PC vendor Lenovo has appointed Metra Computer as an authorised distributor for the UAE and Qatar in what represents its latest move to fine-tune its regional distribution structure.

Metra, which is already a Lenovo distributor in Egypt, will be tasked with helping Lenovo develop its consumer and SMB business in both markets.

Speaking to Channel Middle East, Ali Al-Amine, regional transactional business director at Lenovo, said the tie-up reflected recent steps that Lenovo has taken to strengthen its channel business with effective in-country distribution.

“We aligned our strategy and go-to-market on the SMB and consumer side approximately three quarters ago and one of the things that Lenovo did not have was coverage across the region,” he said. “We had distributors trading from the UAE across the GCC and Middle East area, but our strategy is now to have a distributor on the ground in each geography.”

Metra becomes Lenovo’s third distributor in the UAE, alongside FDC and GBM Distribution, and its first in Qatar.

In Kuwait, meanwhile, Lenovo has just added Al-Ghanim as an official consumer products distributor, further reinforcing its local distribution intent.  

Al-Amine said there was a possibility that Metra’s contract could be extended to other regional markets where it is looking to build local coverage, but stressed that no decision had yet been taken and other candidates were also in the frame.

In a statement confirming the tie-up, Metra’s managing director NY Prasad, said Lenovo was a welcome addition to the company’s portfolio.

“Lenovo is a strong brand in the PC market and is an added value to our company. Lenovo’s products complement our service offerings and we foresee good demands for their products ranges in the market,” he stated.
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In its effort to bring down cost and boost efficiency, Del Monte Philippines, Inc., has tapped IBM’s technology expertise via smart IT and Data Center outsourcing solutions.

The company’s shift allows it to focus on a more strategic IT roadmap aimed at supporting a five-year revenue projection while addressing the growing costs of managing and supporting IT operations.

Likewise, the move to IBM, addresses the business demands of greater availability and higher service performance as Del Monte is now able to swing their capital expenditure (capex) to purely operational expenditure (opex) with their SAP migration infrastructure particularly on the infrastructure.

The two contracts worth approximately US$3.1 million covering a five-year period were signed in 2009.

The first is a total IT infrastructure services outsourcing contract. Under the Service Level Agreement, IBM provides management for the food giant’s Data Center, Servers/Storage, Network, DMS, Helpdesk, IT Asset & Vendor Management.

The second contract covers management of an outsourced SAP Infrastructure ( servers, storage, Data Center facility & Disaster Recovery site) for Del Monte’s migration to SAP ECC 6.0 while maintaining the asset ownership of the said Infrastructure.

Del Monte’s Cesar Canlas, chief information officer (CIO) said IBM liberated funding for direct savings and increased the company’s IT efficiency in its day-to-day operations. The company’s productivity and business growth are expected to be enhanced.

“Our clients recognize that in today’s business environment, technology is the differentiator which can provide a valuable competitive edge,” said James Velasquez, Country General Manager, IBM Philippines.
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