FEATURE DISTRIBUTION
Opening up the advantages of volume distribution to SME clients
Around 40 per cent of the British electronics market is undersupplied; some customers are too small for volume distribution but too big for catalogue distribution. With its new Rutronik24 distribution network and a dedicated team in the UK, the broadliner Rutronik is now filling this gap, says Thomas Rudel, Chairman of the Managing Board of Rutronik
T
wenty years ago, the component suppliers served several thousand large
customers themselves, the catalogue distributors looked after small-scale business and a large number of franchise distributors took over everything in-between. As the component suppliers started to concentrate on their core business – product development – they increasingly withdrew from direct sales. The volume distributors took over this group of customers. Due to the competitive pressure, they had to turn over ever greater quantities. They therefore serve customers with much higher turnover. A large number of companies fall by the wayside because they are too small to cater for volume distribution but too big to handle catalogue distribution. They currently buy from niche and small-scale distributors or brokers. These certainly have their place and are in an excellent position to meet specific needs.
But they have several disadvantages for the broad range of customers that they are currently serving including: The client does not usually receive everything that he requires from one supplier, but has to seek out the components he needs from many sources. But he cannot tell whether the components he has chosen are preferred products. There is always the risk of including 'one-offs' in designs that will soon no longer be available. Neither can he rely on product quality because the supply chain is often not transparent, unlike classic volume distribution. Rutronik24 is closing the supply gap with
its new Rutronik24 distribution network. Five sales representatives are available for advice and support at the distributors office in Bolton.
The heart of the concept is the e-commerce
platform
www.rutronik24.com. Customers who were previously below the distributor’s turnover threshold can use it to access the broadliner's entire product range and thus increase the efficiency of their procurement processes. The product catalogue has been augmented with many tools that make ordering easier; not forgetting Rutronik delivery service and logistics. The online catalogue offers access to more than a million product lines across the
8 SEPTEMBER 2015 | ELECTRONICS
availability are shown in real time alongside the product selection. Several selected products can be displayed side- by-side; the parameters that distinguish them from each other are marked in red. Suggestions of alternative items with a
detailed list of the individual differentiating characteristics help, for example, in the case of delisted components and when searching for cheaper components or those that are available more quickly. If no suitable replacement can be found, the client has the option of using the classic Rutronik and having the relevant experts suggest alternatives. Furthermore, users can see whether the part is a best seller, preferred part or a demand-driven part. Further information, e.g. on the standard delivery time or the supplier's data sheet are stored on a link. PCNs are directly linked to the product concerned, so that they appear with it at every point. In addition, they are kept in a complete PCN database. The company’s Product Consultant offers support directly on the website; it is also possible to directly contact a personal product specialist via the website. With the help of the "Mass quotation"
whole spectrum of electronic components, from passive and electromechanical components to semiconductors, storage, displays, boards and wireless products. In this way, the broadliner enables its clients to reduce its number of suppliers. All of the components come from franchise partners, meaning that Rutronik24 can offer very interesting prices and all products meet quality standards. There is no minimum order value; the smallest order quantity is one packaging unit. Furthermore, clients can order samples and request special offers.
INTELLIGENT SEARCH FUNCTIONS AND ALTERNATIVE SUGGESTIONS Intelligent search functions for technical parameters, parts numbers or full text ensure that clients quickly find the components they need. Current prices and
Figure 1:
Rutronik’s e-commerce platform offers a modular online shop with more than one million parts spanning the entire spectrum of electronic components
tool, Rutronik24 clients can simply upload their own dedicated parts list. The e- commerce platform then generates the corresponding part numbers with current prices, delivery times and packaging units from this. Clients can then very easily order items from this results list. No changes to the list are necessary to use mass quotation. However, it must contain the supplier's designation and a quantity. The formats that can be processed are xls, xlsx and csv. The potential to order goods in advance is possible. Furthermore, standard shipping, where the individually agreed delivery terms are taken into account, and express shipping via DHL Express are available. After ordering, users immediately receive a binding delivery date, and can then track the order online in real time. In the procurement section, clients are
given an overview of their order, contracts, articles and store inventories, among other things, with order number and status, desired and actual delivery date and order tracking in real time. Within the Online Community TechForum engineers, developers and purchasers all over the world can exchange views with the experts at Rutronik and among themselves. It is moderated by product specialists who also contribute their expertise and experience.
Rutronik24
www.rutronik24.com +49 7231 8010
/ ELECTRONICS
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