Autodesk on the hunt for second distributor

Software vendor, Autodesk, will appoint a second distributor by the end of the year to accompany Scholastic.

Autodesk managing director – A/NZ, Hanspeter Eiselt, said the company wants to develop a broader footprint in order to meet growth targets and 95 per cent of the vendor’s Australian business is done through VARs and distributors.

“We’re currently benefiting from 18 per cent growth globally, and we’ve set ourselves the goal of doubling growth by 2012. With that growth rate we need a greater reach to achieve our goal,” Eiselt said.

The vendor is looking for the second distributor to carry its AutoCAD LT and AutoCAD ‘volume’ lines, with its vertical products being sold through VARs.

Eiselt said a dual distributor model was not unique to Australia, and was rather a reflection on the maturity of the region.

“In many mature markets around the world we support two distributors – the UK and Germany for instance,” he said.

Being able to add value was of key importance for the second distributor, Eiselt said. “We find that when people buy CAD software, they also want hardware, training and services."

He also said the vendor was looking for a distributor with resellers that could service customers on either side of the SMB market segment, where it enjoys a strong presence.

“We see room to gain traction with very small customers, as well as larger, mid-market customers with our volume products,” Eiselt said.

He didn't expect any conflict between Scholastic and the second distributor, which would fill areas not currently in Scholastic’s portfolio.

Eiselt said the vendor was currently in discussions with a number of candidates.