Anglia Components
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Component distributors adopt customer support initiatives
A fast track learning curve about how life in the global components market has ups and downs. By Gary Kibblewhite, Chairman of AFDEC.
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The disturbing events throughout the electronics industry over the past few months have taken most pundits by surprise. We are now on a fast-track learning curve about life in a globally-influenced market - a market where we in the UK are materially affected by fluctuations in other countries or, indeed, continents. |
But we must remember that we operate in a cyclical market and it WILL recover. And no matter what happens, it always seems that the component distribution sector can move forward with positive reactions to customer requirements, often driven by the increasingly volatile nature of our industry.
I believe that the word "distributor" is an incorrect description of our activities. Our title should really major on "Asset management, Sales & Marketing" because they are all at the core of our businesses. No two "distributors" are alike and their offerings are constantly changing to reflect the changing world in which we live.
The Importance of Component Testing
Anglia is
very unlike the traditional distributor. It stands out as having made
a major investment in product testing facilities, with well over $0.5
million worth of commercial and specially-designed test equipment installed
in its extensive in-house test laboratories.
Anglia is unusual in that its business strategy combines traditional franchised distribution with a proactive approach as a stocking agent. This means that the company imports selected products under its own brands, eg. Nover and Eurohm, and then passes on a competitive advantage to its customers.
To ensure that potential new products meet the required standards for quality and reliability, Anglia's engineers not only verify that components achieve the manufacturer's datasheet specifications but also carry out extensive product life testing.
"All our Far East manufacturing partners have adopted our quality control systems, and continual life testing of products in the UK enables us to confirm that these systems are maintaining the required level of quality," says Anglia's MD Steve Rawlins.
The example described above does little more than provide a taste of what is on offer from distribution.
This article is based on extracts from an article originally published in Distribution World, 25th July 2001.