Press release
Bracknell, Berkshire, UK: -- Avnet Technology Solutions, a value-added distributor of enterprise computing products and an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT) today announced that it has signed a service agreement with Kodak, the world's foremost imaging innovator. Under the terms of the agreement, Kodak will service the majority of document scanners distributed by Avnet in the UK and Ireland for various manufacturers, enhancing Avnet's existing service offerings in these regions. Further European countries will be added to the agreement later in the year.
"In today's tough economic climate our channel partners need value-added services that will help them increase revenue, retain existing customers and deliver a competitive advantage. Avnet's service agreement with Kodak enables resellers to offer a fully rounded solution that will differentiate them from their competitors, increase the value of their sales and provide a stream of regular renewals revenue," explained Mark Hawkins, Head of Strategic Alliances, Document Management Technology, Avnet Technology Solutions, EMEA.
"As a services-focused organisation with a dedicated and award-winning global services and support infrastructure, Kodak will enable Avnet to provide a comprehensive, single-source service offering covering the majority of our major document scanning brands. Avnet's vendor neutral position remains unchanged. We have taken a great deal of care in the drafting of our agreement with Kodak to ensure that our business partnerships with our other document scanner manufacturers remain both protected and unaltered. Our sales team will remain focused on creating sales opportunities for document scanners regardless of the manufacturer," Hawkins continued.
Kodak also offers service capabilities across a wide range of products, not distributed by Avnet, within the IT sector, and Avnet's channel partners will now be able to extend their portfolio to include these additional services. The ability to deliver an increased choice of service support from Kodak adds increased value to Avnet's channel partners' offering.
"This is an exciting development for Kodak, as it strengthens our existing relationship with Avnet, one of Kodak's leading distributors in EAMER by giving our joint channel partners access to a broader range of Kodak services. Like Avnet, Kodak understands what the channel is trying to achieve, and our goal is to help partners get there faster. Post-sale services help our channel partners maximise their relationship with their most valuable asset, the end user," concluded David Brown, EAMER Business Services Director, Business Solutions and Services Group, Kodak.
