Avnet: Europe is collaborating more

Distribution giant's EMEA SolutionsPath director said there was more willingness to work with geographical neighbours and learn from each other than in the past

The European IT channel is becoming more connected in the way it conducts business, with firms collaborating with counterparts in other countries to benefit from their experience.

That is the view of Wayne Gratton (pictured), Avnet EMEA business director, SolutionsPath, who said corporate attitudes were changing from being quite insular to wanting to speak to their neighbours and learn from their experiences.

"We are seeing a lot more of that uniformity across Europe and vendors are also working in a more consistent way across the region. Our partners are having more of a global outlook," he said.

"Of course there are idiosyncrasies in every country, but everybody wants to address the same business messages."

Gratton said this is where Avnet is winning business because its SolutionPath methodology enables it to analyse channel businesses and ensure they get the right accreditations.

"We can also say ‘this is what your customers are asking for' and ‘this is where things are selling'."

He said the distributor had been creating solution guides to help its partners pick the right opportunities and also how to market themselves to customers, as well as offering guidance to vendors.

One thing he was sure of is that distribution is here to stay. "Some people predicted the demise of distribution, but in fact our role has got bigger and has adapted more. We are being asked to do more things and look at where the growth is.

"Vendors are also working in collaboration, and the place for them to do this most effectively is through distribution," he said.

Gratton said confidence in the UK and Europe was definitely on the up.

"People are definitely looking outwards more, whereas in lean times they looked closer to home. We are seeing some very strong performances and a lot of buoyancy in the market across all of Europe, even the countries that had a very harsh economic pill to swallow."

He explained Avnet will continue developing its SolutionsPath strategy, with the initiative becoming more programmatic and expanding beyond training.

"We plan to introduce educational milestones and activities throughout the year," he said. "It makes sense for distribution to continue developing these kinds of services, tools and educational offerings."