Electronics

Both Acal and BFi Optilas (acquired by Acal in 2009) have been distributing electronic components across Europe since the 1980s.

The Electronics Division is well positioned as Europe’s leading specialist distributor of electronic and photonic products. Operating in sixteen countries throughout Western Europe, the Division is setting the standards in multi-disciplined, design-in led specialist technical distribution. It has a customer base of over 20,000 trading customers who are serviced by dedicated and technically and commercially competent sales staff, supported by ISO9001 certified world class logistics. With an annual turnover of £112 million in Financial Year  2009/10, which included four months of turnover from BFi Optilas, the Division has critical mass to enable it to succeed in a challenging marketplace.

The Division differentiates its offering with a strong focus on creating demand for the products manufactured by its franchised suppliers. Often operating in an exclusive partnership, the Division has a highly skilled technical sales force with a proven track record of demand creation. With the retrenchment of many suppliers to their core customers, the availability of technical support from suppliers is becoming increasingly difficult to access for many small and medium-sized customers. Consequently, such customers are more reliant on the technical expertise of the specialist distributor. Over recent years, Acal has taken full advantage of this opportunity, expanding the breadth of its offering and the depth of its technical support. The acquisition of BFi Optilas has further strengthened the overall product offering and technical support.

Eight market-aligned special business units, each with its own dedicated pan-European sales force, make up the Division. Within many of these business units, technical expertise enables additional, value-added services to be offered.

A non-conflict supplier approach provides suppliers and customers alike with clarity, focus and the knowledge that the Division’s resources are not diluted in their efforts to support them and their specific objectives.

In summary, the Division is able to furnish pre and post design-in support across Europe with local technical resource, backed up by a cost efficient, world class, centralised logistics infrastructure capable of satisfying the most demanding of customer needs.