Western Region Special: Ahmedabad

Naishad Diwanji       

COMPANY: Pace Computer Consultants

FOUNDED: 1985

BUSINESS AREA: Systems integration, service and consultancy

STRENGTHS: One of the first computers sellers in the city, Naishad has built a good reputation for his company among users and peers. Since Pace started as a maintenance company, it has a lot of long-standing customers, which tide it through good times and bad.

WEAKNESSES: Pace does not do any business in cash, so that there is complete accountability for every transaction. But this also means that the company loses some orders where customers prefer paying by cash.

MOTTO: Stay focussed and you will not falter

PLANS: To help Pace adopt promptly to rapidly changing times, by focusing more on profitability rather than emotions.

TURNOVER (2003-04): Rs 8.4 crore

EXPECTED TURNOVER (2004-05): Rs 12 crore

OFFICES: 2

Sanjay Tayal        

COMPANY: Emerald Infocom

FOUNDED: 1992

BUSINESS AREA: Dealing in USB products, TV tuner cards, duplicators, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi peripherals for Intel, Gemini, Krone, Samsung, Bafo and Acard

STRENGTHS: Not getting in the rat race, Emerald focuses only on niche technologies and products, and exclusive tie-ups with vendors. It also focuses more on existing customers for all its products, rather than selling to new buyers

WEAKNESSES: Dealing with select products limits Emerald's reach in the
market

MOTTO: Concentrate on your core competencies and everything else will fall in place

PLANS: To introduce at least four new products every quarter, thereby enhancing the current portfolio

TURNOVER (2003-04): Rs 2.5 crore

EXPECTED TURNOVER (2004-05): Rs 3 crore

OFFICES: 1

Rushikesh Patani      

COMPANY: Fortune Infotech

FOUNDED: 1990

BUSINESS AREA: Hardware integration for mid-sized corporates and SOHO

STRENGTHS: Since Fortune has its focus clear, it has managed to build up a good database of customers who are a
source of repeat business.

WEAKNESSES: Fortune relies entirely on word-of-mouth publicity rather than paid customer relation building programs

MOTTO: Be dependable and the customers will keep coming back

PLANS: Fortune plans to target large-sized corporates and governmental institutions

TURNOVER (2003-04): Rs 70 lakh

EXPECTED TURNOVER (2004-05): Rs 80 lakh

OFFICES: 2

RG Patel       

COMPANY: Parr Computers

FOUNDED: 1990

BUSINESS AREAS: Systems integration of PC and 'Parr' laptops, partnering with Microtek, Wipro, Microsoft, Acer, LG,
HP, Samsung and
Mercury

STRENGTHS: Parr has its own excise-paid manufacturing unit and does only legal business with good documentation

WEAKNESSES: Parr does most of its business with the channel community and therefore its exposure to end-users is
minimal

MOTTO: Think ahead to stay ahead

PLANS: Go for complete solutions offerings, along with its distributing 'Parr' branded products in the
country

TURNOVER (2003-04): Rs 5 crore

EXPECTED TURNOVER (2004-05): Rs 5.5 crore

OFFICES: 1

CHANNEL SNAPSHOTS: Ahmedabad

At a time when resellers work almost 365 days a year, the Ahmedabad Computer
Manufacturers Association is asking its members to take some days off from work.

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 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 anamolies 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 skillsets, 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. 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 Patel, 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.

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

PRESIDENT: RG Patel

VP: Sanjay Tayal

SECRETARY: Rushikesh Patani

JOINT SECRETARY: Narendra Bhetharia

TREASURER: Hemant Jain