element14 is the high-service distributor of technology products and solutions for electronics design, manufacture and operations in India. Mr. Ravi Pagar, Regional Director – India and Asean, element14 Asia-Pacific talks here about company unique services and advantages.
-
What is element14’s unique differentiation in the high-service distribution market?
The best way to differentiate is to offer services that support our customers’ demands more than others and at element14, we provide a competitive advantage at the front end of the customer design cycle and this is our biggest differentiator. The many exciting and strategic new products launched in 2015 as a result of our strategic partnerships have opened up a big new area of differentiation for element14 over the competition. In addition the launch of the Design Center and the Software Center makes it so much easier for engineers to choose, review and buy instantly what they need, including instant eDelivery of software which is an industry first.
Moreover, our multi sales channels, continual NPI investments, extensive technical content and support, product data, world’s largest and most active online Community in the industry, global suppliers and wide breadth of stock add to element14’s areas of differentiation.
-
What are the longer term challenges facing the distribution industry?
Among the many challenges facing distributors I would like to highlight two areas; digitization and the fast evolving market conditions.
For success in e-commerce, digitisation of data is extremely critical. As a distributor, we need to deliver value in getting customers the right product content to enable them to review and compare key technical specifications so as to make the best product decision. This is a key challenge faced by the industry today; besides ensuring we provide the main product data we further support with technical resources such as videos, white papers, webinars and road tests, and events where we get suppliers and customers together for technical discussions.
Market conditions evolve rapidly and distributors need to stay relevant in terms of breadth and depth of product ranges as customers jump on the IoT bandwagon or seek the newest products for industrial automation, alternative energy, healthcare IT, and LED.
-
What are the areas that element14 is focusing on as a business in the next 12 months, in 2016?
We are looking to expand our range with our key supplier partners and provide our engineering customers with the best user experience possible. Further to our investments in our new web platform we are continually investing in new solutions in our transactional site so users have the easiest experience in e-Commerce from reviewing comprehensive data, comparing products, selecting packaging options such as full reel or cut tape, to a faster check-out
Working closely with our industry-leading suppliers we will focus on extending our Product Range and NPI investments. These are areas that require significant investments in resources as we collaborate to create new boards, accessories, and bundles of products to target the specific markets and the IoT space, customise products such as Raspberry Pi for dedicated uses, and team up with more key suppliers to leverage our unique design services.
We will continue to develop the element14 online Community, Design Center and Software Center – www.element14.com – to keep it the most relevant and exciting space for engineers to discuss, access technical resources, participate in webinars and roadtests with leading suppliers, and search for development tools and software.
