Distribution One appointed for IBM-Ricoh joint venture

IBM and Ricoh's joint printing venture, InfoPrint Solutions Company, has forged a distribution arrangement with NSW-based niche printing distributor, Distribution One.

Under the arrangement, Distribution One will provide resellers with managed print solutions around a cost-per-page model, giving resellers a passive trailing income for the term of a client's contract, which is generally for 4-6 years, its sales and marketing manager, Michael Rebiffe, said.

InfoPrint Solutions Company channel manager, Owen Mostert, said Distribution One's managed services capabilities offered something different to its existing distributors, Cellnet and Impact Systems.

"Distribution One's managed print solutions will appeal most to smaller tier-two resellers as it helps them maintain the consumer business for printers for the duration of the contract," he said.

Mostert claimed that with minimal margins from printer hardware sales, resellers will be able to realise better profits by locking customers into contracts for printer consumables and services.

Distribution One was attracted by the quality and range of printers offered by InfoPrint, and was already familiar with the technology, having worked with IBM in the past, Rebiffe said.

"We have full access to InfoPrint's product range, but we'll be focusing on the mid- to high-end range and industrial printers," Rebiffe said.