We are excited to announce that BrightPoint, an Ingram Micro company, is now Ingram Micro Mobility.

We started on this thrilling journey with you when we announced our acquisition by Ingram Micro on October 15 , 2012. We were optimistic then, but are even more excited now, as we can fully begin to deliver more possibilities and greater value to you, our customers and vendors, through the combination of companies.

As a partner of Ingram Micro Mobility, the largest global player in the mobility distribution and mobility supply chain industry, you now have access to the broadest portfolio of mobility and converged technology products and the most comprehensive suite of device lifecycle services.  With this increased access, you’ll continue to be empowered to reach new channels, broaden your service offerings and optimize your supply chain.

What does this mean for you today?

Starting today you’ll be seeing more and more of the Ingram Micro Mobility name. The people and spirit behind the brand will stay the same and, as always, our commitment to your business remains unwavering.

Over time, other changes may occur as we continue to integrate our organizations. Rest assured that we will strive for seamless transitions and will openly communicate any changes affecting your account.

We are excited about the expanded opportunities to support our continued business with you as the new Ingram Micro Mobility.

We are pleased to announce that BrightPoint is now an Ingram Micro company with the closing of our acquisition by Ingram Micro today.

Together, Ingram Micro and BrightPoint are a stronger company, uniquely positioned to provide greater value and more compelling business opportunities for our customers

Not only does the combination of Ingram Micro and BrightPoint create the largest global player in mobility, but also as we integrate our organizations into one mobile division, our customers will gain access to the widest converged technology and mobility product portfolio. We will provide more products and the most comprehensive suite of supply chain solutions to enable access to new channels and broaden service offerings for end users. With our expanded scale, our customers will also benefit from our advanced logistics capabilities and operational efficiencies.

What does this mean for our customers today?

Today, it is business as usual. Our customers can expect current business relationships to be maintained and current business processes to remain in place.

Over time, some changes may occur as we integrate our organizations. Rest assured that we will strive for seamless transitions and effectively communicate any changes that may impact our customers.

We are very excited about the business potential this new relationship with Ingram Micro offers.

We are committed to a smooth and successful transition with a continued focus on excellent customer service. We welcome feedback during this transition and feel that it is essential to our continued success.

We appreciate the continued support of our customers and look forward to our future business together.

At BrightPoint, Community Involvement is one of our six core Values (Integrity, Accomplishment, Quality, Respect, and Learning are the others). We have committed to be a positive force in the lives of our global workforce by creating strong relationships in the communities in which we live and work. This commitment comes with a passion and responsibility to share what we have with others.

Recently, our founder and CEO, Bob Laikin, took it upon himself to show his own personal commitment to the values that our company strives to embody.  In early July, Mr. Laikin and his daughter visited the Indianapolis Zoo for lunch with Zoo CEO Mike Crowther, who spoke to them about the Zoo’s recently announced Campaign for Conservation and Community (http://bit.ly/O6intT) and its centerpiece project, the International Orangutan Center.  The center, unique in design and mission, will break ground next month with its public opening targeted for May of 2014.  Mr. Laikin became immediately interested in contributing to the fund-raising effort that the Zoo had set forth.  The following Sunday, with the seed of an idea planted, Mr. Laikin announced his Twitter challenge – when his personal Twitter account (@boblaikin) hit 5,000 followers, he and his wife would donate $10,000 to the Zoo’s Conservation and Community Campaign.

From there, the viral nature of social media took over. Internal publicity at BrightPoint soon led to external Twitter and Facebook mentions of the campaign that included local television personalities and Greg Ballard, the Mayor of the City of Indianapolis, asking for support in spreading the word about the initiative.  Laikin kept things interesting by tweeting facts about the Zoo, the upcoming projects and the Orangs themselves.  The follower count surged upward in the weeks that followed the launch of the effort and Laikin’s goal was achieved less than a month after it kicked off.

So, congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Laikin and the Indianapolis Zoo for hitting this milestone and a big “thank you” to all of our readers who took it upon themselves to follow Mr. Laikin’s Twitter account to make this donation possible.  If you are interested in reading more about the International Orangutan Center, the Zoo’s website has an entire section dedicated to the project (http://bit.ly/O6intT). You can also follow the Zoo’s official Twitter feed (@IndianapoisZoo) for all of the latest information on all Zoo-related news.

Originating in 1995, Walmart and a Cambridge, MA-based software and strategy firm, Benchmarking Solutions, created the Collaborative Planning, Forecasting and Replenishment (CPFR) model that is now employed by many large enterprises seeking to optimize their complex and data-rich supply chains. Within the wireless industry, BrightPoint has been advising network operators, retailers and manufacturers for many years on implementing the CPFR process throughout our customer’s supply chains. As devices have become more connected and capital intensive, BrightPoint has integrated (you can read the full press release on the integration here) an industry-leading planning system, called JDA, into our device lifecycle services to outpace inventory velocity levels seen in our industry.

In 2011, BrightPoint handled 1 out of every 3 wireless devices shipped in the U.S. and over 112 million globally, giving us unique insight into industry trends.  Integration of analytical tools like JDA allows us to use that data in ways that provide the most advanced and accurate planning services for our customers – serving over 4,000 so far.  This is a first within the device lifecycle management industry and offers BrightPoint customers highly advanced ways to improve forecast accuracy and reduce inventory excess, obsolescence and outage.