Custom-System Community Makes The Cut
“They know more of the key components that we need,” Hodkinson said.
No other single specialized distributor community contributed as many citizens to the Top 50 Preference Index as the custom-system crowd.
The top five preferences in the custom-system niche:
• ASI
• MA Labs
• Infotel
• Seneca Data
• Supercom
Steve Bohman, vice president of Columbus Micro Systems, a system builder in Columbus, Ohio, said he counts on the specialty distributors for unique products that help differentiate his lineup. “When you talk about a niche or system builder specialty, the big guys aren’t competitive,” Bohman said.
Still, Bohman said he relies on broadline sources as well alternative companies such as Newegg.com to keep his product procurement costs to a minimum in other areas. In addition, Columbus Micro needs the longstanding credit lines it has earned with the largest distributors.
Dean Hodkinson, workstations business development manager at Seneca Data, a custom-system builder in North Syracuse, N.Y., that also acts as a distributor for its completed systems, said although his company is big enough to buy direct from some of his vendors, it often is better served by distribution partners, specialty or otherwise. That’s because they can often do a better job of inventory management, he said.
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When it comes to researching and finding more unique products, ASI has been very supportive, he said.