27-Apr-2010   12:00 AM

Synnex calls it quits with Logitech

Synnex and peripherals vendor, Logitech, have called it quits after nearly a decade in business together.

In an exclusive interview with ARN, Synnex CEO, Kee Ong, said the decision to part company was mutual and effective immediately. The pair have been working together since 2001.

The general costs of doing business with Logitech were too high, thus making it difficult to justify a future partnership, Ong said. Both companies have also been revising their channel/vendor portfolios over the past 12 months.

“In the last 12 months, we have brought a lot of vendors into our range and we had to look at our other partnerships as a result,” he said.“Sometimes you have to walk away from some business and make tough decisions.”

Ong was adamant the loss of Logitech wouldn’t significantly impact Synnex’s revenue and profits, or leave a gap in its peripherals line-up. The distributor will continue providing after-sales support including warranty and returns for aslong as its reseller need it, he added.

Logitech’s remaining two master distributors are Ingram Micro and Scholastic. It also maintains subdistribution and niche specialist agreements in different market segments. In a statement, Logitech director, George Saad, expressed gratitude to Synnex for its services, but said both parties had agreed it was now time to part ways.

Synnex is not the first distributor to split from Logitech in the last year. Last November, Logitech announced it was parting company with Bluechip Infotech and brought on specialist player, Avico Electronics, to better penetrate the AV market. It followed a decision to drop Anyware and introduce a new subdistribution tier as part of a channel restructure last July.