Riding the wave
In a further sign that the motherboard business is an ever more challenging one, MSI has taken on distributor Micro Peripherals (Micro P) with the main aim of improving the commercial performance of its notebooks in the UK.
HEXUS.channel spoke exclusively to UK product marketing manager at MSI, Richard Stewart, to find out the reasons for taking on a new distie. "In UK, the way to operate notebook and components business is very different," explained Stewart.
"The reason we are looking for new distributors is to expand MSI notebook branding into different channels which will differ from the customer base we have on components at the moment."
Why Micro P specifically? "They are outstanding at providing excellent support for its customers especially on the retail channel which MSI is going to put more focus on in the future," said Stewart.
It looks like the netbook phenomenon has served MSI well, with the Wind having created a halo effect over the notebook brand in general. MSI is clearly keen to fully capitalize on this increased demand.
"We are becoming a much stronger player in the global notebook market," said Stewart. "This means, as we release products such as our Wind series, the demand for MSI notebooks grows and to satisfy that demand we too need to grow on a local level. That's why we need strong partners such as Micro P to ensure we have the correct distribution channel to accompany such growth."