Samsung to reorganise channel

An internal reorganisation within Samsung is set to result in big changes for its reseller network.

The company is merging its display, notebook and fax/printer divisions into a single unit, known as IT products, and will be making similar alterations among its channel base.

The news may surprise distributors, which claimed to have heard nothing about the changes when contacted by vnunet.com.

Under Samsung's new partnership programme, called Elite IT benefits, incentives will be standardised over all resellers dealing with individual divisions.

In addition, 10 new Samsung solution centres will be set up across the country to showcase specific technologies.

"We're not going to be cutting resellers; if anything we'll be expanding the network," said Ashley Ford, director of the IT products division.

"We found that the differing levels of incentives among resellers were causing some dissatisfaction, so we've reorganised the benefits to be the same for all partners."

The 10 new regional centres are likely to be sited with existing channel partners across the country to provide an even geographical spread.

The internal reorganisation could bring more resources to bear on Samsung's relatively poorly performing notebook division.

While the company leads the display division, it predicted that it would be at least third in the UK market by now.

It is instead in eighth position, and Samsung now hopes that its close involvement with Intel will give it a head start in the new Centrino-based market.