World Data Products - Saving Customers Money With "Hardware Life Cycle Management"

Since 1987, World Data Products has been an industry leader in reselling and leasing refurbished, used, and new server, storage and network equipment. The company specializes in refurbished hardware customized to the needs of individual customers. By providing "factory fresh" product that's been fully tested, World Data Products has built a loyal base of over 4,000 customers– from corporate IT managers to government agencies.

Marketing Manager, Jim Keister, credits the company's long-term success to its emphasis on customer service and ability to help customers stretch their IT budgets:

"World Data Products works with all stages of 'hardware life cycle management.' We help customers plan for both short and long-term needs. Often, we can offer better and less expensive alternatives to the hardware a customer was considering at first."

World Data Products maintains a multimillion-dollar inventory and managing it is one of the company's biggest challenges. That's one reason the company has been a Tradeloop member since 1998, he says:

"We use Tradeloop as a buying and selling resource. We're always looking to Tradeloop to buy components we need. When we're running low on inventory, we can quickly find it there. Likewise, it's a great place to move our excess inventory"

The company often has inventory to sell because of its long-term customer relationships, Keister explains. When hardware has reached the end of its usable life, World Data Products purchases the old system and helps the customer plan for upgrades. "We help customers plan a new system, manage the hardware through its lifecycle, buy it back later, and plan a new system. We help the same customers with multiple hardware life cycles."

Planning and system customization are the major attraction to many customers, but World Data Products offers other services as well. Keister says they offer added value without adding to the price:

• Industry-certified technicians and partnerships with other certified companies all over the country.
  
• The ability to help deploy or install hardware.
  
• On-site analysis of customer needs.
  
• Overnight replacement of parts needing repair to minimize customer downtime.

That last item is hardly ever a problem, he notes, because the company's failure rate is less than 1%. Keister credits the "crack technical team" at World Data Products:

"The key is testing and attention to details. When we sell a product, it's like it came from the factory. Maybe even better, because most factories don't test each individual unit and we do. "

Twenty-three years of industry experience has taught the company the value of long-term customer relationships and Keister stresses that World Data Products is committed to helping its customers "get more for less."

"Our success is due to our customers' loyalty. They keep coming back because we provide warrantied hardware at savings of up to 50% over new. We save customers money because we supply hardware that's as good – or better – than new and have the experience needed to help customers define their hardware needs."

Does your company have a story to tell? Contact us at Tradeloop if you'd like us to profile your company.