Southern Sultans

Accel ICIM Systems & Services

Excelling Accel

With a wide range of hardware solutions, Chennai-based Accel ICIM has made an
impressive mark as a complete systems integration company.

Accel ICIM has been synonymous with computer maintenance and
services since its inception in 1991. A strategic acquisition of the Systems
& Engineering Services Business of Fujitsu ICIM Ltd in 1999 further
strengthened Accel’s position as a systems integration company.

Accel today operates out of 48 offices and is present in 110
locations in India. It also has a presence in Singapore and the Gulf. It offers
a wide range of hardware solutions for applications ranging from office
productivity tools to data centers.

Accel has entered into strategic alliances with Intel, Sun
Microsystems, IBM, HP, Hitachi, Microsoft, Oracle, Citrix, iPlanet and Veritas.
It also has an ISO 9002 facility manufacturing ‘Mastermind’ range of
Microsoft certified desktops, servers and net appliances.

It recorded a turnover of Rs 138.57 crore and a growth of 16.45
percent during 2000-2001.

Ace Multimedia

Ace In The Pack

Chennai-based Ace Multimedia has one of the largest
collections of CD-ROM titles in India. Started in 1996, Ace Multimedia is both
into distribution and publishing of software for Microware, E-Press Interactive,
Gayatri Impex, and Public Software among others.

It has come out with CD-ROM titles on games, education,
encyclopedia, reference, DTP, graphics, fonts, photos, cliparts, antivirus,
astrology, medical, CBT, entrance, accounting, Internet, utilities and so on.

Ace Multimedia has distribution presence in Mumbai, Delhi,
Bangalore, Hyderabad, Indore and many other places with channel strength of 25
dealers. It is currently developing an accounting software, which will be of use
both to the home users and large-scale businesses as well.

For the current financial year the company is expecting a 50
percent increase in its sales from the last financial year.

Integrated Business Corporation (IBC)

Kerala’s Pride

Kerala-based IBC has created a niche for itself as a premier
channel partner dealing in HCL line of products.

What began as a three-men army with just a ‘reseller’
status of HCL in Thiruvananathapuram in 1996 is now neck-to-neck with many of
the established dealers/resellers and channel partners in the state capital.

IBC’s efforts have never gone futile in a city where the
major customers are sarkari babus. IBC is currently pushing HCL products in
mofussil areas.

The company was adjudged the No 1 reseller in Kerala by HCL
in 1997 and it was conferred the full-fledged authorized channel partnership in
1998. Subsequently, IBC was awarded ‘The Find of the Year’ by HCL in
1998-99. In 1999-2000, it was adjudged the second best performing channel
partner in Kerala and in 2000-01 it went on to secure the ‘Best Channel
Partner’ status.

Mohan Computers

Braving Rough Weather

One of the largest computer dealers in Andhra Pradesh, Mohan
Computers launched its own brand of PC to cope with the slowdown

Mohan Computers has seen it all from the boom time to the
recent onslaught of recession on the IT sector. However, the company continues
to be one of the largest computer dealers in Andhra Pradesh.

Established in 1988, the company signed an agreement with HP
in 1999 and now it is the only authorized service center for HP in Andhra
Pradesh. In the year 2000 the company generated revenues of more than Rs 16
crore. But then the economy showed its worst front and things started to look
pretty bad. The company generated just Rs eight crore in 2001.

In its bid to cope with the ongoing slump in the market, the
company has introduced its own brand of PC named ‘Mohan Future’. The company
aims to achieve a realistic turnover of Rs eight crore for the present fiscal.

Redington (India) Ltd

Expanding Reach

Having made its mark as a distribution major, Redington India
plans to consolidate its channel base and expand its reach.

Redington (India) Ltd started its Indian operations in
Chennai in 1993 with the distribution of HP Peripherals. Today, Redington
carries products from 15 manufacturers. It is also the authorized service
provider for several leading vendors, It provides warranty support, spares
logistics, maintenance contracts, and facilities management services to
customers.

In future, Redington plans to consolidate its channel base
and explore newer areas of providing value to the channel. Focus would be on
expanding reach and services.

Region wise, West accounts for the largest share of Redington’s
turnover, followed by South, North and the smallest being East. In line with the
industry growth Redington recorded a lower growth this year when compared to
last fiscal. However for the coming financial year it expects a better growth.

Currently, it has more than 5,000 channel partners.

SP Software

Growing Manifolds

Having grown nearly seven-folds in the last six years,
software distributor and SI SP Software now aims to be a Rs 100 crore
organization by 2005.

Started in the year 1995 with a
modest investment of Rs 2.5 lakh, Hyderabad-based SP Software is now one of the
major software distributor and systems integrator in AP. The
company with a turnover of over Rs
18 crore for the last FY is the only authorized channel partner for complete
suite of Rational products within the state.

The company is also one of the largest distributors for
Microsoft, Sun, Citrix, CA, Symantec, CheckPoint and Net reality.

The company is targeting to achieve more than Rs 25 crore for
the current financial year and aims to be a Rs 100 crore organization by the end
of year 2005. It also plans to increase its workforce to over 250 people by 2005
from present 65.

The company is now looking forward to expand its reach within
the state as well as increase focus towards its multimedia division. It plans to
roll out more than 50 new multimedia products this year.

SV Electronics

Diversifying To Sustain

Secunderabad-based SV Electronics has sustained itself by
diversifying
into production of its ‘Savvy’ brand of PCs and working towards
implementation of product-related solutions for corporates.

SV Electronics started its operations in 1984 as an
electronics component provider for companies like ECIL and Linkwell. The company
started focusing towards IT in 1990 and shortly after that separated the
electronics division from the IT division.

As the recession hit worldwide, the company also got its
share of worries. It subsequently reduced the number of resellers from 150 to
less than 70.

As part of its diversification strategy the company
introduced its own ‘Savvy’ brand of computers for the SOHO
segment in the early 2001 and now
the company is looking forward at the corporate customers for the same product.

The company has also struck an OEM agreement with intel,
wherein the chip manufacturing major will provide technical support to establish
Savvy brand within the AP region.

By the end of current fiscal, the company also expects to
receive an ASP status for EPSON, HP and Sharp within the AP region. As part of
that effort,
the company is set to constitute two product consultancy groups within the
company for implementation of product-related solutions for the corporate
clients.

As the year 2001 was bad for one and all, SV Electronics also
felt the
heat of the situations when it did only Rs 30 crore as revenues which was more
than Rs 50 crore short of its targeted
Rs 80 crore for the last year. For the current financial year the company has
set a more realistic revenue target of Rs 50 crore.

Vikas Microchip

Foray Into e-Services

Vikas Microchip survived the
slump by jumping into e-enabled services and now hopes to go public very soon. With just
three lakh rupees, DV Venkatachalapathi launched
Vikas Microchip as a software development firm in 1995. Today, with a turnover
of Rs 13 crore, it has made its presence in the networking and e-enabled
services arena.

Vikas Microchip has emerged out as a idealist success story
for many in this segment. The company survived the slump in the IT industry
and also bagged the best support service award from Microsoft during the year
2000-01.
By the end of last year Vikas Microchip forayed into e-enabled services with
the launch of Vikas Global Solut-ions. According to Venkat the company
would go public during the year 2001-02 in the Australian market. Vikas
Global Solutions has opened branch office in Melbourne and in India the company
plans to open branch offices in Mysore, Trivanandapuram and Mangalore within two
months. Meanwhile, by the end of this year, Venkat plans to open a full
fledged facility in Bangalore which will house around 500 people.

Connoisseur Computers

Reliable Support

Connoisseur Computers is known for its unique strategy of
providing after-sales support rather than marketing campaigns.

The year 1992 was a new beginning for two college friends RP
Harish Kumar and Jagdish S Varma of Bangalore, who started Connoisseur Computer
Consumables (CCC). Within a couple of years they established themselves as
leading stockist and suppliers of computer hardware and peripherals.

Instead of going to the market with a PC or Server of a
specific brand name, CCC decided to tap the potentials of the unexplored
Contract Manufacturing segments for the small and medium businesses. Soon a new
division was started under the name Connoisseur Electronics Pvt Ltd.

According to Harish, Connoisseur’s mission is to
consistently provide affordable, high quality personal computers, servers,
communication devices and services which will enhance the quality of computing,
lessen maintenance hassles for customers in the region.

Today Harish also runs a full-fledged software center located
in Indiranagar, Bangalore.

Wellwin Industry Ltd

Consolidating National Presence

As the youngest national distribution major, Wellwin Industry
is expanding into B and C-class cities and adding new value-added products to
maintain its impressive growth.

Chennai-based Wellwin Industry is a multi-divisional company
focusing into four SBUs, namely, Information Technology (youngest to be ranked
among the country’s top distribution companies by DQ), Embedded Software, Auto
Electrical & Instrumentation and Energy Meter.

Wellwin’s IT division comprises of 11 branches across the
country (the company plans to open two more branches by Q4 2002), centralized
static-protected testing and repair center (TRC), after-sales support at
individual branch levels, centralized warehouse and stocking and billing
facilities from branch offices.

Company plans to further consolidate its presence nationally
by expanding into B and C-class cities in North and West. It is in the process
of developing an exclusive corporate business team beyond its channel business.
It also plans to add new product categories to the portfolio of value-added
products and strengthen its sales to bring it at par with the commodity
business.

LG, Canon, Kobian, Samsung, Accton, Avermedia and Elsa are
some of the major Principals of Wellwin. It is also the import partner for
Seagate. The company boasts of over 700 channel partners.

Vettooran Computers

Bullish On Government Segment

As a leading channel partner of Wipro, Vettooran Computers is
moving up the value chain by providing complete range of services and solutions
to government segment.

Five years back Vettooran group whose main business was
distribution
of Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) decided to diversify in to IT by
becoming a dealer of Wipro at a time when the IMFL market was still in high
spirits.

Today Vettooran Computers have made major inroads into the
branded PC segment by moving up the value chain from being a seller of boxes
to provide total services and solutions for the government and at the same time
not losing sight of the home segment.

Considerable local market research and hard work has gone
into making of Vettooran as the leading channel partner of Wipro in the region.
The back-end support in terms of technology, products and strategy from Wipro
has always been the source of Vettooran’s strength.

The company is primarily relying on the government segment to derive its
major business. This is primarily a result of the IT initiatives taken by the
Kerala government with a number of computerization and networking projects
coming through.