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Kingston’s Storage Unit Winds Down

Fountain Valley-based StorCase Technology Inc., a Kingston Technology Co. business, plans to close down next week, according to its Web site.

StorCase, which sells enclosures for removable disk drives, didn’t give a reason behind the closure in an online notice to customers.

Comment from Fountain Valley-based Kingston wasn’t immediately available.

StorCase’s message directs customers to Kingston for technical support or warranty issues.

StorCase said it plans to take orders on products in stock until Oct. 26.

The company’s history goes back to 1989 when Kingston, then a young company, launched a storage products division. In 2000, Kingston made the division a separate company.

StorCase makes sturdy boxes for holding drives, from small desktop models to big server room racks. The boxes ensure drives don’t get too hot and guard against vibrations.

The company sells to governments, schools, midsize businesses and to the audio/video industry. StorCase has offices and a warehouse in Britain.


Shuttering Unexpected

Some in the industry didn’t expect StorCase to close.

“It just caught us by surprise,” said George Moisin, purchasing director for Costa Mesa-based Ruby Sky Technologies, which sells computer gear and software across the country. “We were selling their products. We had no idea they were going to go out on us.”

Moisin said he likes StorCase’s products and plans to search for a new supplier. The market for storage enclosures is “steady,” he said.

Another industry player said StorCase faced competition.

“The service and quality of their products was top-tier,” said Gary Richardson, director of sales and marketing for Irvine-based H. Co. Computer Products Inc., which also sells computers and software to clients nationwide. “The challenge was in the more aggressive competition.”


Big Competition

Early on, StorCase had more of the market to itself, he said. But competition is emerging from bigger players such as Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co., along with smaller companies.

One of those smaller companies is Vancouver, Wash.-based CRU-DataPort.

The company took the unusual step of commenting on a competitor’s demise in an Oct. 5 statement.

“We are sorry to see StorCase leave our product category,” said Randy Barber, chief executive of CRU-DataPort. “They were a strong competitor who helped push us toward innovation and improvement at every turn.”

Barber went on to say: “We understand how staying ahead of market changes and customer requirements are a constant challenge. If your business model takes you in a different direction, you have no choice but to do the right thing for your customers and for the business.”

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