Ingram Formalizes Consumer Electronics Division

Ingram Micro has started to transition its DBL Distributing subsidiary under the Ingram Micro name.

DBL, bought by Ingram in 2007, specializes in consumer electronics, which the Santa Ana, Calif.-based distributor wants to start cross-selling to IT solution providers, according to John Soumbasakis, senior vice president of strategic divisions with Ingram Micro.

"The real benefit is bringing DBL capabilities to Ingram Micro customers. And also bringing traditional IT products and marketing and capabilities and support to CE dealers that [DBL] has been selling to for years," Soumbasakis said.

DBL will become formally known as the Ingram Micro Consumer Electronics Division, though it will keep its JBL brand with current retailer customers, Soumbasakis said.

"We've had questions come to us from partners asking us to go to market as Ingram Micro because they didn't know who DBL was. DBL is well known in the consumer market, but not to IT. As traditional IT starts to take on visibility with CE, we can communicate to [solution providers] that we have very strong capabilities in CE just like other capabilities like logistics, bar coding, components," Soumbasakis said.

DBL sells more than 20,000 products from 500 vendors and has about 25,000 customers, Soumbasakis said.

Ingram Micro will continue to run Avad, its other consumer-focused division, separately, Soumbasakis said. While DBL focuses on consumer appliances and accessories, like iPod headphones for example, Avad focuses on high-end home theatre and home control solutions, selling to dealers who install the products on site.

"Avad is still a very different model, a distributed model with 28 locations across North America. DBL has been migrated into Ingram's [main] warehouses," Soumbasakis said. "DBL is more similar to where Ingram goes to market."

The new Ingram Micro Consumer Electronics Division will remain located in Scottsdale, Ariz., where DBL was headquartered.

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