Mumbai: Western Digital Corp., one of the world's leading hard drive manufacturers, has announced its distribution tie-up with Priya Ltd., a leading distributor of computer technology products in the country.

For Western Digital, the agreement leverages Priya's nation wide distribution network spanning 20 cities and encompassing over 3000 channel partners.

Priya's extensive infrastructure of 21 branches, service centres and stocking warehouses in the country will provide further support to Western Digital's marketing and sales development in India. Priya will market Western Digital's entire range of award-winning products, including WD Protégé, WD Caviar, WD Caviar SE and WD Raptor. A supplier to the world's largest PC manufacturers, Western Digital has more recently partnered with Zenith Computers in India, in addition to strengthening its customer support infrastructure.

Commenting on the tie-up, Hafeez Khwaja, Regional Director for Emerging Markets, Western Digital said, "The partnership with Priya is in line with Western Digital's plans to provide world class distribution infrastructure in India."

A.K. Bhuwania, Chairman of the Priya Group said, "Western Digital is known globally as the leader and pioneer in both technology and quality hard drive products. This distribution tie-up will enable us to make available high quality, reliable and high performance hard drives at competitive prices to every segment of our focused business. Along with distribution of Western Digital drives into the channel network, we also intend to integrate Western Digital drives into our own "Krypton" branded PC systems."

According to MAIT (Manufacturers Association of Information Technology) estimates, PC sales in India are expected to reach 4.2 million units by 2005 compared to the 3 million units sold in 2003-04. Given this high growth trend, the Indian PC market is a strategic focus for Western Digital.

Western Digital, one of the storage industry's pioneers and long-time leaders, provides products and services for people and organizations that collect, manage and use digital information. The company produces reliable, high-performance hard drives that keep users' data close-at-hand and secure from loss.