Ingram Micro Service Network Signs Warranty Service Deals With Xerox, Sony

"The real significance is that IMSN is recognized as a national service provider. Gaining that recognition from key manufacturers like Xerox and Sony is a big win for us," said Kevin Murai, co-president of the Santa Ana, Calif.-based distributor. "This is a true recognition of a seamless nationwide service organization, not viewed as 600 individual service providers."

IMSN will be authorized to service Xerox printers and Sony Vaio desktops and notebooks, Murai said. The Sony authorization is a limited rollout, but the distributor hopes it will lead to bigger things, he added.

"It's a road test with Sony, and we are confident that it will expand beyond that limited scope," Murai said.

Moontasir Dbeis, president of CS&S Computer Systems, a Tempe, Ariz.-based solution provider, services Xerox and Sony products out of warranty and hopes to pick up some warranty services business through the new IMSN deals.

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"We have people now that want us to support the products," Dbeis said, explaining that it takes too long for manufacturers to service the products directly. "The loss of data is critical to them, and they are willing to pay us to retrieve it quickly." About 30 percent of CS&S Computer Systems' service revenue comes from break-fix jobs, he said.

Murai said he couldn't provide more details about the Xerox and Sony deals because the contracts haven't been finalized. However, he said national warranty authorizations are part of Ingram Micro's strategy to increase the service capabilities of its solution providers.

"Our real goal is to make it easy for our partners to gain certifications. The end game we want is for all of our partners to be certified," Murai said. "We're always looking for opportunities for services and introducing new manufacturers. We would entertain any opportunity."

ISMN handles roughly 30,000 service calls a year, about 20 percent of which are calls from other solution providers to handle warranty claims, according to Ingram Micro.