L-R: Johnson Hsiung (Bluechip Infotech) , Matt Milne, Brad Milne (MIA Distribution)
Bluechip Infotech is on the hunt for a bigger warehouse and office premises in New Zealand following the acquisition of unified communications (UC) specialist, MIA Distribution.
The two companies announced the acquisition agreement last month and expect to finalise the integration process during the next three to four months.
Bluechip managing director Johnson Hsiung revealed there was a big potential to leverage its Soft Solutions acquisition and expand unified communications across the region, especially as opportunities open up across the IT and telco/UC market.
“We have known each other for the past six years and we were a MIA customer especially buying Yealink and Jabra products,” he said. “The timing was right and there was a good synergy between the two companies to come together and go to the next stage.”
Brad Milne kickstarted MIA with $2,000 and a backpack in 2011 alongside his brother, Matt and has maintained the ‘family’ business culture throughout its journey. Bluechip will absorb the full complement of MIA Distribution staff who will run the UC business unit, with Hsiung saying it will be “business as usual”.
“It’s now turned into one of the biggest UC specialist distributors, exceptionally well known in the country, and now joining a multimillion dollar organisation,” Milne said. “I'm exceptionally excited to see where we can get the business to.”
MIA co-owner and sales director, Matt Milne added it had aspirations to branch outside of the Australian market, take on the whole region and grow with its vendors.
Some of these key vendors include Yealink, Jabra, CommBox, Ribbon and Lenovo with its Google Meet Series One room kits.
“Bluechip also gives us access to over 1500 MSPs so we can really drive that same strategy we have in MIA to the rest of the Bluechip channel,” Milne said.
“We want to have good quality UC vendor relationships and really ride this UC wave over the next three to four years and to become a well established UC distributor under Bluechip.
Milne said it was also building up its professional services play on behalf of channel partners - whether that involves provisioning handsets, video conferencing devices, or actually undertaking physical installations on behalf of channel partners.
“That's something that we will also look to grow out as part of not just the hardware distribution, but a whole value add wrap around that,” Milne said.
“A lot of the bigger IT distributors just kind of blend in UC with AV and don't really have a core strategy.
“Bluechip has seen the opportunity to make it a division of their company and keep that niche focused on that specialist area.”
