NEW YEAR, NEW DEVELOPMENTS FOR HAND HELD PRODUCTS

Hand Held Products, the world's leading supplier of image-based data  capture solutions, has adopted a dramatic new approach to sales and distribution for 2006.  The company has been reviewing its comprehensive network of partners, and has subsequently developed a new, distribution-led system.

Roel Vreeburg, Senior Vice President for International Sales, Marketing and Services in EMEA and Asia, explains: "We decided to change our route to market by reducing the number of direct partners we use in the UK and Ireland, and by focusing more on partners that will use our comprehensive distribution network."

The company will retain some direct partners, who are 'champions' in their particular vertical markets.  They will be re-launched as 'Business Solution Partners', and will buy solutions directly from Hand Held Products.  Other partners now become 'Business Partners', and will buy their solutions from one of the company's distributors.  Both sets of partners will enjoy a range of exclusive benefits and support from Hand Held Products.

Roel Vreeburg continues: "We've made this change because we want to ensure that our distribution network deals directly with most of the partner base.  Ultimately, we want to develop firm relationships with the distributors by providing them with extra revenues - without any detrimental effect on our partners.  We are now actively promoting and recruiting new Business Partners who fit in with our route to market and our business culture.  We will then help them to grow and become Business Solutions Partners."

He concludes: "This new approach will ensure that our partner base receives an even more efficient level of service for product ordering, as our distributors carry a wide range of our products."