JOHANNESBURG – February 17, 2016 – Hitech-Gregfor (PTY) Ltd, a leader in South Africa in the sheet metal manufacturing, data centre integration and ITC industries, has received Elite Partner status on the APC by Schneider Electric channel partner programme, gaining special access to a wide variety of Schneider Electric IT solutions,services, training and resources.
“As a partner focused business, Schneider Electric channels most of its business through its partners,” explains Bruce Grobler, vice president for the IT business unit in southern Africa. “Hitech-Gregfor has been accredited in the data centre space as an Elite Partner to scope, develop and design data centres to the Schneider Electric standard, allowing us to become involved in large projects with confidence.”
The certification follows hot on the heels of Hitech-Gregfor’s “newcomer award”, which the company received at the APC by Schneider Electric channel partner programme award ceremony at the end of last year.
The Elite Partner accreditation is the highest of the four certifications granted by the APC by Schneider Electric channel partner programme, the other being Select Partner and Premier Partner.
The programme levels are determined by the competence of the partner, concentration and commitment level including continuing education requirements, business plan and annual sales.
Brenden Phaal, director at Hitech-Gregfor, adds: “We are most pleased with the certification and, as brand ambassadors for Schneider Electric, we look forward to strengthening our relationship with our end users by offering them Schneider Electric’s solutions.”
Hitech-Gregfor recently completed a data centre project at the Wits IBM Watson Research Centre in Johannesburg utilising both Schneider Electric’s knowledge and solutions. “IBM research centres are located globally and serve as research hubs into business and scientific technology. The company’s vision was to set up a pan-Africa institution with multiple facilities serving the entire continent and, at the start of last year, we became part of the lab’s data centre deployment project,” says Phaal.
The data centre utilises the following APC by Schneider Electric equipment: hot aisle containment, building of the pod, three MGE Galaxy 5500 120kVA 400V integrated parallel UPSs, the installation of two PDPs and an external bypass panel, as well as eight in row cooling units.
“Sharing the same values as our partners matches our focus on sharing common business interests – something we have certainly realised in Hitech-Gregfor,” concludes Grobler.
Highlights for Elite Partners include receiving preferential pricing, access to marketing development funds and training and marketing resources, accreditation and acknowledgement of competencies as a system integrator for data centres on identification, development and design, and priority technical and sales support.
About Schneider Electric
Schneider Electric is the global specialist in energy management and automation. With revenues of €25 billion in FY2014, our 170,000 employees serve customers in over 100 countries, helping them to manage their energy and process in ways that are safe, reliable, efficient and sustainable. From the simplest of switches to complex operational systems, our technology, software and services improve the way our customers manage and automate their operations. Our connected technologies will reshape industries, transform cities and enrich lives. At Schneider Electric, we call this Life Is On.
Contacts
Schneider Electric, Isabel Mwale, +27 (0) 11 254 6400, isabel.mwale@schneider-electric.com
PR Connections, Debbie Sielemann, +27 (0) 82 414 4633, schneider@pr.co.za