ACMA tells its members to take some days off

At a time when resellers work almost 365 days a year, the Ahmedabad Computer Manufacturers Association (ACMA) is asking its members to take some days off from work. Surprised? Don't be. 

The association will soon release a calendar with a detailed list of holidays. This move was taken because partners were not taking holidays even on Gandhi Jayanti and Independence Day. Says Sanjay Tayal, VP, ACMA, "The reason partners were not taking holidays was because they were never sure that their peers were doing the same, and there was always a risk of losing a customer to competition. But now that we are coming out with a common calendar, this fear will be assuaged."

ACMA will circulate the calendar to all its members and will urge them to follow it religiously. Enforcement will not be a core issue, since the suggestion for having this calendar came from the members themselves. 

ACMA is also busying itself for a host of other activities for this fiscal. High on its agenda is organizing a panel of people who will resolve legal, excise and customs related problems of partners. "We have appointed a lawyer, with a specific rate contract for the association and its members. For a nominal sum, he will take up Section138 (payment defaults) cases for partners in the court of law," adds Sanjay. The same model will be emulated for the excise and customs problems of partners.

The association will soon have a panel discussion to explain the anomalies of the service tax and make the implications of the budget evident to members. It is also setting the ball rolling for its annual exhibition to be held in September.

Incidentally, ACMA is also galvanizing its own members to organize workshops for the members. "There is a need to educate partners about the need to upscale themselves higher on the channel chain, by offering solutions rather than boxes. Instead of outsourcing the speakers and increasing overheads for the association, we will get our own members to have periodic talks on upgrading technical and sales skill sets, which will help partners boost their business," informs Sanjay. 

RS Patani, General Secretary of ACMA, concurs that this move will help partners as they will be learning from the examples of their peers. He adds that ACMA is also trying to get members to enforce service charges, rather than offering it for free. "We will soon distribute pamphlets on the
service slabs to be levied by partners, and they will have to display this prominently in their workplaces," he states. This will bring uniformity in the unorganized service industry and will stop the rampant under-cutting for getting more orders. At the moment, Patani notes that only 35% of partners charge for the services they offer.

ACMA will also institute annual awards for its best performing members this year, informs RG Pate, President of the association. It is also offering corporate memberships to distributors and vendors, wherein they have to pay Rs 7,500 to become lifetime members of the association. This will ensure that there is fair representation from all the channel tiers. Patel also reveals that ACMA is changing its constitutional framework, so that committee members have a fixed time frame rather than becoming a permanent fixture. This will infuse new blood into the executive council periodically.

VINITA BHATIA

ACMA'S AGENDA

* Releasing a calendar with common holidays for all partners

* Organizing a panel to resolve legal, excise and customs related problems 

* Planning annual exhibition to be held in September

* Galvanizing members to organize workshops on upgradation of technical and sales skill sets

* Getting members to enforce service charges

* Offering lifetime memberships to distributors and vendors