Seite 10 - Boards & Solution/ECE Magazine July 2013

n The market for traditional distribution of
electronic components remains static and there-
fore you have to create newmarkets to gain new
growth. Rutronik saw the small and midsized
companies in Germany as new customers who
were not covered by distributors in the past –
their business volumes were too small for tradi-
tional distribution. Building on experience with
Webg@te, the website for existing customers,
the distributor created Rutronik24 which offers
efficient online component ordering.
Especially for this new distribution channel,
Rutronik established 30 new jobs – 20 field
staff and 10 desk staff, to support the new cus-
tomers. Via Rutronik24 E-commerce platform,
customers gain access to the entire product
portfolio. In addition to the product catalogue
with various search functions, the platform
includes many further functions. Rudel high-
lights the complete order tracking and the
mass quotation tool, which allows the potential
customer to simply download a complete bill
of materials – the Rutronik24 E-commerce
platform automatically submits an individual
quote. “We realised that even customers with
small and midsized volumes require compre-
hensive support. Moreover we want to offer
them the advantages of an Internet link to the
distributor”, he stated. The new distribution
concept now combines the added value of on-
line ordering and individual service.
This offers significant advantages to customers.
First they are able to satisfy their demand
from a one-stop-shop which includes compre-
hensive support and individual advice by the
Rutronik24 sales team. The traditional sales
concept was not able to satisfy the needs of
small and midsized companies so well as large
enterprises with small electronic component
demand. The Rutronik24 E-commerce plat-
form gains access to more than one million
products. Therefore it is paramount to guide
the customer through the product portfolio.
Thanks to intelligent search functions via pa-
rameters, part numbers or full-text search, the
needed components are quickly found. The
product group is displayed including the actual
customer-specific prices as well as the avail-
ability. If the customer places an order he or
she receives immediately the scheduled delivery
date including the forwarding expenses ac-
cording to the selected mode of shipment.
The ordered products can be tracked via mouse
click in real time and the payment is possible
via credit card or on account. Additionally
there is the possibility of requesting quotations
or ordering samples.
The system recommends alternative products
including a list of differing parameters, which
are helpful i.e. for obsolete products or very
long delivery times. Existing PCN (product
change notifications) are always visible at the
product. The integrated Rutronik Product
Consultant supports on request the component
selection, and even contact with the personal
product manager is possible via the Rutronik24
E-commerce platform. In the procurement
section the customer can see details of his/her
order, contract, goods, and inventory amongst
other things including order number and
status, requested and scheduled delivery date,
and order tracking in real time.
To become a customer in the Rutronik24 E-
commerce platform you have to go through
seven steps. First step is registration. You have
to fill in a form. After successful registration
you will receive an individual password to
your e-mail address. Here you can additionally
subscribe to the newsletter, which will keep
you informed about current news. Step 2 is
checking your personal data and password.
After registration and checking you ll get access
to the home page of Rutronik24. This page
displays six various modules of the catalogue,
PCN, print media, procurement, mass quota-
tion and downloads. It also offers simplified
access to the catalogue and enables the search
for components and product groups. Already
delivered products are displayed after typing
in the item number. The catalogue offers the
possibility to search for requested items via
different ways. Products are classified into
active and passive components, electromechan-
Rutronik establishes new Internet-
based distribution organisation
DISTRIBUTION
By Wolfgang Patelay
German Distributor Rutronik
has created Rutronik24,
a new Internet- based
E-Commerce distribution
organisation which especially
addresses the needs of small
and midsized companies.
General Manager Thomas
Rudel explains the concept
behind this new
distribution channel.
July 2013 10