UK components distie goes direct in Poland

Premier Farnell's element14 ramps up redirection

Electronic and engineering components distributor Farnell element14 is cutting out the middleman in Poland, announcing it will now only deal direct with customers there.

Its products and services portfolio includes services and support as well as products such as the Raspberry Pi alongside semiconductors and other electronic components from the likes of Honeywell and 3M.

Rob Rospędzihowski, commercial sales director at Farnell element14, said the plan is part of a "strategic redirection".

Selling direct in Poland would ensure customers "benefit from the highest possible service levels", he added.

"Farnell element14 is working hard to develop a local business in each country in which it operates, through local-language websites and ordering currency," Rospędzihowski said.

The realignment would also affect its operations in Latvia, Lithuania and Slovakia. Customers will be able to buy 500,000 products priced in local currency directly from local-language websites and available for next-day delivery, according to the distributor.

It opened a new outbound telesales and marketing centre in Krakow, Poland, in October, to provide service in 22 European languages.

The Krakow call centre will work with field sales, customer service support, e-commerce and marketing teams in a network of offices across Europe.

In other news, Farnell element14 in the UK – under the OneCall name – has secured its spot on the National Universities Working Party on Electronic Components (NUWPEC) framework for another four years.

According to reports, the distributor has held a supplier place on that framework since 1999. The new deal could earn the company up to £10m a year.

Farnell element14 is part of Leeds-based Premier Farnell, which as a group turns over £900m every year.