In 1947,
Stanislas Waslet, an electronics engineer,
began manufacturing devices for repairing
radios and televisions. He also became involved
in selling electrical and electronic components.
With the 1960s
came the distribution of electronic measuring
equipment (oscilloscopes, multimeters, frequency
generators, etc.). This particular market
experienced strong growth right through
into the 1980s.
As a result, the business gained a reputation
based on the quality of its products, after-sales
service and continuity.
Vision
In 1984,
Philippe Waslet, son of the founder, came
across Compaq, a new manufacturer of personal
computers that was unknown at the time in
Europe. Recognising a great opportunity
when he saw one, sales began in 1985.
Taking the same qualitative approach to
the market as the company had done previously
for measuring instruments, WASLET enjoyed
the kind of success from 1987
onwards that was recognised by major financial
institutions, which began to standardise
on Compaq and WASLET. The company was then
split into two divisions, "Test Instruments"
and "Computer Belgium".
In 1994,
the "Test Instruments" division
was disposed of and the company concentrated
on the distribution, installation and maintenance
of servers and PCs. From 1995,
the structure of the business adjusted to
the new strategy by introducing a quality
policy guaranteeing the traceability of
sales and technical service work.
The range of products increased, as did
the number of services provided, in particular
with the launch of the Services Pack®
(on-site technical support and maintenance),
as well as the express delivery of spare
parts and an ongoing training programme
for engineers and technicians.
In 1998,
the company structure was strengthened by
some powerful IT tools (ERP and CRM) designed
to take on the new role of WASLET in the
marketplace through the sale of infrastructure
solutions focusing on data. The company
became a pioneer in the sale and support
of clustering solutions and data storage
based on Intel technology. As time went
on, WASLET was awarded increasing numbers
of accreditations by major players in the
IT market, with the business focusing particularly
on reducing costs and securing data.
In 2000,
WASLET undertook the process of having all
of its technical staff certified on Windows
2000.
The following year, in 2001,
the company introduced another innovation
by offering customers the Spare Xpress service,
which enabled them to cut down on their
maintenance costs. It develops the CRM software
and the Waslink extranet that gives an overview
of the commercial and technical information
of the company.
In 2003,
the technical team gained Windows 2003 Server
certification and was also awarded the title
of Service Provider of the Year by HP. The
same year saw the launch of a new business
specialising in the rationalisation of printer
“fleets” within companies.
The Customer Care Team was created in 2004,
bringing together all of the company’s
administrative resources to provide the
best possible service for customers. Also
in 2004, a major new partnership was launched
with EMC2.
In 2005,
WASLET gained new certification as a Microsoft
Gold Certified Partner. Elsewhere, the future
of the company was examined closely and
revamped, focusing on selling comprehensive
all-in solutions. The structure of the business
has been adjusted accordingly to reflect
this change and there will be three separate
Business Units operating from 2006
onwards (Network Infrastructure & Messaging,
Server & Storage, Printing & Document
Management). A new internet site and graphical
look are implemented.
In 2007, the
company celebrated its 60th birthday. It
renewed its “HP Preferred Partner”
certificate, obtained the Lenovo “Service
Provider” label, won the “Symantec
Gold Partner of the Year” award and
became certified partner for Doxense, developer
of vertical printing solutions. It was one
of the three Belgian partners to which HP
entrusted the distribution of its new multifunctional
Edgeline range. The Technical Department’s
management was reinforced by the hiring
of a Service Manager, who works hand in
glove with the Technical Manager.
In 2008, the
company launched its “WASLET Green
IT Services”. It offered new solutions
specifically designed to reduce electricity
consumption in data centers, and to streamline
printing and printer/copier pool management
further while promoting environmental awareness.
It became the first HP partner in Belgium
to obtain “HP Preferred Partner Gold”
status, official recognition of top-level
service and excellent HP product knowledge
