March 15, 2018 | CRN
Marco Kuhn, sales manager and authorized signatory of bb-net, explains why the lucrative market for used hardware still has a lot of potential in the future and how specialist retailers can tap into it.
CRN: Mr. Kuhn, your company grew strongly again in 2017 and received several awards. So what is your conclusion for bb-net and the market for used IT?
Marco Kuhn: The sustained growth of the last few years continued for us in 2017. The renewed placement among the Focus growth champions confirms that the market for refurbished hardware continues to grow and that our quality-oriented approach with our own brand tecXL is the right one.
CRN: Can this upward trend continue?
Kuhn: We are striving for similar growth rates in the coming years and are already preparing for this with new investments. At the end of this year, there is a change in the business premises and the associated optimization of internal processes within procurement, production and goods logistics. In addition, new positions have been created in almost all departments for which we are looking for motivated employees.
CRN: Was the wave of companies switching to Windows 2017 hoped for in 10 and the associated replacement of hardware as big as expected?
Kuhn: No, as many companies postpone the associated financial expense, this change will extend to 2018. Thus, the change is spread over a longer period of time. However, this development is not a problem for us. With the expansion of the project business and improved procurement processes in our company, we were able to win significantly more long-term partners and thus cover the increased demand for goods.
CRN: How has poor availability and high prices for flash storage products such as SSDs and RAM affected your business, where upgrade is an important part?
Kuhn: When the price increase was announced in the last quarter of 2016, we were able to stock up on some components and secure fixed purchase conditions until mid-2017. With a mixed calculation and acquisitions in the second half of the year, we were able to counteract a large price jump. However, it was not possible for us to continue without a price adjustment. However, this was communicated openly with our customers and had no negative effects on demand.