SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 20, 2006 (PRIMEZONE) -- GTDC SUMMIT -- Buffalo Technology, a global leader in the design, development and manufacturing of wireless and wired networking, storage and memory solutions today announced that it is a recipient of the Global Technology Distribution Council's inaugural Rising Star Award for outstanding sales growth through IT distributors. The GTDC presented the award to Makoto Maki, president and CEO of Melco Holdings. Inc., parent company of Buffalo Technology, at GTDC's annual Summit event, held this year at San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel, Sept. 19-20, and attended by the world's leading IT vendors and distributors.
The GTDC, whose member distributors represent more than $80 billion in annual sales, created the Rising Star Awards because of the impressive success companies like Buffalo Technology are having in partnership with IT distributors. Reflected in the theme of this year's conference, GTDC Summit 2006: The New Wave of Growth in Distribution, the value proposition of IT distributors has never been more pronounced, especially considering the renewed industry emphasis on reseller channel services, supply chain efficiency and cost management. Buffalo's performance attests to the excellent demand for its products as well as the pivotal role of distributors in reaching and supporting diverse end-user markets.
Tracking the Results: NPD Service Reports IT Distributor Sales by Product Category
Sales results for Rising Star award winners are based on actual revenue growth over the past year, as reported by a leading consumer and retail information company, The NPD Group, in its Distributor Track(r) service. Available by subscription, the Distributor Track aggregates distributor sell-through data to enable sharp insight into channel sales and pricing trends with the ability to drill down into product subcategories, including detailed attributes based on specific areas of interest. To be eligible for a Rising Star award, vendors are required to have sold corresponding products through IT distributors for a minimum of one year with at least 20% year-over-year sales growth for hardware manufacturers and 15% year-over-year sales growth for software publishers. The hardware category includes separate awards for vendors with $20 million to $100 million in annual sales and those with more than $100 million in sales.
"We are very pleased about this award for it affirms our commitment to providing the right solutions for our distribution and reseller partners," stated Makoto Maki, president and CEO of Melco Holdings. Inc. "Our team has worked very hard to build relationships with the key distributors. It is an honor to be recognized by such an esteemed organization as the Global Technology Distribution Council."
"Key to success for any IT manufacturer is its relationships with distributors and the sales success of those distributors," said Tim Curran CEO at GTDC. "Buffalo Technology is very deserving of this award for it has a long standing reputation for delivering best-of-breed solutions that meet market demands and enable its distributors to achieve significant and positive sales results."
About The Global Technology Distribution Council
The Global Technology Distribution Council (GTDC) is a worldwide industry association dedicated to defining and promoting the role of wholesale distribution in a successful and healthy information technology channel. The Council is comprised of the computer industry's top wholesale distributors dedicated to serving "the channel," a network of skilled value-added resellers and retail stores focused on providing hardware, software, and services to businesses and consumers around the globe.
About Buffalo Technology
Buffalo Technology (USA), Inc., based in Austin, Texas, is a leading global provider of award-winning networking, memory, storage and multi-media solutions for the home and small business environments as well as for system builders and integrators. With almost three decades of networking and computer peripheral experience, Buffalo has proven its commitment to delivering innovative, best-of-breed solutions that have put the company at the forefront of infrastructure technology. For more information about Buffalo Technology and its products, please visit www.buffalotech.com.