01732 759725
14
DEALER CONFERENCE
As reported in the last issue of
PrintIT
Reseller
, Olivetti has restructured its
UK and Ireland operation, bringing it
into line with the model employed in
other parts of Europe.
The main change for resellers is that
instead of signing contracts with Olivetti’s
UK subsidiary, they now have a direct
manufacturer-dealer relationship with
Olivetti SpA in Italy, which will take over
administration, accounting, invoicing,
payment, credit and management of WEEE
obligations.
Olivetti UK – Olivetti’s best performing
subsidiary for eight or nine years – is
being wound up and a new organisation,
Olivetti UK Agency, has been established to
represent the Olivetti brand in the UK.
Headed by managing director Dave
Goswell, this third party agency delivers
services and support on behalf of Olivetti.
It will be responsible for marketing,
pricing, training, servicing, support and
communications.
Olivetti SpA and Olivetti Agency will
jointly manage the UK Distribution Centre
in Wellingborough, which has been kept
on to guarantee fast, next-day delivery of
products and supplies.
Olivetti’s Dealer Conference on February
4 at the Belfry gave Aldo Pirronello, Olivetti
SpA’s Head of International Sales, the
opportunity to explain the rationale for the
changes to 80 of its top UK dealers – and
to the press.
Although the new structure is expected
to deliver annual savings of £1 million,
Pirronello said that the motivation was not
to cut costs but to get closer to the market
so that Olivetti could be more competitive
and react more quickly to business
opportunities.
He said that since moving to the
new structure in 2011, Olivetti’s German
operation, which had been losing money,
had maintained the same level of business
but had become profitable.
Pirronello added that having a direct
relationship with Olivetti SpA makes
it easier for resellers to operate on a
European level – not just by simplifying
the delivery of multi-national contracts, but
also through improved collaboration.
He said that a major focus for Olivetti
is to improve the technical services it
offers the channel, including collaboration
tools that will enable Olivetti resellers
throughout Europe to pool their experience
and share information and solutions to
common problems.
Standardisation of procedures across
Europe and greater economies of scale are
expected to reduce the time to market for
new products and solutions.
Olivetti explains the benefits of its new structure at dealer conference
Leaner and
more agile
At the UK Dealer Conference, Nadia
Bontempo, Olivetti SpA’s Worldwide
Marketing Manager for Office Solutions,
announced that Olivetti has now become
a Nuance Expert Partner and is offering
the Equitrac print management solution
through the Olivetti Dealer Channel, with
front-end and back-office support in Italy.
Future developments could include a
range of cloud-based services that leverage
the expertise of Olivetti’s parent company
Telecom Italia Group.
Olivetti Achievers 2014
Olivetti has announced last year’s top performing dealers
in the Key Partner Loyalty Programme.
Dealers who become part of the Key Partner Programme
are eligible to qualify for annual rebates and receive regular
promotional benefits throughout the year.
Qualifying dealers are banded into six Leagues, according to
the amount they spend with Olivetti. The entry level for smaller
dealers is the Associate Partner 2 League. The next level is
Associate Partner 1, followed by Key Partner, Premier and Platinum.
At the top of the tree is the invitation-only Elite League.
Olivetti UK Dealer of the Year
– 1st Office Equipment Ltd
Olivetti Sales Manager of the Year
Terry Haley, Area Account Manager for Midlands,
North East & Home Counties
Key Partner Programme League Winners:
Associate Partner League 2 – CBS Ltd
Based in Cambridge
Associate Partner League 1 – Bowden Digitec
Based in Kent
Key Partner League – WDS Ltd
Based in Derby
Premier League – 2r Systems Ltd
Based in Leighton Buzzard
Platinum League – Frew Business Machines Ltd
Based in Dungannon, Northern Ireland
Elite League – 1st Office Equipment Ltd
Based in Bath with branches throughout the Southwest
Olivetti
UK Agency
has been
established
to represent
the Olivetti
brand in
the UK.
