01732 759725
40
ACQUISITIONS
Annodata
will remain
a completely
separate
business entity,
with its own
independent
strategy and
management
team
This is not the first channel
acquisition the company has made.
In February 2016, Kyocera UK
bought the remaining 80 per cent
share of a smaller UK dealership.
But importantly, the acquisition
of Annodata was led by Kyocera
Corporation in Japan, a move which
characterises the size of the deal,
as well as one which signals the
company’s intention to draw on
Annodata’s expertise to strengthen
its channel partner programme with
the addition of ICT services, on a
global scale.
Founded in 1988, Annodata is a
national managed services provider.
The company brings together a range
of specialist services including managed
print services, unified communications,
document management and software,
mobile telephony, communication services
and cloud hosting services.
Commenting on the deal, Hironao
Katsukura, Kyocera UK Managing Director
said that the UK has been a major success
story over the past seven years and that
the acquisition gives Kyocera a great
platform to further grow throughout the
region in the coming years. “Annodata
is a well-established, influential national
player with similar business ideals to our
own, as well as having important vendors,
technologies and a very strong value-
adding culture in common,” he added.
Independence to remain
Kyocera UK Marketing Director Nigel
Allen, told
PrintIT Reseller
that although
overall responsibility of the business will
rest with Kyocera, Annodata will remain
a completely separate business entity,
with its own independent strategy and
management team. “Annodata will
continue to work as an independent
dealership and we will keep the brand,
albeit referencing that Annodata is now
part of the Kyocera family,” he said.
Annodata co-founders Andrew and
Tim Harman, will continue to support the
Annodata management team, bringing
a wealth of knowledge and customer
relationships gained from almost 30 years
at the helm of the business.
Andrew Harman said: “This marks a
significant opportunity for our partners,
customers and people as we become part
of the global Kyocera family and continue
the journey we started back in 1988. With
the significant resources and support of
Kyocera we can remain committed to our
principles, innovate new solutions and
services tailored to rapidly changing market
needs, and ensure we are well placed to
meet customer demands.”
Customer choice
The dealership has long-standing
relationships with a number of printer
manufacturers including Canon, Kyocera,
HP and Ricoh. One could argue that this
could present a potential conflict and begs
the question that Annodata will ultimately
become a single-line reseller. But Allen
insists that will not necessarily be the case.
“We are one of Annodata’s largest
print suppliers and have about 55 per
cent of MIF,” he said. “Yes, we do of
course want to further increase our sales,
but what we have to do is respect their
customers’ wishes. As a manufacturer, we
have to accept that some customers chose
KYOCERA acquires
Annodata
KYOCERA Document Solutions has completed the landmark
acquisition of Annodata, one of the UK’s largest independent
providers of managed print and ICT services
to partner with an independent reseller
as opposed to an OEM. That’s a route
many businesses go down in order to have
choice.”
Allen acknowledged that other vendors
have particular strengths in certain
markets, which makes them a better fit for
some customers. “We respect that,” he
said, adding that it will be ultimately down
to the other manufacturers if they wish to
continue partnering with a business that is
now wholly owned by a competitor.
There were a number of reasons
behind the acquisition. First and foremost,
according to Allen, was the fact that
Annodata has successfully developed its
offer and is successfully delivering ICT
services. “The deal significantly increases
our capabilities, adding further value to our
already extensive product offering with the
addition of ICT services,” he explained.
A changing marketplace
“Over the past twelve months we’ve
seen a lot of consolidation in the market,
Tim Harman,
co-founder,
Annodata
