Despect Buyer's Guide Oct 2013

BUYERS’ GUIDE

Bigger and better From peripherals and printing supplies to high-end hardware, Despec’s portfolio has it all.

2014 OUTLOOK

Authorized Distributor

Africa EPZ Ltd.

BUYERS’ GUIDE Chairman’s Message

Dear friends and colleagues, Around the same time every year I am asked to convey my thoughts about Despec. This year hasdefinitely been memorable for me. I start thinking about our highlights, where we were last year, what has changed, what improvementsare we making and where we are going.

This has been a good year for Despec. Our year revenue growth of 23% in the region is encouraging, as is our revenue growth of 34% in the Southern Gulf. We are growing our offering with new brands such as SanDisk, Acer, Trust, Transcend and Pantum, as well as paper and other products. We are also increasing our coverage into Oman and Qatar, to complement our current operational capabilities in KSA, Kuwait, Jordan and Lebanon.

We believe that the Middle East Africa (MEA) region will definitely offer growth opportunities, but with its own challenges. DESPEC is still continuing to grow in East Africa.

With our new facilities ready in Dar-Es-Salaam and new offices in Kigali, Rwanda and shortly in Maputo, Mozambique, it is an exciting time in the region. Our sales team is continuously growing along with our product range. We are working hard to help develop brands such as PANTUM and TRUST regionally.

With the changes implemented in 2012, and SAP going live in 2013 we expect to be able to deliver positive results. By focusing on our ‘5R’ Strategy – Reduce, Refocus, Restabilize, Rebuild, Reaccelerate, we hope to continue to deliver excellence in operational performance against our peers.

Sustainable strengthening of profitability for Despec will have the utmost priority over any increase in revenue. Any growth opportunities in new categories that offer the prospect of a sustainable contribution to profit will be harvested, whenever possible.

We realise of course that you, our clients and partners, drive this growth. It is our fortune to work with such an esteemed group in our business. I think what makes DESPEC stand out is that we have realized that we are different from the rest. We are a family run business with family values. Although not everyone that works for DESPEC is family by dictionary definition, the ups and downs in this past year have made us grow stronger as a team, just like family.Our core company values of integrity, loyalty, reliability, honesty, excellence and transparency, resonate throughout our team. I find staff going above and beyond the call of duty, not only in the DESPEC offices but outside as well, with the spirit of giving and sharing with those less fortunate and the various cultures celebrated in all our offices. It is the bond we have with each other that gives us the edge on others. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of my staff for everything that they do for DESPEC. As management, although we may not always vocalize it, we are extremely grateful for the hard work that is put in, and DESPEC would not be the same without you.

Riyaz Jamal, Chairman DESPEC International

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Profile

DESPEC overview

DESPEC Africa FPZ Ltd. warehouse facility in Dar-es-Salaam

DESPEC is a dedicated specialist, offering a comprehensive product assortment of IT and office supplies.

DESPEC is one of the largest consumables and storage distributors in the Middle East, Mediterranean and African Region, with a growing market share.

Our head offices are in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Operating in this dynamic and continuously developing city allows DESPEC to be the gateway for a large number of resellers across MEMA. This is thanks in no small part to the UAE’s central location (regionally speaking), and its businessfriendly atmosphere.

DESPEC distributes and markets thousands of consumable office products in selected regions, from over 50 different suppliers such as Hewlett Packard, Lexmark, Samsung, SanDisk, Targus, Acer, Canon, Adata, Pantum and Symantec, to name just a few.

The business has grown over the last few years, from a central warehouse in Jebel Ali to six local in-

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country warehouses, with a combined turnover of over $125 million. By focusing on core products such consumables, accessories, paper, storage and hardware, DESPEC continuously invests in developing a high standard of logistics and e-marketing services.

DESPEC International currently employs over 200 individuals, and has its own operations in countries spanning across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. DESPEC has a growing sales team of that liaise with our partners on a daily basis. This number is expected to increase with more specialized sales staff across the region, focusing on retail as well as activity in Africa. DESPEC operations can be found in Jordan, Kenya, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Rwanda, Spain, Tanzania, Turkey, Uganda, and the United Arab Emirates.

DESPEC DESPEC embarked on its journey in the Middle East over 15 years ago, with

a core emphasis on growing the IT supplies and consumables business.

At the time, the organization served its various customers across the larger Middle East and African markets, from a central distribution base in Jebel Ali, UAE. Having started with a single facility in Jebel Ali, DESPEC now has incountry operations in all of its core markets, including fully functional offices in Riyadh (KSA), Amman and Queen Alia (Jordan), Beirut (Lebanon), Nairobi (Kenya), Dar-es-Salaam (Tanzania), Kampala (Uganda) and Jebel Ali Free Zone (UAE).

The success of DESPEC has been due to its capability to understand and focus on its market, thus serving it effectively. This has led to positive business developments with many top retailers and corporate resellers, as well as establishing incountry operations in a host of new geographic locations. A forwardthinking distributor, DESPEC remains a supporter of expanding its range of delivery options, and adopting

Profile

online sales tools in a bid to improve customer service.

DESPEC has healthy relationships with all established brands ranging across accessories, printers and IT peripherals. Some of our major achievements in the past have been exclusive distribution contracts for Wacom and Pantum in the Middle East and Africa region. DESPEC has also signed distribution contracts for HP supplies across the Middle East and East Africa, HP Printers, Norton in East Africa and Samsung consumables in KSA among many others. DESPEC also attained ADATA distribution for the Middle East and Africa as well as

distribution for accessories by Targus, and Trust.

The DESPEC channel structure comprises of VAR (value added reseller), trader, retailer and corporate specialist.

DESPEC has tie ups with almost every printing vendors for their supplies. This portfolio includes HP, Lexmark, Canon, Samsung, Tally Genicom and Printronix. On the software, storage & accessory side it has vendor partnerships with Symantec, Imation, ADATA, Verbatim and Trust the latest addition to the ever-growing list.

In terms of products, there is a big focus on the accessories

“We started 3 years ago with a simple operation in partnership with a local sub-distributor in Kenya. At the time we thought the business had maximum potential revenues of $200,000 or $300,000. We were wrong; today our operations in Africa generate approximately three million dollars a month. Naturally, East Africa now represents a huge focus area for the business with operations in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda.”

- Jaison Korath, CEO, DESPEC MERA.

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category across the group. New relationships have been forged with companies such as TDK, Targus and Trust. DESPEC has also extended its hardware range to brands such as D-Link and Tripp Lite in certain markets. In line with the company’s re-focus on niche products in Europe, DESPEC acquired a company in Spain that specializes in calculators.

As DESPEC deals with so many competing brands, the company consistently makes an effort to maintain reseller loyalty in the long term. DESPEC supports the channel by organizing brand promotions and partner training programs, as well as many other focused activities on brand awareness.

Managing the channel structure is important for DESPEC, as it is constantly working closely with the channel partner to ensure a bright future. This is done by bringing together the best of brands, services and support, making each business grow and run smoothly.

Looking forward in the sales channel, DESPEC will be exploring new Middle East operations in Iraq, Oman and Qatar, and focusing on growing thir opportunities in the retail segment in the Gulf region.

In the Middle East, DESPEC has worked on the model based on outsourcing its logistics. This has given the flexibility to have a cost structure based on an actual basis, rather than on a fixed basis. This is particularly important when looking to expanding into other countries in the region.

Furthermore, as a group, DESPEC has migrated its back office and converted to SAP. DESPEC will soon launch a functional ecommerce and customer portal experience. This will give our customers a completely superior integrated online ordering experience, an aspect which we believe is critical to customer satisfaction.

Profile

DESPEC believes that working closely with all our partners is the only way to get through tough times, and it is critical to work transparently and ethically with all parties. This helps the company to be proactive when faced with problems.

DESPEC Africa DESPEC Africa encompasses the subsidiaries in Nairobi, Dar Es Salaam, Kampala and Kigali. The company’s recent move into Africa is a testament to Despec’s commitment to better serve its customers, while leveraging market opportunities to boost the business globally.

The group initiated investments in Africa, not only because its family’s roots originate in the vast continent, but also because the team saw massive unleashed potential in the young but rapidly developing market.

DESPEC is very pleased with its performance, but believes it can do a lot more, and the management is committed to improving services.

The group has set up a regional facility with DESPEC Africa EPZ in Tanazania, which will become the regional distribution centre for East African market and will support all new investments in the region, as well as serving the East and Central Africa region. This distribution centre has been designed specifically for DESPEC and is now complete and fully functional. As a result of this partnership, DESPEC Africa EPZ is a free zone entity in the country, meaning it stock goods locally without having to adhere to the huge costs earlier associated with VAT and import duty. This also means the company can now carry additional stock at DESPEC Africa EPZ (export processing zone) to deliver products to customers across Africa at much shortened lead times (three to five days).

“We are one of the first distributors to have these discussions and initiate

this partnership with the government, believing in the benefits it will pose for the entire community.”

DESPEC has taken the logistical requirement into consideration and built a centre that will serve the region with the most efficient and effective logistical platform. This distribution centre will allow more stock to be available regionally for the channel. DESPEC is also working on a regional model with local support offices in all major cities in Eastern Africa, allowing to access the correct in-city stock.

“The thought process behind this expansion is in the demographics alone. East Africa- Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda inclusive of Ethiopia, represents a population of over 250 million people that will require IT supplies over the next 10- 15 years. In addition, over the last few years we bore witness to massive investments made by local government autho rities

“We are one of the first distributors to have these discussions and initiate this partnership with the government, believing in the benefits it will pose for the entire community. We signed the agreement with the Tanzanian government roughly three months ago, and we are in the process of building our warehouse in the EPZ in Dares-Salaam in close proximity to both sea and air ports.”

- Faisal Jamal, COO, DESPEC MERA. in Africa, in a bid to establish a robust infrastructure that ultimately resulted in most IT businesses operating the region reporting significant growth.”

The company also has plans to open up subsidiaries in Mozambique

and Ethiopia, and is actively participating in smaller trade shows and fairs located away from the larger cities, while investing in sales people based up country; away from the core cities yet closer to customers.

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Your Personal Cloud is in the Palm of Your Hand

﹝DashDrive Durable HD710﹞ ● Waterproof and Military-Grade Shockproof ● Special rubber material case with textured carbon fiber ● Hard disk drive interface : 2.5” SATA HDD

﹝DashDrive Air AE800﹞ ● Creates wireless hotspot for up to 8 devices ● Simultaneous internet access and local data stream from HDD ● Power bank (5200mAh) ● USB 3.0 Interface external HDD ● Supports iOS/Android/OS X/Window/Linux

﹝Premier Pro UHS-I U1 Class10﹞ ● Supports UHS104 ultra-high speed transfer, and the latest SD 3.0 standard ● Random R/W speed: 1300/100 IOPS

﹝XPG SX900﹞ ● LSI SandForce solution ● R/W performance up to 555/535 MB/s ● 2.5” Form factor ● 7mm with plastic holder to 9mm

﹝DashDrive Elite UE700﹞ ● Ultra high speed Read/ Write Performance up to 220/135 MB/s ● Etched aluminum housing ● Ultra-slim and elegant design ● Capless design with retractable USB connector

﹝XPG V2 DDR3 3100﹞ Designed for 4th Generation Intel Core Processors and Z87 platform ● Supports XMP ver. 1.3 (Extreme Memory Profile) ● Lead-free products are RoHS compliant ● Thermal Conductive Technology (TCT) ● Dual channel

The complete solution for your media storage

Hard Disk Drives

Optical Media

USB Drives

Memory Cards

Available in 4GB to 128GB capacities

Available in 4GB to 64GB capacities Available in bulk or blister

verbatim.com

Mitsubishi Chemical Holdings Group

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* Distributions

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s agreements for brands are country specific and are only eligible for authorized regions only

IMATION IN A FLASH Digital Content has Never Been More Portable or Secure

RIDGE

NANO PRO

MICRO SIZE USB

USB 2.0 Flash Drive

USB 2.0 Flash Drive

USB 2.0 Flash Drive

Small compact design with removable cap & strap hole

Lock password protection and rotating cap offer secure storage of your content

Micro design allows to leave the product semi-permanently in USB port

MICROSDHC & SDHC FLASH CARDS Portable Data Storage Designed for daily use with high transfer and data speeds

COOL USB 2.0 Flash Drive Small, compact design available in 3 fashionable colors

OPTICAL MEDIA

Keep Your Content Safe and Secure

by Creating Long-Lasting Archives

STEREO HEADSETS PCH 230 & 530 Stylish, lightweight & comfortable design that offers pristine sound quality, comfort and reliability. Ideal for call center, office and home use

www.imation.eu

LAPTOP BAGS

TABLET CASES

ACCESSORIES

DOCKING SOLUTIONS

USB and Flash cards storage solutions

Hard Disk Drives

Solid State Drives

Flash Cards & USB Drives

HP LTO-1

HP LTO-2

Launched 2000 200 GB Capacity

HP LTO-3

Launched 2003 400 GB Capacity

HP LTO-4

Launched 2005 800 GB Capacity WORM Capability

Launched 2007 1.6 TB Capacity 256-Bit Encryption

HP LTO-5

Launched 2010 3 TB Capacity LTFS Technology

HP LTO-6

Launched 2012. 6.25TB Capacity. 400 MB/Sec Transfer Rate

LTO-6. Revolutionary The tapes are the same size but there’s a world of difference between the first HP LTO-1 data cartridges and their new HP LTO-6 descendants.

Capacities have soared to a massive 6.25 TB. Transfer rates are up by 1900%. Add WORM, encryption and LTFS and today’s LTO-6 cartridges are nothing short of revolutionary compared to their predecessors. But whilst these features are impressive, what matters most is the safety of your data. In that regard, HP LTO-6 cartridges share the same heritage of outstanding reliability that makes HP the most popular brand of storage media in the world. Like every generation before it, we test HP LTO-6 media to extremes to make sure you have the ultra reliable data protection your business demands. So if you’re ready to evolve to LTO-6, become part of the HP family. For more information, visit hp.com/go/ltomedia.

©2012 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.

Product focus

BAMBOO PAD WIRELESS: As the name implies, this device connects to your computer wirelessly, allowing users to move it to the most comfortable position.

The Bamboo Pad Wireless supports multiple gestures for navigating using only your fingers.

Supported gestures include scroll, zoom, swipe, and select. The wireless tablet also ships with a pressure sensitive digital stylus. The pressure sensitive stylus allows you to import hand written notes, sketches, and other written content directly into digital documents, just as you would with a normal pen and paper.

The Bamboo Pad Wireless ships with a USB radio dongle to connect the device to Mac or Windows computers. The device is available in several colors including green, purple, blue, or black. It measures 5.4 x 6.5 x 0.182 0.61-inches and can be used by right or left-handed people.

Cintiq Tablets – Companion & Hybrid

Inkling Do you start your artwork with pen and paper? But then regret that your work is stuck on paper until you scan the image? Then Inkling is an indispensable tool for you. This digital sketch pen allows you to sketch with a real ballpoint pen on any paper. While you are drawing, all strokes are recorded electronically , and can be imported as raster or vector artwork into your preferred graphics application, for further editing.

There is no need to scan and redraw your sketches.

Even better, with just one button click you can record layers, for instance to separate preparatory and final drawings. These layers are then retained after import.

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Wacom is hoping to appeal to professional artists with its new pair of new high-end tablets. The Cintiq Companion family consists of two 13.3-inch devices, the Companion, which runs Windows 8, and the Companion Hybrid, running Android Jellybean.

Each tablet has a full HD display with touch control, Wi-Fi connectivity, a 2-megapixel front-facing camera and rear 8-megapixel camera, stereo headphone jack, and microphone. They also come with the Wacom Pro Pen, with 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity.

Designed with pro artists in mind, the Companion runs Windows 8 and houses a third-generation Intel Core CPU and Intel HD Graphics 4000 GPU. The base Windows 8 version houses 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD, and the Windows 8 Pro version includes 8GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD. The Cintiq Companion Hybrid packs impressive punch, running Android 4.2 and housing a Nvidia Tegra 4 CPU. The device functions as a traditional graphics tablet when connected to a Mac or PC, and works as a simple Android device when unplugged.

Product focus

Intous Pen & Touch Experience a more expressive and intuitive way of working with your computer thanks an innovative combination of pressure-sensitive pen and multi-touch capabilities in one smart device.

The pen pressure sensitive Intuos pen lets you doodle, draw, edit photos and create artwork with the natural comfort and feel of traditional brushes and pencils. Intuos Small works with scores of software applications that help you edit, perfect and have fun with digital images. Full versions of Adobe® Photoshop® Elements 10, Autodesk® Sketchbook® Express, Artrage 3 Studio and Nik® Color Efex Pro WE3 are included. A multi-touch surface lets you zoom, scroll and navigate your way around using intuitive gestures while four customizable ExpressKeys™ put your favorite shortcuts at your fingertips. This streamlined size is perfect for limited desktop areas and is easy to transport. Styled in striking silver and black, this slim comfortable tablet is designed for both right and left hand use.

Cintiq 13 HD Finally you can experience the advantages of a high-performance Cintiq in a compact, slim design and create directly onto a powerful 13.3” Full HD display. The Cintiq 13HD occupies less space on your desk, but expect nothing less than top-of-the-range performance. With its high-resolution Full HD 1920 x 1080 LED display, which renders 16.7 million colors and features a 178° viewing angle, your work will look great in any position you choose. And choose you can: not only does the detachable stand adjust to three different working angles, but you can also use the compact and slim Cintiq 13HD flat on your desktop or hold it in your lap – just like a compact, slim sketchbook. Wacom’s powerful new Pro Pen features 2048 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt recognition, and a more comfortable, ergonomic design. You can sketch, draw, paint and create directly onto screen, with more precise control and a better, more intuitive feel. Extras includes a compact carrying case with storage for extra nibs and colour rings that help you personalize and identify your pen in a matter of seconds.

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trips

DESPEC ventures around the world to make new friends Incentive Trips – Winners for Summer Promo Special: Malaysia: Oct 2012 Bali: Oct 2012 “DESPEC 2012 Summer promo special had a successful wrap up with the top achievers in UAE were entertained with 4D3N trip to KL, Penang, & Bali.”

Incentive Trips - Winners of 2012 Top Achievers: IPL 2013: May 2013 “ DESPEC rewarded its top partners with a VIP trip to the most popular cricket event of India – IPL Finale 2013. Stay at the Grand Oberoi & Club house seating, the resellers were treated with most exciting trip of the year.”

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Gala Pantum Launch Event: Feb 2013

“DESPEC launched the new printer brand of the region –PANTUM this year, with a pressconference & gala event at The Address Downtown. Partners across the UAE, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon & Iraq were specially invited to have the brand introduced to the channel officially., ”

HP Training : Tanzania: Aug 2013

“ DESPEC continued its initiative to educate its partners with an HP Training conducted at Dar-Es-Salaam. A full day training informing partners about HP supplies, product info, ACF, and sales support – was really beneficial for local reseller to get more insight into the brand and support offered by DESPEC incounty”

Pantum Training / New Series Launch : Sept 2013 “ Pantum expanded their printer range with new launch of Multi-Function Printers for the Middle East.

DESPEC organized a seminar for the printer dealers to introduce the new launch along with a training session highlighting the range and the key details about the printer models. “

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AWArds

Despec, which is focused on the after-market supplies, won the Reseller Middle East Awards in the category of ‘Peripherals and consumables distributor of the year’ this year for being the leading player in the market with partnerships with all the major printing & peripherals vendors including HP, Lexmark, Samsung, Imation & Wacom.

THE RESELLER MIDDLE EAST AWARD FOR Peripherals & Consumables Distributor of the Year WENT TO DESPEC

DESPEC was awarded the Consumables Distributor of the Year at COC 2013 by VAR MEA, for being the most active in the consumables business and for its association with leading brands in the segment.

DESPEC WINS AN AWARD AT THE CHOICE OF CHANNEL VAR CEREMONY

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Where to contact us‌

Follow us on: facebook.com/despec

twitter.com/despecint

linkedin.com/company/ despec-international-fzco

info@despec.com

www.despec.com

MODERN TECHNOLOGY EXCEPTIONAL DESIGN

BY A LEADING CONSUMER PUBLIC AT ION