ENTERPRISE TECHNOLOGY

Lucas Jiang , General Manager , TP-Link Middle East and Africa

TP-Link Technologies Co Ltd is a Chinese manufacturer of computer networking products based in Shenzhen , Guangdong , China . The company was founded in 1996 by two brothers , Zhao Jianjun and Zhao Jiaxing , to produce and market a network card they had developed . Today , TP-Link products include high speed cable modems , wireless routers , mobile phones , ADSL , range extenders , routers , switches , IP cameras , powerline adapters , print servers , media converters , wireless adapters , power banks , USB hub and smart home technology devices . The company sells its wide array of products through multiple sales channels globally , including traditional retailers , online retailers , wholesale distributors , direct market resellers ( DMRs ), value-added resellers ( VARs ), systems integrators ( SIs ) and broadband service providers . Recently , Lucas Jiang , General Manager , TP-Link Middle East and Africa ( MEA ), spoke to Manda Banda about the company ’ s plans for the regional channel and how it is navigating the COVID-19 pandemic challenges to ensure that partners grow their business and remain profitable .

Talk us through the state of the channel market in the Middle East at the moment ?

During the past year , the Middle East saw extensive lockdowns that eventually led to changing consumer attitudes and created a shift in activities such as shopping , meetings and learning , moving all these to online channels . The decrease in spending reflects more cautious attitudes and also the direct hits that many people ’ s incomes have taken since the pandemic started . The priority for channel partners in the new normal remains to manage the immediate effects of the pandemic on consumer demand . This has been a period of pride for us as our staff , and our extensive partner base left no stone unturned to make customers ’ buying journey as seamless as possible , even during this time of crises . We are realigning our business strategies to reflect today ’ s market priorities and we look forward to resuming full-fledged business and working face-to-face with our partners to deliver quality solutions to our esteemed customers .

What has been TP-Link ’ s focus in 2021 and how has the company navigated the COVID-19 pandemic ?

From the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic , the demand for networking products for home use rose exponentially . Adding to this was the fact that many people intend to shift or have already shifted from a flat to a villa or from a small flat to a bigger one across the Middle East . TP-Link offers a portfolio of products that meet the networking needs arising from the pandemic with our SOHO , Omada and VIGI solutions . We

INTELLIGENT

INTELLIGENT TECH CHANNELS TECH CHANNELS Issue 39 19