Ingram Micro shows at its Symposium 2015 and before 2.500 attendees how to reinvent a wholesaler

With a single strategic vision: that of adding value to the channel and differentiating ourselves in an increasingly competitive market, Ingram Micro has celebrated the fourteenth edition of its Symposium with a clear message for its business partners and before the 2.500 attendees who have attended the event based on the reinvention of distribution.

The Symposium 2015, the fourteenth that the wholesaler Ingram Micro organizes around its partners, marks a before and after in the company's strategy that has a word as its common denominator: reinvent yourself, and an end: add value to the distribution business.

This is what its management team has made clear to the 2.500 assistants who, for the fifth time, have attended the Arenas Dome in Barcelona for the company's flagship event, and before the media. “The wholesaler faces new challenges in an increasingly competitive market: what to offer to the channel and how to add value - said Jaume Soler, general director of the Iberian subsidiary of Ingran Micro-. We have gone one step further and have strengthened the core business with a single vision, reinventing the distribution market with a corporate strategy and a large investment to provide the best possible service”.

Specifically, The wholesaler's strategy is structured into three new business lines. One of them focuses on commerce and fulfillment solutions, with the aim of providing services, both from own and third-party logistics warehouses, to standardize and improve the process of companies that need a robust platform for the delivery of their products. “It is an additional business for the client to approach not only as a supplier of products, but of services”, Soler points out.

Ingram Micro's purchase of the Dutch e-commerce and payment services specialist Docdata is framed in this environment., who will be in charge of streamlining the process in the European market.

Another of the strategic axes is the cloud environment, with a market place “fully operational with a real and palpable solution with Microsoft, “which will be expanded in 2016 with the incorporation of other solutions and will also allow payment through the usual methods and not only by credit card as until now”, explained Jordi Muñoz, director of the Value division.

Mobility and lifecycle services mark Ingram Micro's third strategic commitment to offer two types of services: one of product regeneration (from training courses, etc) to update them and put them back on the market, and another for after-sales services in which the return procedures and procedures will be managed with the end customer and will be used as a repair center for manufacturers such as Samsung., Apple y HP. The purchase of the company Anovo is also framed in this environment..

Double digit growth…

“…and the first of those digits is not a one”, as Soler clarified when giving some outline, that don't figure, of the results of the Iberian subsidiary in the current year. “We will grow in double digits again and we want to be very productive in volume, a market that represents 70% of billing, with highly automated processes and investment in resources to enter different market niches”, said the head of the Volume Business division, David Belenguer.

With the same expectations, the director of the Value division, Jordi Muñoz, announced the integration of the Advanced Solutions business areas into a single organization (data center/IT), Digital Signage, DC/POS and the recently created Physical Security (more information at Digital Security Magazine), under your responsibility. “This is not just a transactional model,” he clarified., but rather joint development of value solutions with synergies between these four high-growth areas, which will be joined by another soon-to-be created unified communications and collaboration project.”.

To this end, a professional services platform is being launched to “address complete projects in the different business areas.”, with an approach at European level with manufacturers and incorporating our own technical resources”, adds Muñoz.

Regarding the mobility area, now under the direction of recently joined Ingram Micro Leandro Pérez-Cossio, The objective is to “position the company as an important player in the mobile phone market.”, with great opportunities for the channel, and accompany the sale with valuable services”.

New event design

The wholesaler's proposal to reinvent itself has also been shown in the design of the Symposium exhibition space 2015, in which a total of 98 brands.

As Sara Zamora explains, Ingram Micro marketing manager, “As it is the fifth year that we celebrate the event in the Dome of the Sands, We also wanted to give a twist in its design and for the professional to find a new distribution of the space., which has doubled and in which the commitment of manufacturers such as Microsoft or HP has been seen; the involvement of service partners such as Icecat, CaixaBank, Grenke I was given, and our business divisions”.

In this edition, “we have met our expectations, with the assistance of 2.500 personas, a hundred more than last year”, pointed out.