In the fiercely competitive world of information technology the Chinese brand Lenovo has recently taken over from its equally illustrious competitor Hewlett Packard (HP) as the world’s leading seller of computers, a circumstance that is not without significance even for the miniscule Guyana information technology industry.
Two Guyanese companies, Starr Computers and Vishnu Panday & Associates Inc are associated with the brand, the two being Lenovo’s only service centres in the country.
During the third quarter of this year Lenovo sold 13.7 million computers compared with 13.5 million sold by HP and both Starr and Vishnu Panday & Associates told Stabroek Business that they are proud to be associated with the brand.
Industry reports on the Lenovo brand suggest that its fortunes have been significantly enhanced since its acquisition of highly reputable American brand, IBM in 2005 and the subsequent expansion of its manufacturing base to locations in China, Germany, Japan, Brazil and Mexico.
While several large technology companies are either downsizing or remaining static, Lenovo is in the process of setting up a new manufacturing plant in the United States. Starr General Manager Rehman Majeed told Stabroek Business that the company was aware of the recent leapfrogging of HP by Lenovo as the biggest selling computer globally.
He endorsed the view that the brand had benefited from the acquisition of IBM adding that Starr had begun to offer Lenovo products since 2006 and later become the company’s authorized service centre and channel partner in 2007.
Majeed said the Lenovo Think Pad had become “one of Starr’s bigger and most reliable sellers” in the local IT market. According to Majeed, Starr has built up a corps of Lenovo-certified technicians which enables the company to provide a professional service for the Lenovo brand.
Yashwantie Doobay
Vishnu Panday and Associates Chief Executive Officer Yashwantie Doobay tgold Stabroek Business that while the company has not been officially notified of Lenovo’s accomplishment it was nonetheless good news. Ms Doobay said that vishnu Panday and Associates had had a long association with IBM and was pleased to note that the reputation of the brand had remained intact in the wake of the Lenovo takeover.
