Handheld expands in the UK

The Handheld Group, manufacturer of rugged PDAs and mobile devices, continues its expansion with a new office in the UK. The new subsidiary, Handheld UK &  Ireland Ltd, will cover the key UK and Irish markets and will enable Handheld, the fastest growing global manufacturer of rugged handheld devices, to support existing and new partners generate new business opportunities in the expanding UK market. The UK office is Handheld's fourth new subsidiary in the past 12 months.

 
Following demand from existing partners, resellers and customers the new UK office, located centrally in Leamington Spa and close to Birmingham Airport, will strengthen Handheld's growing reseller network and customer base in the UK and Ireland. Product support, service, marketing and sales related services are all areas where existing and new customers will see immediate benefits. 

"The need for mobility is increasing in today's working environment, especially outside the traditional office environment, creating a growing demand for Handheld's products," said Jerker Hellstrm, CEO, Handheld Group. "Increasing availability and affordability of wireless broadband is driving market growth of rugged mobile computers and handheld devices." 

Handheld UK will be managed by industry veteran Dave Cawsey. Prior to joining Handheld, Dave held senior UK, international and global management positions in a number of enterprise mobility solutions vendors and joins the Handheld Group with twenty-plus years of operational and sales experience in rugged mobility solutions.

"The opening of a UK office is a strategic move by Handheld to strengthen and grow presence in one of Europe's largest and most important markets for rugged mobile computers," said Dave Cawsey, Managing Director, Handheld UK & Ireland Ltd.  "UK and Irish enterprises understand the competitive edge, improvements in customer service and profitability gained from a reliable and durable mobile workforce solution; Combine this with the broadest range of rugged products and services available, make a partnership with Handheld a strong, long term business proposition for any enterprise mobility solution provider or reseller."

Handheld recently strengthened its presence in the important German, Austrian and Swiss markets with the acquisition of TimbaTec, the hardware division of its distribution partner Latschbacher GmbH. TimbaTec has now transitioned to Handheld Germany GmbH and Handheld Swiss GmbH, both fully owned by Handheld Group. 

With the new office in the UK, the Handheld Group now has eight subsidiaries in addition to the group's headquarters in Sweden: in Finland, UK, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Australia and the USA. Four of these were added in the last twelve months alone. Handheld is the fastest growing manufacturer of rugged handheld devices in the world.

Handheld's line-up of rugged PDAs and mobile computers are specifically developed for use in tough environments in industries such as mining, geomatics, logistics, forestry, public transportation, construction, utilities, maintenance, military, and security.