Over the past few months, Barco has significantly expanded its network of distribution partners. Instead of selling, installing and supporting its products itself, the company relies on its trusted channel partners to ensure the availability, delivery and pre- and post-sales support for its wide range of high-quality products. In this way, Barco can optimise customer services, as its distribution partners have more resources to quickly and efficiently ship products. On top of that, its products will find their way to customers of the distributors who would not have considered Barco before.
AED Display, part of AED group, will now provide resellers, system integrators and mid-sized rental companies with access to Barco's portfolio of projection and image processing products. The partnership with AED Display is built upon many years' successful cooperation.
AED Display is part of AED group, a trendsetter in the rapidly changing European audiovisual industry. Ever since its establishment in Mechelen (Belgium) in 1986, AED group has experienced continued growth. The group recently welcomed ING Corporate Investments and Phifin as major shareholders - a development that will further boost AED's expansion.
"We are very pleased to be partnering with such an accomplished distributor," said Mark Bultinck, VP sales western Europe entertainment. "We have been working with AED group for many years now and appreciate its expertise, customer services, reliability and continuity. By joining forces, we can now offer the larger mid-segment of the Corporate AV market easier access to our products, as well as outstanding support services. Moreover, the agreement will help us strengthen our foothold in the Benelux. The cooperation will offer new opportunities for growth, for both of us."
AED Display will also store Barco's full range of projection and image processing in its large (22,000m2) warehouse in Willebroek, thus ensuring high product availability and prompt deliveries. In addition, it will offer value-added services, such as financing and credit or e-commerce.
"The AED group aims to become an 'equipment banker' that offers total solutions for the professional AV industry through a number of business concepts. This includes the rental, sales (new and second-hand), repair, logistics and the leasing of equipment. We are very excited about this partnership with Barco. Barco is really a market leader in projection and image processing and we're pleased to deliver their portfolio in the Benelux," added Thierry Heldenbergh, managing director, AED Display.
(Jim Evans)
