Locally based distributor, CMS Peripherals, which has its head Irish office in Kiltimagh — and its managing director is from Mayo — has become the largest independent data storage distributor in the UK and Ireland after its acquisition of CCI Distribution, a storage distributor based in Harrogate, north Yorkshire. Following the acquisition, CMS Peripheral’s annual revenue is forecast at €145 million.
Founder and managing director of the company Frank Salmon, a Knock native, established the company 23 years ago in his home county. Initially four people were employed in the company in Kiltimagh, with a sizeable growth to 50 in employment there at present. More than 175 staff are currently employed in the company’s offices.
Speaking to the Mayo Advertiser Mr Salmon said that with the company’s growth there will be job opportunities, but we “haven’t identified yet how many jobs will come on stream in Kiltimagh”, however Mr Salmon said that an announcement will be made on this in the coming weeks.
Mr Salmon said that this is the “start of a new journey” for CMS. It is the first acquisition which “reaffirms our positive commitment to the storage industry”. Commenting on the acquisition, Mr Salmon said: “We saw a great opportunity to buy a like-minded, successful distribution business that would offer our customers a broader range of storage solutions.”
Mr Salmon also spoke about the “aggressive growth plan” despite the economic climate. “The acquisition will also support our three-year business objective of 20 per cent annual growth that would take us to turnover of €250 million.
“This segment of the industry has been fortunate,” said Mr Salmon, as there has been an upsurge in demand for storage solutions and now the “acquisition will give a competitive advantage” in comparison to his peers’ growth which will in turn lead to a “broader portfolio” and increase CMS’s market share.
CMS Peripherals, a subsidiary of the StorIT Group was established in 1988, it represents more than 40 key manufacturers and offers 3,000 plus products.
The CMS team are experts in the area of storage solutions across a wide spectrum, everything from an individual managing music and digital images to a company meeting its data obligations. It is the preferred distributor for some of the best known IT brands.
The decision to buy CCI Distribution was based on several inherent synergies between the two organisations: Salmon added: “CCI Distribution will become an integral part of our business and an important contributor to our number one status in the storage market. We’re delighted to have its entire team join us as CMS Peripherals moves to the next level.”
Both firms focus heavily on delivering exceptional customer service, a differentiating factor when competing with broadline distributors. Their combined product portfolio has minimal overlap and addresses the entire spectrum of data storage needs of small, medium and large businesses. Both organisations will benefit from the synergies of their combined buying power which translates into cost savings that can be passed onto customers, ensuring the business remain highly competitive.
“Onwards and upwards,” Mr Salmon concluded.
