NEWS
Mitel and
Westcon-
Comstor
partner to
enhance
opportunities
in Germany
Advanon and Wirecard
partner to launch German
online factoring platform
M
itel, a global leader in business
communications, has announced a
partnership with Westcon-Comstor, a leading
technology distributor. Westcon-Comstor
will distribute Mitel’s portfolio of on-site
and cloud-based communications and
collaboration solutions in the German market.
As companies increasingly look to new
technology solutions to help digitally
transform their businesses, demand for
seamless communications and collaboration
grows. Channel partners are looking for
best-in-class solutions that maximise this
opportunity. Mitel will work closely with
Westcon-Comstor to address this need in the
mid-large size enterprise market via its broad
on-site portfolio and applications.
Westcon-Comstor will gradually expand
into Mitel’s cloud-based offering in order to
take advantage of the strong momentum in
cloud adoption across Germany.
“With its market-leading position and
extensive offering of on-site and cloud
solutions, Mitel has an extremely attractive
portfolio that allows us to address SMEs and
enterprises alike,” said Marianne Nickenig,
Senior General Manager, UCC at Westcon-
Comstor, DACH & EE.
“Mitel’s ability to support the requirements
of businesses with both models gives us and
our customers the flexibility and choice to
meet the needs of today and tomorrow.”
Manuel Ferre Hernandez, Sales Director,
Mitel Germany, added: “With Westcon-
Comstor, reseller partners in Germany will be
able to strengthen their offerings with our
cloud-capable solutions and ultimately build
a sustainable business. Together, we will offer
end customers the best path to the cloud,
through a powerful sales and service network
and a broad portfolio of solutions.”
8
INTELLIGENTCIO
W
irecard is supporting Advanon’s
entry into the German market. As
the leading platform for invoice financing
in Switzerland, Advanon offers small
and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
in Germany the opportunity to digitally
pre-finance their invoices. Advanon buys
all of a company’s receivables against
third parties and settles the outstanding
amount in real-time. As a cooperative
partner, the Wirecard Bank supports
Advanon by placing its German full bank
licence at the company’s disposal as
well as by assuming responsibility for
payment processing.
In 2016, the German factoring industry
recorded turnover of approximately EUR
216.9 billion. Nearly 30,000 customers
took advantage of factoring for funding
purposes as an alternative to short-term
bank loans. Advanon has recognised this
trend. After a successful launch and track
record in the Swiss market, the company
will now offer German SMEs cost-efficient,
rapid invoice financing. Advanon’s
online factoring platform is an online
marketplace where SMEs can secure
funding from investors for outstanding
customer invoices in real-time.
Phil Lojacono, CEO and Co-founder at
Advanon: “Late payments are one of
the main problems that SMEs face. At
the same time, short-term bank loans
can be quite costly in terms of time
frame and conditions. Many banks only
accept claims starting from a six-figure
sum; however, at Advanon, we welcome
invoices with small amounts. We have
the vision of enabling SMEs to fully focus
on their growth and we look forward to
implementing the business model with a
strong partner like Wirecard.”
Thorsten Holten, Executive Vice President
Sales Financial Institution and FinTech
Europe at Wirecard, added: “Current
statistics reveal that the factoring industry
is undergoing a huge transformation,
above all in the SMEs segment. As a
leading supplier of digital financial
technology, we are delighted to play a
part in shaping this development.”
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