Eaton Power to increase channel strength

Close on the heels of launching its double conversion online UPS, Powerware
9155 aimed at protecting critical systems, Eaton Power is all set to increase
its channel partner presence in the Indian region. With a two-pronged strategy
of aligning service with sales, the company is looking forward to having an
exclusive partner network of about 70 focused players selling its products in
the Indian market.

"We are experiencing this trend where people are moving away from
standard to networked UPS. The reason is simple — the more the UPS systems,
the larger is the management needed to overlook the equipment. Riding on this
trend we are going to expand our business in untapped parts of the country by
increasing our partner network from a present 48 partners to about 70 by the end
of this year," informed, Deepak Sharma, MD, Eaton Power Quality.

Elaborating on the kind of partners the company is looking for, Deepak said
that Eaton differentiates in terms of imparting value to its channel partners by
giving them training, which then helps its partners on the service front.
"We have always believed in helping our partners move up the value chain
— service is one of the most important factors towards achieving this. So we
make sure that service and sales efforts are provided by a single partner for
us. Certainly this approach is profitable for partners in the long run," he
added.

With 30% of its revenue coming from the channel business, the company is
looking forward to growing the channel business by 50% this year. "We have
three divisions-channel sales contributing 30%, enterprise sales contributing
40% and telecom solution business contributing 30% to our annual revenue. With
the expansion in channel partners and introduction of new products, we expect to
increase the channel business contribution by 50% cent," Deepak explained.

Zia Askari