DCS NEWS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

October 1st, 2013

An Open Letter to all Independent Dealers

DCS has been a trusted partner to many resellers for the past decade... supplying all the popular OEM and Aftermarket imaging supplies, along with other related products. DCS recognizes that HP's* most recent "change from open to authorized product classification" within the ink and toner category may disrupt our supply chain of HP* OEM products over time. DCS has never been a Tier I or II Authorized HP* distributor, yet we have been able to supply the HP* OEM products, alternatives, and solutions that dealer's desire. Although we recognize the landscape is changing, our commitment to supporting the independent dealer with an ever-increasing portfolio of products (including OEM HP*) remains unchanged.

For the past several years, OEM pressure on the channel has resulted in volume hurdles, price increases, providing proprietary dealer sales data, and growing scrutiny of aftermarket product sales. Perhaps more importantly, dealers continue to face direct competition from the OEM's themselves! It must feel like your independence as a dealer is being stripped away. It is our view that Independent Dealers should begin to adopt a different strategy that is less reliant on any OEM that does not embrace each reseller's ownership of their end-user customer.

Rest assured that DCS will continue working closely with our Independent Dealer Partners to offer solutions which help carve a more sustainable path and enhances the independence of the resellers in this industry.

*HP is a registered trademark of Hewlett Packard.