Western Digital Company (WDC) has appointed ACI Infocom as its third national distributor, in addition to Esys and Cyberstar Infocom. Explaining why it chose ACI as its distributor, Ajay Kapure, Country Manager, WDC says, “ACI is one of the oldest HDD distribution company in India and their market reach and relationships with resellers and OEMs is something which WDC can use to its advantage.”

WDC was present a few years ago in the country but made an exit citing reasons of unfavorable government policies. It made a comeback this year in February with the appointment of Ajay as its country manager. He is confident that gradually WDC will not only be able to build up its brand equity but also garner appreciable marketshare in the days to come. “We have registered a 100 percent growth on a month-to-month basis and this growth rate will more than double up in the near future,” adds Ajay.

Says Atul Rawal, COO, ACI Infocom, “The response to WDC HDDs has been very good from the market and I am sure it will generate good acceptability.” According to Atul, while WDC drives are excellent in quality, their relatively low prices as compared to competition may prove advantageous. “Also in the OND quarter, when there would be severe HDD shortage of other major brands, WDC would help greatly in bridging the demand-supply gap.”

Interestingly, ACI Infocom is also Seagate's national distributor and so is Esys while Cyberstar and Esys are Maxtor's distributors as well. “However, this fact would not create any brand conflicts as we would be offering customers just two choices. It is for them to decide what they want,” remarks Atul.

GOLDIE