Matomo Group, HP SA`s partner for the local assembly of two ranges of PCs, has announced that it has shipped more 15 000 units in its first half year of business. The initiative is playing a major role in HP South Africa`s drive to clinch a bigger share of the small to medium business and public sector markets.
Says Gary De Menezes, HP South Africa`s commercial channel manager: "The local assembly line is playing a major role in building HP`s profile in markets that the white box manufacturers have dominated to date.
"The PCs that come out this plant cost ourselves less to produce than it would to ship equivalent units from the factories in Europe, but we haven`t compromised on quality. This plant produces product that matches every quality standard used in our factories in Europe that is priced at a level that allows us to compete against the clones on cost."
De Menezes says the local assembly plant is part of HP South Africa`s strategy to do business in such a way that it can keep the rand prices of its products at an affordable level for local customers as well as contribute to the upliftment of previously disadvantaged South Africans.
"We`re constantly refining our go-to-market model to ensure that we deliver on the expectations of the local channel and customer base while staying aligned with HP`s global model," he adds.
Jan Botha of Matomo Group says the success of the initiative shows that HP has developed models of black empowerment that are based on the concept of sustainable economic development. Most of Matomo`s 20 employees come from previously disadvantaged communities.
The plant produces two models in HP`s Compaq Evo range for the local market: an entry-level Celeron machine and a high-end Pentium 4-based model. HP Poland is the only other country branch in the world to have embarked on a similar initiative.
The assembly facility comprises a 1 100 square meter floor space that includes warehousing and a sophisticated stock control system. The company also performs the disc imaging and a stringent burn-in process for each unit.
Strict quality control is maintained at every stage of production with audits that cover the entire system from technical and operational factors to the unit`s look and feel. As a result, the EVO desktops that roll off the assembly line conform to the same standards as those produced at HP`s international plants.
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