Ingram Micro Meets $4-Billion Sales Goal for 1993

Ingram Micro Inc., a distributor of personal computers and software, met its goal of $4 billion in sales for 1993, up 48% from a year earlier.

Ingram Micro on Tuesday reported sales of $1.2 billion for the fourth quarter, up from $820 million a year earlier.

The sales gains represented the company’s strongest growth since 1989, said Linwood A. (Chip) Lacy Jr., Ingram Micro co-chairman and chief executive.

“We were so proud of the job our employees did,” Lacy said. “We gave every non-sales employee in the United States a bonus when we hit our ‘$4-billion-bound’ goal. We were worried we weren’t going to make it.”

Sales grew in the United States, Canada, Europe and Mexico. In the domestic market, Lacy attributed strong growth to increased demand by American consumers for software. The company also strengthened its partnerships with large retail chains such as Intelligent Electronics in Exton, Pa., and MicroAge in Tempe, Ariz.

Ingram Micro also got a boost in revenue from the acquisition of distributors in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom.

Ingram Micro, a privately held subsidiary of Ingram Industries Inc. in Nashville, Tenn., does not disclose profits. But Lacy said the company profits were under intense pressure during the fourth quarter.

The company has 3,820 employees worldwide, up from 2,200 a year ago. Lacy said the company expects to invest $20 million this year in a computer system to control its distribution operations.