Tech Pacific
Encyclopedia
Tech Pacific functioned as an Asian-Pacific IT
wholesale distributor with offices throughout Australia
, New Zealand
, Singapore
, Malaysia, Thailand
, India
and Hong Kong
.
Jim Kennedy founded Tech Pacific in Melbourne, Australia in 1985. The organisation started as a boutique distributor of information technology.
Imagineering Australia
acquired a 50% shareholding in late 1986. In 1987, Kennedy, who had returned to the US, sold his 50% shareholding to Imagineering. Tech Pacific was kept as a separate trading entity as Jodee Rich
, founder of Imagineering, wanted a vehicle to exclusively distribute product lines that competed with the product lines carried by Imagineering Australia
.
In 1990 First Pacific
acquired Imagineering Australia
and Jodee Rich
left the company. At this time Imagineering Australia
, Australia's largest IT distributor, experienced financial difficulties as a result of competition introduced by the entry of an American IT distributor, Micro America, under the "Micro Australia" brand. (Micro America later merged with Softsel to form Merisel.) Graham Pickles, Managing Director of Imagineering Australia
's Tech Pacific subsidiary, was appointed as the new Group Managing Director. With this change, Imagineering Australia
and Tech Pacific merged under the Tech Pacific name.
During the early 1990s Tech Pacific transformed itself from a value-add distributor to a broadbase distributor and the business again began to grow significantly. Merisel Australia proved a worthy adversary early on; however, through good strategic planning and target-account management, Tech Pacific regained the key reseller accounts that were most profitable leaving Merisel the smaller consultancy and retail accounts.
In March 1995, Tech Pacific acquired Merisel Australia, taking the number-two distributor out of the market and creating an Asia-Pacific IT distribution powerhouse.
In the late 1990s, First Pacific
sold its interests in Tech Pacific to Hagemeyer
, who in turn in the early 2000s sold the business off to CVC Asia Pacific. In 2004, Tech Pacific planned to go public through an IPO. However, Ingram Micro
sensing an opportunity to become a global IT distributor, acquired Tech Pacific in a transaction valued at over 700 million dollars.
On March 31, 2005, the Tech Pacific name disappeared with the completion of the merger of Tech Pacific's business into Ingram Micro
throughout Asia.
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
wholesale distributor with offices throughout Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, Malaysia, Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
Jim Kennedy founded Tech Pacific in Melbourne, Australia in 1985. The organisation started as a boutique distributor of information technology.
Imagineering Australia
Imagineering Australia
Imagineering was a software distribution company founded by Jodee Rich in the early 1980s. It grew rapidly before running into financial trouble in the late 1980s. Imagineering was sold to First Pacific in 1990 at which time Jodee Rich left the business...
acquired a 50% shareholding in late 1986. In 1987, Kennedy, who had returned to the US, sold his 50% shareholding to Imagineering. Tech Pacific was kept as a separate trading entity as Jodee Rich
Jodee Rich
John David "Jodee" Rich is an Australian businessman, who founded Imagineering Ltd, a microcomputer software and hardware distributor, One.Tel Ltd, an Australian based telecommunications company, and PeopleBrowsr, a data mining, analytics and brand engagement service provider. at events around...
, founder of Imagineering, wanted a vehicle to exclusively distribute product lines that competed with the product lines carried by Imagineering Australia
Imagineering Australia
Imagineering was a software distribution company founded by Jodee Rich in the early 1980s. It grew rapidly before running into financial trouble in the late 1980s. Imagineering was sold to First Pacific in 1990 at which time Jodee Rich left the business...
.
In 1990 First Pacific
First Pacific
First Pacific Company Limited is a Hong Kong-based investment and management company with operations located in Asia. It involves telecommunications, consumer food products and infrastructure. Its chairman is Anthoni Salim , an Indonesian Chinese entrepreneur....
acquired Imagineering Australia
Imagineering Australia
Imagineering was a software distribution company founded by Jodee Rich in the early 1980s. It grew rapidly before running into financial trouble in the late 1980s. Imagineering was sold to First Pacific in 1990 at which time Jodee Rich left the business...
and Jodee Rich
Jodee Rich
John David "Jodee" Rich is an Australian businessman, who founded Imagineering Ltd, a microcomputer software and hardware distributor, One.Tel Ltd, an Australian based telecommunications company, and PeopleBrowsr, a data mining, analytics and brand engagement service provider. at events around...
left the company. At this time Imagineering Australia
Imagineering Australia
Imagineering was a software distribution company founded by Jodee Rich in the early 1980s. It grew rapidly before running into financial trouble in the late 1980s. Imagineering was sold to First Pacific in 1990 at which time Jodee Rich left the business...
, Australia's largest IT distributor, experienced financial difficulties as a result of competition introduced by the entry of an American IT distributor, Micro America, under the "Micro Australia" brand. (Micro America later merged with Softsel to form Merisel.) Graham Pickles, Managing Director of Imagineering Australia
Imagineering Australia
Imagineering was a software distribution company founded by Jodee Rich in the early 1980s. It grew rapidly before running into financial trouble in the late 1980s. Imagineering was sold to First Pacific in 1990 at which time Jodee Rich left the business...
's Tech Pacific subsidiary, was appointed as the new Group Managing Director. With this change, Imagineering Australia
Imagineering Australia
Imagineering was a software distribution company founded by Jodee Rich in the early 1980s. It grew rapidly before running into financial trouble in the late 1980s. Imagineering was sold to First Pacific in 1990 at which time Jodee Rich left the business...
and Tech Pacific merged under the Tech Pacific name.
During the early 1990s Tech Pacific transformed itself from a value-add distributor to a broadbase distributor and the business again began to grow significantly. Merisel Australia proved a worthy adversary early on; however, through good strategic planning and target-account management, Tech Pacific regained the key reseller accounts that were most profitable leaving Merisel the smaller consultancy and retail accounts.
In March 1995, Tech Pacific acquired Merisel Australia, taking the number-two distributor out of the market and creating an Asia-Pacific IT distribution powerhouse.
In the late 1990s, First Pacific
First Pacific
First Pacific Company Limited is a Hong Kong-based investment and management company with operations located in Asia. It involves telecommunications, consumer food products and infrastructure. Its chairman is Anthoni Salim , an Indonesian Chinese entrepreneur....
sold its interests in Tech Pacific to Hagemeyer
Hagemeyer
Hagemeyer was a business-to-business distribution services group focusing on the markets for electrical materials, safety and other maintenance, repair and operations products in Europe, North America and Asia-Pacific. It was based in the Netherlands but was acquired by rival Rexel in 2008, with...
, who in turn in the early 2000s sold the business off to CVC Asia Pacific. In 2004, Tech Pacific planned to go public through an IPO. However, Ingram Micro
Ingram Micro
Ingram Micro, Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and the world’s largest information technology distributor, providing sales, marketing and logistics services for the IT industry in all corners of the globe.-Overview:...
sensing an opportunity to become a global IT distributor, acquired Tech Pacific in a transaction valued at over 700 million dollars.
On March 31, 2005, the Tech Pacific name disappeared with the completion of the merger of Tech Pacific's business into Ingram Micro
Ingram Micro
Ingram Micro, Inc. is a Fortune 100 company and the world’s largest information technology distributor, providing sales, marketing and logistics services for the IT industry in all corners of the globe.-Overview:...
throughout Asia.