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Posted on 13 Aug 2008 at 14:18

Education PCs

The list of British PC makers that have collapsed over the years is depressingly long, yet Abingdon-based RM, formerly Research Machines, has thrived for 35 years, recording revenues of £270 million in 2007. Its success is attributable in no small part to its unwavering focus on the education market, making its name synonymous with IT in schools.

"Research Machines is a strong brand, and it's known as education," said Bob Willis, director of the Personal Computer Association. "So while we've seen the demise of companies such as Evesham; Tiny and Time because of competition, RM is on long-term framework agreements, like the procurement initiatives and higher-education purchasing consortiums, so it's been able to hold its own."

A significant part of this success, according to Willis, is that RM doesn't depend solely on the manufacture of PCs . "As well as supplying the hardware, it sets up the desktop and the network, and takes care of disposal of old hardware. I think in the UK that's how we can beat the tier ones - the likes of Dell - by offering that wraparound service, and RM's a very good example of how to do it."

RM was also one of the first companies to spot the potential of the low-cost laptop and moved quickly to secure a distribution deal with Asus to sell the diminutive Eee PC 701 to schools under the re-branded RM Minibook name. A deal with HP for the Mini-Note followed, leaving RM in good stead.

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Author: Stuart Turton