To cater for the increased demand for pre-owned ICT equipment on a short-term or long-term rental basis, South African based company, Qrent, a fully fledged division of InnoVent Rental and Asset Management Solutions, has opened an office in Tanzania.
“We have seen a massive demand for affordable computer equipment across Africa. After opening Qrent Zimbabwe as a first step outside SA in December 2010, two more branches have been opened since then. Zambia came on line in June 2013 while Tanzania opened in September 2013 to respond to this demand,” says DJ Kumbula, CEO of Qrent.
He explains that the company identified the following common challenges regarding ICT requirements across Africa:
* Prices were too high;
* Lack of supply on demand increasing lead time from order;
* Lack of financing to fund the equipment required;
* No effective local warranty and maintenance on purchased equipment;
* Obsolescence and aged equipment; and
* No solution for short term ICT needs.
“Qrent has found answers to all these challenges and its solutions address all of them,” Kumbula says.
It offers ICT equipment (desktops, laptops, servers, printers, networking and so on) at significantly reduced pricing compared to traditional offerings. Finance is included as standard, so clients can get all the equipment they need immediately but can pay over an extended period up to 36 months.
In-country warehouses have been opened which hold large quantities of stock. This means clients can get equipment the same day they order.
“We have local IT technicians who maintain and repair faulty equipment within 24 hours. We change and upgrade client’s equipment every three years keeping the technology current and relevant,” says Kumbula.
“We also offer a short term solution where we can hire out equipment for a day, a week, or a month. This is in response to the demand we have seen for this solution in the training, conferencing and projects industry. This solution is also ideal where organisations hire temporary staff.”
He adds that demand for its long term (from one year to three years) and short term (one day up to 11 months) solutions is coming from across all sectors, including the private sector, schools and universities, central and provincial governments, NGOs and so on.
“Tanzania now has the full suite of Qrent products and services, which clients can take advantage of immediately.”
Qrent is part of the InnoVent Group of companies which operates in South Africa and the UK.
