Neckarsulm, 1. October 2014 – Bechtle AG and Lexel Systems Ltd. in Auckland, New Zealand, have signed a cooperation agreement, thus expanding Bechtle’s international alliance network. The German IT reseller has already gained access to US and Scandinavian/Baltic markets through its agreements with PC Connection and Atea, respectively. This alliance network aims to meet the increasing demand by global businesses for comprehensive, international customer support. Lexel has been operating in New Zealand and Australia for 27 years, providing IT infrastructure and services to businesses and public institutions. The company, under the direction of its founder and his son, generated revenues of around 50 million dollars in 2013 with some 180 employees. Lexel is a partner to the leading vendors in IT.
“Our strategic alliance with Lexel represents yet another important node in the international network we’re building up little by little to service multinational customers. The positive experiences we’ve had with Atea and PC Connection have encouraged us to continue with our strategy of providing global customer service through a network of selected partners,” states Jürgen Schäfer, COO of IT e-commerce at Bechtle AG.
Third Agreement in Three Quarters.
Bechtle’s partnership with PC Connection in the first quarter laid the groundwork for global alliance network that was expanded with Atea in the second quarter. The agreement with Lexel is Bechtle’s third alliance, further expanding the network. The German headquartered group can now boast coverage in New Zealand and Australia in addition to the US, Scandinavia and the Baltic states. “This alliance with one of the largest privately-owned IT infrastructure and solutions providers in Australia and New Zealand enables us to offer our customers consistently high-quality service and comparable products in two more markets,” comments James Napp, managing director of Bechtle direct UK and responsible for Bechtle’s global alliances. In addition to an extensive product portfolio, the most important factors for successful international cooperation are streamlined processes and high service standards.
Customer Service Standards.
Bechtle includes vendor partners and international customers in the exploration phase leading up to an agreement. The choice of potential partners is not just determined by economic criteria, but also soft factors. “Trust is a crucial component of customer relationships, particularly in our line of business. That’s why it’s important to us that our alliance partners have similar corporate cultures and values. PC Connection, Atea and Lexel all meet of these conditions equally well,” emphasises Mr Napp.
Further Expansion of Global Network Planned.
Bechtle plans to continue pursuing alliances within and beyond Europe. The goal of the network is to make it easier for global customers to choose their international suppliers based on consistent criteria. “We want to to relieve our customers of the time-consuming task of searching for suitable IT partners for their international offices by offering a network of carefully selected partners,” explains Mr Napp. Constructed over the past several months, this network expands Bechtle’s international presence and complements the group’s own geographic strategy. Currently represented by 65 IT system houses in Germany, Austria and Switzer-land and subsidiaries in 14 European countries, Bechtle plans to grow its capabili-ties in the future through more international subsidiaries in addition to new global alliances.