Epson has expanded its distribution base in southern Africa with the appointment of Pinnacle Africa as its latest Tier 1 broad-based distributor of Epson printers, scanners, multifunction devices and projectors.
This news comes shortly after newly appointed general manager, Kelvin Reynolds, made announcements to revamp and refresh Epson's local Channel Partner Programme.
“We currently have a number of great distribution partners in SA, which have worked hard with us over the years to develop awareness of, and interest in, the Epson brand among our reseller channel,” he says.
Following an encouraging first quarter, and a marked increase in demand for Epson's products, Epson saw the need to appoint another large Tier 1 broad-based distributor in order to underpin its growth targets for Southern Africa.
“After having evaluated a number of distributors in South Africa, we're very please today to announce that Pinnacle Africa fulfilled all of our criteria and that, effective today, is officially a part of the Epson distributor family,” says Reynolds.
At the same time, Pinnacle Africa has been looking to increase and expand its current product offering and Epson was a natural fit.
“Pinnacle Africa recognises Epson as a household brand in the printer business but we also see it offering premier products in the projector and PoS markets,” says Trevor van Zyl, COO, Pinnacle Africa.
The appointment of Pinnacle Africa also represents a critical step in Epson's drive to improve its footprint in Southern Africa as Pinnacle Africa employs over 530 staff and operates in all major centres through branches and partners in South Africa as well as throughout most of the SADC region.
The headquarters and main branch is located in Midrand, Gauteng and the other branches can be found in Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, East London, Nelspruit, Port Elizabeth, Botswana, Namibia and Mauritius.
However, providing resellers with the choice of an additional source of product across Epson's full product line is only part of the solution.
“Pinnacle Africa will also perform the role of a logistics partner, alleviating any supply bottlenecks that have been experienced in the past, particularly in the light of increased demand for Epson products,” Reynolds.
A recent Gartner report on the global PC Industry paints an encouraging picture for PC vendors through 2010, with an estimated increase in shipments to increase by 19.7% over 2009.
“Much of this growth will come from the corporate sector, where a number of organisations have been waiting out the recession to begin the three- and four-year corporate refreshes of aging IT equipment,” says van Zyl.
“We anticipate that printing products, services and consumables will make up a fair share of this overall growth, and having a trusted brand like Epson in our stable of products is an important addition to our overall value proposition,” he says.
“Pinnacle Africa joins the ranks of Epson distributors in Southern Africa at a good time,” Reynolds says.
“We have many new product announcements in the pipeline, including a refreshed product line-up of high-performance Business Inkjet and Large Format printers, as well as a new low-end Colour Business Laser, an entry-level Colour Multi-function printer.
“We're very excited to have Pinnacle Africa as one of our Tier 1 broad-based distributors in Southern Africa and I'd like to formally welcome them to the Epson family.
“I have no doubt that Pinnacle Africa will make a significant difference in our distribution channel with its outstanding distribution track record and countrywide footprint. And I'm confident that Epson will have an equally positive effect on Pinnacle's business in the years to come,” he concludes.
Share