SOMERS, N.Y. & SAN JOSE - 12 Jan 2000: -- IBM today announced that Bell Microproducts (NASDAQ:BELM) will become a Technology Group Solutions Partner for distributing IBM technology throughout the Americas. The agreement is expected to generate more than $2 billion in sales over the next four years.
The agreement capitalizes on Bell Microproducts' established marketing and sales structure in a broad range of product areas represented by IBM's Technology Group, including LCD panels, network controllers, storage area networks (SAN), network and server attached storage (NAS and SAS), hard disk drives, tape drives and LTO-based tape libraries.
"Expanding sales of IBM technology through Bell Microproducts will help bring IBM innovations to market faster," said David Ernsberger, vice president of worldwide sales, IBM Technology Group. "Bell Microproducts' transition from a traditional component distributor to a solutions provider makes them well-suited for bringing IBM's leading-edge technologies to resellers, system integrators and OEMs."
"Our agreement with IBM represents a milestone in an emerging new distribution industry paradigm centered on providing solutions and not just components," said Don Bell, president and chief executive officer of Bell Microproducts. "Our ability to deliver a broad range of value-added services will complement IBM's Technology Group product portfolio," he added.
Bell will market IBM products at a variety of levels of integration, from components to subsystem assemblies and fully integrated, tested and certified system solutions. Bell will also add value through a broad range of services including testing, software loading, kitting, mass storage system integration, and computer system integration.
Through the agreement, Bell Microproducts will rely on its existing e-business and supply chain management infrastructure to expand sales of IBM components. PartnerNet, Bell Microproduct's new customer extranet, will guide VARs and OEMs through the decision-making, pricing and purchasing processes of IBM products. A Virtual Warehousing program will allow resellers to position Bell Microproduct's vast IBM inventory as their own through internet portals. Lastly, Bell's Web site will feature a new marketplace environment that will present IBM products as part of state-of-the-art solutions.
To target the rapidly growing data storage business, Bell's BellStor Storage Solutions Division will provide technical support for the entire range of storage products from the IBM Storage Technology Division, including server attached storage (SAS) arrays, network attached storage (NAS), storage area network (SAN) and LTO tape automation solutions.
A leading distributor of IBM products since 1993, Bell Microproducts is a value added provider of high technology products, solutions, and services for the industrial and commercial marketplace throughout the Americas. The company's offerings include semiconductors, computer platforms, peripherals and storage products. Bell Microproducts markets and distributes more than 100 brand name product lines, as well as its own BellStor storage and Trademark computer brands, to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), value-added resellers (VARs) and system integrators in the Americas. For more information, visit http://www.bellmicro.com.
The IBM Technology Group, a major supplier of components to computer makers, is one of the world's largest manufacturers of hard drives, liquid crystal displays, tape storage systems and semiconductors.
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Contact(s) information
James Sciales
IBM
(914) 766-3611
sciales@us.ibm.com
Eli Sayegh
Bell Microproducts, Inc.
(408) 451-1685
esayegh@bellmicro.com
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