In what is being described as a major business coup, multi-national technology innovator, Spescom, has announced that Spescom DataVoice has signed a distributorship agreement that will see DataVoice products marketed worldwide by voice recording giant, Dictaphone Corporation.
Spescom is publicly listed on the JSE Securities Exchange SA (Spescom Ltd), and on the NASDAQ OTCBB: ALTS.OB (Spescom Software Inc). Spescom DataVoice is dedicated to the multimedia transaction recording market.
US-based Dictaphone is a household name and dominant industry player that has been at the forefront of recording technology development for over 100 years.
Spescom DataVoice CEO, Viv Crone says the agreement is effective immediately and confirms that Dictaphone has already launched the DataVoice product range onto US markets.
"This is not only a major business achievement for Spescom DataVoice but is also powerful acknowledgment of South African technology as globally competitive and cutting-edge," says Crone.
He adds that the potential business spin-off of the deal is significant in a world market valued in excess of $750 million.
"Obviously it would be premature to discuss the financial impact of the agreement but if one considers the size of the global market and Dictaphone's position in it, it is fair to say that the seeds have been planted for Spescom DataVoice to acquire a sturdy portion of this lucrative arena. Production will be geared up to meet the demand that is already being displayed through early sales in the US, with short- and long-term bottom line benefits for both DataVoice and Dictaphone."
Crone says the association will open channels to market for DataVoice products that would otherwise not have been possible.
He confirms that under the terms of the agreement, the DataVoice voice recording solutions will be marketed worldwide under the Dictaphone brand.
Dictaphone's Senior Vice-President and General Manager of its CRS division, Ed Rucinski, states: "We are extremely excited about the new relationship between Dictaphone and DataVoice. This agreement brings together two industry leaders within their respective geographical markets, allowing both companies to substantially leverage their combined engineering talent and application expertise. This will give us the necessary depth required to put substantial distance between ourselves and our closest competitors as we enter new markets."
"This is a triumph for Spescom DataVoice. It is a powerful coalition of our world first technology coupled with the ultimate channel to market via the world market leader. It not only bears the early fruits of Spescom's globalisation strategy but it links us with a global giant with whom we have enormous synergy. Dictaphone has a high appreciation of technology excellence with a passionate, dynamic approach to business," concludes Crone.
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