But contrary to traditional electrical wholesale business, key account business does not stop at the border but goes beyond. Therefore Sonepar forces the national country operations to collaborate on international accounts in the SIKA working group (Sonepar International Key Accounts).
But not only international, also national within Germany, the key account teams have grown representing Sonepar as the number one MRO supplier in the market. This achievement has been made in good cooperation with logistic, product management and the EDP department. Thanks to a good mix of all these ingredients and because of our background dealing with the individual needs of even small electrical companies Sonepar is very flexible and customer focused working with industrial accounts.
The keys of our success in Germany are to listen to the problems of the customer and in cooperation with them looking for answers and solutions. The relationship that arises from such cooperation is very strong. Sonepar in Germany is proud to have such a partnerships with the top companies in Germany, no matter if automotive, chemical energy or electrical industry.
“For the future I think we have to use the synergies on national and international level to grow even faster with industrial accounts and stay ahead of our competitors. We will do this by offering enhanced services, like vaster logistic, a broader assortment, flexible EDP and interfaces as well as excellent relationship management.” Sonepar focuses on “Total Cost of Ownership*” (TCO) rather than only price, on optimising the process rather than a plain delivery. We are proud to say that we are a system integrator, not just a logistic partner. For me key account is a commitment to excellence, and Sonepar meets the customers’ demands.
Ernest Lempers works for Sonepar Deutschland as the responsible Key Account Manager. He joined Sonepar in 1992 and took over several functions within the Group. Some of you might know him as E-business Manager but for 1,5 years he signs responsible for key account affairs within the operations in Germany, Austria, Hungary and Czech Republic.
*Total cost of ownership (TCO) is a financial estimate designed to help consumers and enterprise managers assess direct and indirect costs commonly related to software or hardware. It is a form of full cost accounting.
