History

ABC Data S.A. is the leader in IT product distribution in Poland. The company has been present on the Polish market for 20 years.

The following events are considered most important in the overall history of the company:  

1985 - ABC DATA Import und Export GmbH was established in Bonn, Germany,

1990 – ABC Data Sp. z o.o. was established in Poland,

2000 - 100% of shares in ABC Data were acquired by one of the leading European distributors of computer hardware and software - Actebis Holding GmbH,

2005 - the company launched its customer service in the Czech Republic (first as Actebis Czech Republic - Actebis Computer s.r.o, today as ABC Data Czech Republic - ABC Data s.r.o); sales are transacted directly via the company's office in Prague, or via "a-shop" online transaction system,

2006 – the company's Quality Management System was certified according to PN-EN ISO 9001-2001 by PCBC S.A. ; the range of certification covers computer hardware and software sales and supply services, as well as supplies of other electronic devices, organization of training, IT system design, assembly and sales,

2007 - ABC Data s.r.o. was registered in Bratislava, Slovakia, as a distributor of IT products to Slovakian resellers,

2007 - ABC Data Holding S.A. was established, later acquiring 100% of shares in ABC Data Sp. z o.o.

2007 - 80% of shares in ABC Data Holding S.A. were acquired by MCI Investment Fund S.A.,

2009 - ABC Data Holding S.A. submitted its prospectus to the Polish Financial Supervision Authority,

2010 - As a result of the transfer of all assets of ABC Data Sp. z o.o. to ABC Data Holding S.A., a new company was established with the title of ABC Data S.A.

2010 - listing of ABC Data S.A. at the Warsaw Stock Exchange.


In 20 years of history the Company worked out position of leader on polish market of IT distribution. It is confirmed by numerous rankings:

- the biggest IT distributor of 2009 (pursuant to report: TOP 200 of Computerworld from 2010, on the basis of financial results of companies for 2009),

- the biggest polish IT company – second place after polish branch of world HP group (pursuant to report:  TOP 200 of Computerworld from 2010, on the basis of financial results of companies for 2009)


- 1st position among IT companies on the Polish market, among IT hardware distributors and IT product exporters ("Teleinfo 500" report based on values of revenues from IT distribution in 2008)

- 71st position on the Largest Polish Enterprises list by "Polityka" weekly ("List 500")

- 274th place on the List of the 500 Largest Companies in Central and Eastern Europe by "Rzeczpospolita" daily newspaper and Deloitte consulting firm. The list of European business leaders was prepared on the basis of information concerning 1041 companies in 18 countries.  ABC Data is one of 188 Polish enterprises listed among 500 largest companies in the region.

- ABC Data is among the leaders in ranking lists developed by Forbes magazine and Dun&Bradstreet agency. The list includes those Polish and foreign enterprises which increased in value by the highest rate during 2005-2007 on the Polish market.

Business profile

 ABC Data S.A. is the largest Polish distributor of IT hardware, software and consumer electronics. The Company offers the most extensive product range by 280 vendors on the Polish market.

Main categories of products offered

IT hardware:

- computers – notebooks and desktops. ABC Data is now a party to distributor agreements concerning such brands as: HP, Dell, Fujitsu, Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Toshiba, Apple, LG, MSI, Samsung, Sony;

- peripherals – ready-to-use devices, mainly designed for integration with PCs and servers: monitors, laser and ink printers, scanners, mice, keyboards, projectors, and other equipment. ABC Data distributes the complete range of HP peripherals. The Company has signed distribution contracts with such manufacturers as, among others: HP, Canon, Lexmark, Epson, Ricoh, Samsung, OKI, Xerox, Brother, Konica-Minolta (printers), Samsung, LG, NEC, Asus, Acer, BenQ, Hyundai, AOC (monitors). ABC Data is the leading reseller of these devices on the Polish market;
PC components:

- components for building PC units , such as: main boards, hard disks, graphic interfaces, CPUs, drives, casings. ABC Data is now a party to distributor agreements concerning such brands as: HP, Intel, AMD, Asus, Acer, Hitachi, Seagate, IBM, and others;

- memory carriers – this category includes notebook memory carriers, flash cards, branded memory sticks, OEM memory, special-purpose memory units. ABC Data distributes products by such manufacturers as: HP, CISCO, IBM, Fujitsu, Epson, Kingston, Toshiba, and others;

Network hardware and software:

- servers, switches, wireless network hardware, UPS units, security products. ABC Data is now a party to distributor agreements with such manufacturers of this category of products as: HP, Fujitsu; Dell, Lenovo, APC, Eaton, Cisco, D-Link, Netgear, Linksys, McAfee;

Software and licenses:

- application and systemsoftware for clients seeking diversified IT solutions (operating systems, office applications, antivirus software, server software, website design applications, graphic software, multimedia software); depending on vendor requirements, software applications can be sold as physical products or licenses for a specified number of users; ABC Data supplies software by the following manufacturers: Microsoft, Symantec, McAfee, Novell/SuSeLinux;
Other products:

- telecommunication products – devices used in VoIP telecommunication, GSM telephones, walkie-talkies;

- consumables – consumables for printers (inks, toners), data carriers, streamer tapes, etc. The Company offers all key brands of consumables as their official distributor (HP, Lexmark, Canon, Minolta, Samsung, OKI) and the largest reseller of these products on the market;

- Consumer Electronics (CE), including such devices as: LCD and plasma TV sets, home theater systems, MP3 players, loudspeakers, digital photo cameras and recorders, GPS navigation systems, DVD players, etc. Today, ABC Data distributes products by such manufacturers as: Sony, Sharp, AOC, Creative Labs, iTec, Apple, Nokia, Samsung, LG, Canon, Sony Olympus, TomTom, AutoMapa, and others.

Sales structure

The structure of our IT product sales channel is very similar in all three markets (Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia). ABC Data S.A. acts as an intermediary between the manufacturer of physical equipment and the reseller, who delivers the products to end customers. Together with reselling the goods, the Company provides certain extra services associated with such sales, starting with simple installation and ending with complex integration of entire IT systems. The company applies the following qualification system to its clients: chains of large retail stores, key accounts (large enterprises involved in system integration projects), resellers to SMB segment, and so-called micro-enterprises, i.e. the smallest IT companies on the market.

InterLink - online sales and customer service platform

The Company's communication with dealers via online platforms has developed rapidly for over ten years. ABC Data today enjoys a leading position in online customer service. The InterLink system, created in Poland and implemented in the Czech Republic and Slovakia (operating under the name A-shop) is an industry standard B2B solution. This comprehensive system is capable of handling all aspects of transactions, including: order placement, verification of stock balances, checking order execution progress, obtaining data concerning payment status, available credit limits, and status of complaints. InterLink is continuously updated, and these improvements guarantee enhanced functionality and convenience. The best proof of the InterLink system's success on the market and its popularity with ABC Data customers is the fact that more than 90% of orders are now placed with the company online. Online stores can be developed and operated on the basis of the InterLink system as well.

Furthermore, the company offers ASP service (Application Service Provider) which delivers complete, ready-to-use online sales systems to the client. This solution is based on software applications and data resources provided by ABC Data. In many cases, goods ordered by end customers from a reseller will be shipped directly from ABC Data warehouses in order to shorten the logistic handling procedure. The company is currently developing a number of projects, including: a comprehensive online store, and simplified store for the PCLink and ResellerWeb projects. Similar projects are being developed for the Czech and Slovak markets, allowing for unique differences in local circumstances.

PC Link is a consumer service system for computer stores associated with the PC Link brand. The system utilizes other IT solutions provided by ABC Data and is a basis for the development of the PC Link WEB project - a chain of online stores.

BiznesLink is another unique solution based on an online B2B sales system, for all companies that buy IT products. This system is designed for dealers to mange their online sales to institutional clients with the use of ABC Data's resources and facilities. It can be accessed via selected IT companies nationwide, partners of ABC Data.

Other services add further value to the distributed products.  ABC Data IT Consulting implements and maintains IT systems, conducts IT system audits and provides consulting in the field of IT system safety and cost optimization. ABC Data's Education Center offers training services as an authorized examination center. ABC Data is also the largest training center for Microsoft products in Poland, which strongly distinguishes the company from its competitors. The primary objective of the provided services is to support sales and deliver comprehensive service to customers. In addition, the company offers logistics and storage services, installation/assembly of computers, collection of IT hardware, and transport services for clients.

Logistics and warehouses

ABC Data has its headquarters and logistics center in Warsaw, Poland. At present, the company operates two warehouses: in Warsaw, Poland, with the area of 20,000 square meters, and in Sosnowiec with the area of 11,500 square meters, respectively.

With its sales system organization, the company is capable of delivering to any  location in Poland from both warehouses. Goods distributed to the Czech Republic and Slovakia are shipped directly from the Sosnowiec warehouse. Logistic efficiency of a distributor is  vital for vendors and clients, where goods ordered from warehouse are required to be delivered to the destination reseller via courier dispatch within 24 hours. ABC Data fulfills this requirement, also offering same-day delivery service for the metropolitan areas of Warsaw, Krakow and Katowice.

At the Warsaw warehouse, the company intends to implement a new automation system. Further significant improvement of operating efficiency will be achieved through the automation of our logistic operations.

ABC Data as first Poland’s IT company with AEOF certificate

ABC Data S.A. obtained certificate of authorized entrepreneur with the widest powers, AEOF (Customs Simplifications/Security and Safety). AEOF also includes customs simplifications (AEOC - Customs Simplifications) as well as security and safety (AEOS - Security and Safety). A condition of granting AEO status was total meeting strict criteria related to finance, logistics, IT systems, personnel policy and transportation of goods and their storage. Obtaining the certificate was preceded by audit lasting many months.

Due to a very detailed audit to which companies are subject to before obtaining AEO certificate and in exchange for taking over part of liability for safety of external borders of European Union, the authorized entrepreneurs use many privileges within their servicing by customs authorities.

The basic benefits are the following:
•    Lower number of controls of documents and physical controls at customs clearances,
•    Easy access to customs simplifications specified in art. 14 b RWKC (simplified procedures),
•    Regarding mail as priority in case of choosing for control and conducting control as priority,
•    Selection of place of conducting control on request of AEO (for example warehouse of entrepreneur),
•    Possibility of earlier notifying about planned control,
•    Limited quantity of data in declarations of safety; possibility of respecting status in third countries,
•    ID of safe commercial partner in chain of deliveries.

Additionally, polish customs administration ensures about priority servicing customs declarations and all applications submitted by authorized entrepreneur, ensures places of service for AEO, separate passage of traffic, newsletters sent to AEO and other facilities.

Status of authorized entrepreneur granted in one member state is recognized in all countries of the Community and by assumption is a significant element of whole program related to entering mechanisms providing safety and protection of community customs area, especially giving rise to improve controls based on risk analysis.
A certificate of authorized entrepreneur is issued without time limits but is subject to monitoring and may be suspended or withdrawn if an enterprise ceases to meet criteria which were necessary to obtain the certificate.