Intermec Reboots Channel Efforts At Partner Conference

"We are strengthening our focus on the channel to improve the ease of doing business with Intermec," said Jim McDonnell, senior vice president of global sales at Everett, Wash.-based Intermec, a publicly traded manufacturer of automated identification and data capture (AIDC) equipment.

Ex-HP sales executive McDonnell joined Intermec some weeks ago and has teamed up with another HP veteran, Scott Anderson, for the rollout of Intermec's new PartnerNet global channel program. PartnerNet was introduced earlier this month at Intermec's annual partner conference, held this year in Orlando, Fla.

Anderson, who runs global channels for Intermec and has ownership of PartnerNet, said Intermec has added a partner track for independent software vendors (ISVs) while also beefing up support and benefits for traditional value-added resellers of Intermec's rugged mobile computers and other products.

"Our focus is driving growth in the channel. Our goal is for 80 percent-plus of our business to go through the channel this year," Anderson said, describing PartnerNet's objectives of providing "better predictability, profitability and growth for partners."

Part of the reason for adding the partner track for ISVs was to help Intermec VARs coordinate better with such companies in delivering Intermec-based IT solutions, Anderson said. VARs reselling Intermec hardware can achieve double-digit margins, but "the real money is for VARs selling in concert with an ISV, and margins can reach two to three times that," he said.

Anderson pointed to some specific areas where he said PartnerNet improves upon Intermec's previous partner program framework. These include more efficient project registration, a new Partner Relationship Management (PRM) system, performance-based rewards that blend into a tiering system for partners, and more predictable account management.

Some 550 Intermec partners attended the three-day Orlando partner conference, according to McDonnell.