Erik Cagle
Business Profile
Hytec Dealer Services Uses Dealer Programs, Technical Proficiency to Dominate Circuit Board Space In Orlando, Florida, there’s a magical place where the unimaginable is possible and dreams can become reality. Its customers always rave about the experience, and more likely than not, a huge smile crosses their face with almost child-like glee in the aftermath. Should they ever return—and most vow they will—they can be assured of complete and utter satisfaction.
W
e’re talking, of course, about the happiest place in the world of printed circuit boards (PCBs): Hytec Dealer Services. Parking is free, but clients never actually step onto the property or pay $8 for a Coke. There’s nothing goofy about this 35-year-old provider of component-level support and solutions to nationwide dealer field techs. Hytec’s proficiency is a highly specific and technical one. Ever since its beginning as a spinoff from Delta Business Systems, when it performed circuit board repairs for Canon and Sharp equipment, Hytec has sought to make life easier for its dealer partners and their field techs in the trenches. Today, the company provides repair and replacement board services for virtually every manufacturer serving the office technology universe. In fact, Hytec is authorized by Canon, Sharp, Toshiba, Ricoh and Konica Minolta, but it also supports Kyocera and HP—with an eye toward becoming authorized in the future—notes Emily Rodriguez, sales manager for the company’s dealer division. The authorized status is no small matter when it comes to circuit board repairs and replacements. This is critical in enabling field techs to improve and maintain their first-call effectiveness. “We get the manufacturer’s schematics and engineering support, and have access to all of their technical publications, modifications and software that they’re sending out. Not to mention we’re using genuine OEM parts,” Rodriguez noted. “That keeps the dealer UL-compliant and makes for a better product, better repair and a solution that’s going to last longer in the field. 34
•
www.enxmag.com | February 2020
We collect the repair diagnostics and share them with the manufacturers on a quarterly basis. So their engineering departments and support groups can look at the data that is critical for determining if they need to make modifications on a specific product.”
Nuts and Bolts of Boards
Hytec is hardly a one-trick pony. Roughly 75% of its business covers circuit boards, staplers, fusers and server repairs. The company also offers replacement hard drives for imaging products, along with data security services—Hytec Drive Secure—for wiping hard drives clean and, if needed, destroying the drives in a large industrial shredder (more on this shortly). In addition to supporting office technology dealers, Hytec has branched out into other verticals with the same servicing needs, including banking (ATM machines), retail and medical, among others. Making life easier for customers by acting as a one-stop resource in these technical areas, particularly for multi-line dealers, is one of Hytec’s chief objectives. Just last year, the company inked an exclusive distribution agreement with AMETEK Electronic Systems Protection to provide their line of power filters. “We thought it was a good combination to provide full-circle support to dealers with solutions to protect equipment from outside electrical influence, along with technical support for troubleshooting problems and repair options,” Rodriguez said. All of Hytec’s “magic” begins with its 130-plus crew of talented professionals housed in the company’s 60,000-square-
Emily Rodriguez, Hytec Dealer Services
foot facility. Their task? Providing the service and support that enables dealer partners to reduce costs in their own service divisions. Rodriguez credits company President Eric Auman with the way Hytec has grown and flourished by listening to the needs of customers while educating and training its force to deliver quality service, backed by the latest technology. Of course, it certainly helps to have tenured team members, and Hytec’s technical department members boast an average of 10 years with the firm. This is critical in a niche industry that calls for a particular technical acumen. “We have been able to develop specific skill sets that are not really learned elsewhere, because our industry is so different and unique,” she said. “We’re always striving to see how we can improve our game. When we’re on the road at trade shows or visiting dealers, we listen to their pain points and ideas to make their jobs easier. Then we bring those ideas back and work on different ways to serve them more effectively.”
We Saw It In ENX Magazine
continued on page 36