Ingram Micro signs Telecom NZ distie deal

Ingram Micro has signed an agreement with Telecom New Zealand to provide third-party logistics and supply chain optimisation services.

Under the terms of the agreement, the country's largest wholesale technology distributor will manage the warehousing and distribution of mobile devices and customer-fixed line hardware from device and hardware suppliers to all Telecom channels and channel partners.

“Telecom and Ingram Micro have a long and successful history of partnership with Gen-i, Telecom’s ICT division,” says Gary Bigwood, managing director, Ingram Micro New Zealand.

“As one of our largest reseller partners, we’ve worked closely with Gen-i on both third-party logistics services and the integration of our respective back-office systems.

"This agreement is a logical extension of that work and will support Telecom’s strategic objectives to deliver continuous supply chain improvement and efficiency, as a major player in the New Zealand mobility market.”

Bigwood says the agreement also aligns with Ingram Micro’s long-term growth strategy to expand the company's business in high growth markets, while increasing its services and solutions capabilities.

“Ingram Micro is currently assembling a dedicated team preparatory to services commencing later this year,” Bigwood adds.

“We are very excited about this project, as it is strategically very important to Ingram Micro.”

Retail CEO Chris Quin says that Telecom is always looking at how it could operate more efficiently so as to deliver better value and service to its customers, and that the new partnership with Ingram Micro is a win for both organisations.

“This partnership will bring significant efficiencies to our mobile business and moving the strategic sourcing of devices in-house will allow us to streamline our relationships with vendors and maximise any added value that we can pass on to our customers," he says.

"Ingram Micro is a world-class provider of third party logistics which has similar systems and processes to those we’re using currently, so we expect a smooth transition without customer impact.”

Quin says the change would help further Telecom’s "determination to become effortless for its customers to do business with."