GE Capital Expands Sharp Electronics Relationship to Support Growth in Office Imaging Equipment

GE Capital’s Commercial Distribution Finance (CDF) business announced today that it will begin providing floorplan financing to dealers that stock Sharp Electronics Corp.’s office imaging (OI) equipment. CDF has been providing financing to Sharp’s consumer electronics dealers for 25 years.

“Our goal is to demonstrate Sharp’s continued commitment to the OI dealer channel,” said Dan Wynne, director of B2B channel marketing at Sharp. “We know that financing programs such as this one help dealers obtain the products they need to further their sales goals.”

CDF will provide qualified Sharp dealers with streamlined credit approvals and simplified documentation requirements for their acquisition of Sharp multi-function copiers and multi-function printers. In addition, they may be eligible for an extended period of subsidized interest.

Floorplan financing, also known as inventory financing, allows dealers to stock, market and sell a wide variety of products from manufacturers. By providing an alternative to standard open account terms, programs such as this one can help dealers manage the cash conversion cycle from inventory procurement and service billing to accounts receivable collection.

“Today’s announcement is indicative of the convergence between the OI business and the information technology industry,” said Judy Toland, the new commercial leader of CDF’s technology, electronics and appliances business. “We’re likely to see more companies thinking long-term about the best ways to encourage and support this ecosystem as it continues to evolve.”

CDF provided more than $18 billion in financing to more than 1,300 IT distributors, value-added resellers and solution providers globally in 2013. It has supported the IT industry for more than 30 years.

About Sharp Electronics Corp.

Sharp Electronics Corp., based in Mahwah, N.J., is the U.S. subsidiary of Japan's Sharp Corp. Sharp is a worldwide developer of one-of-a-kind home entertainment products, appliances, networked multifunctional office solutions, LED lighting and mobile communication and information tools. For more information, visit Sharp Electronics Corp. at www.sharpusa.com, follow it on Facebook or Twitter or watch it on YouTube.

About GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance

GE Capital, Commercial Distribution Finance provided $34 billion in financing for more than 30,000 dealers and more than 3,000 distributors and manufacturers in the U.S. and Canada in 2013. Programs include inventory and accounts receivable financing, asset-based lending, private label financing, collateral management and related financial products. For more information, visit http://www.gecdf.com/ or follow company news via Twitter (http://twitter.com/GEInventoryFin).

GE Capital offers consumers and businesses around the globe an array of financial products and services. For more information, visit www.gecapital.com or follow company news via Twitter (http://twitter.com/GECapital).

GE (NYSE:GE) works on things that matter. The best people and the best technologies taking on the toughest challenges. Finding solutions in energy, health and home, transportation and finance. Building, powering, moving and curing the world. Not just imagining. Doing. GE works. For more information, visit the company's website at www.ge.com.