Longman Partnering With Viglen In Schools Market

Addison Wesley Longman (AWL), the leading schools book publisher, has announced a partnership with Viglen, one of the country's foremost personal computer companies, to serve the Primary and Secondary Schools market. Together they aim to offer a total solution of software, hardware and services to UK schools using their combined expertise and products.

For AWL, this announcement follows the conclusion of a deal with the Jostens Learning Corporation to localise, market and sell the Tomorrow's Promise multimedia curriculum products in the UK. Two AWL divisions, the Longman book company and Logotron, have together commenced a 3 year project for the complete language and cultural translation of the Jostens Learning material and, most importantly, a careful alignment with the UK National Curriculum.

Viglen is announced as a supplier of choice for the Longman Tomorrow's Promise range.

For Viglen, the partnership is central to a strategic progression, from their position as leading supplier of computers to the FE and HE markets, into the Primary and Secondary Schools market. With their comprehensive range of Windows PCs, portables, servers and network products and services, supported by their large build-to-order capacity, Viglen are well appointed to meet the varying demands of schools.

AWL and Viglen recognise that schools will often be investing in hardware along with multimedia curriculum products, whether standalone or networked. They aim to strike the right balance between software and hardware; not to put more and more computers into schools for their own sake, but to work together to put the customer first. The partnership will be particularly valuable to customers requiring combined quotations for software and hardware in order to take speedy advantage of various types of funding schemes.

John Penrose, Head of AWL UK Schools businesses, explained the concept. "We are delighted by the New Labour government's plans to improve standards of numeracy and literacy. However, we believe that too much spending on ICT is driven by a desire for more and more new computers, where it should be defined by the educational standards we want to achieve. We are delighted to work with Viglen to offer balanced solutions, putting the customer, not the computer, first."

Welcoming the strategic alliance with AWL, Viglen Chief Executive Bordan Tkachuk said, "As we broaden our base of product offerings into the educational sector, where 25% of our PC and networking sales are already made, we need strong partners with established reputations in the educational market, and in Logotron we have had these criteria fulfilled. With its emergence in networked learning complementing its existing product range, Logotron has a firm handhold in schools. I believe that the partnership between Viglen and Logotron will prove to be a powerful and compelling combination as we address the schools market."

Information on the Longman Tomorrow's Promise announcement is available separately.

For further information please contact:

• Gerry Daish - 01223 425558 x702 - gdaish@logo.com
  
• Longman 124 Cambridge Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge, CB4 4ZS