products. By equipping its reseller partners with innovative thinking and technology intelligence, Axiz is at the forefront of technology thought leadership. The company innovates by constantly challenging and pushing boundaries and turning its people's knowledge and expertise into keen insights that strengthen its reseller partners' success, improve people's lives and achieve prosperity for everyone in its various communities.
Axiz is committed to building a sustainable company, actively contributing to a sustainable economy for South Africa and the African continent by dynamically living the Five Capitals Model of Sustainability. The company has already become a pioneer, innovator and leader in its sector through the implementation of its Ledibogo Programme; its Business Partner Development Programme, as well as other initiatives, such as founding and supporting Inqolobane (the Employee Ownership Association Africa, www.eoaa.co.za) and Qhubeka (the Motive Power Movement, www.qhubeka.com).
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