by Laura Reggiani |
Rutronik Italia, the German broadliner distributor, has been present in Italy for over 15 years with an established structure headed by Pino Cosenza, e Comelec have announced a collaboration in the field of power electronics.
"Our aim has always been to constantly expand the range of products and services for our customers in order to be able to meet their needs in the long term," explains Loris Cavallotto, Comelec's managing director. "In addition to the connector business, Comelec has over time specialised in the marketing of high-quality products such as passive components and power semiconductors." Founded in 1983 in Collegno, in the province of Turin, as a manufacturer and regional distributor of connectors, Comelec over the years has built an organizational and production structure able to offer a complete supply in the field of connection throughout the country. In order to expand the range of products and services offered to customers, it has signed a series of contracts for the distribution of qualified components with important companies of electronic components.
The power market
As the protagonists of the agreement explain, in Italy too power is a market characterised by significant numbers, confirmed by Dmass data which, even in a difficult year like 2020, estimate its value at around 110 million euros. But, above all, it is an expanding market, which will enjoy significant growth in the coming years, even in the order of 40%, driven by new applications related to electrification and recharging - not only cars, but also bicycles, scooters, industrial vehicles - and by the developments of other sectors, such as renewables, an area for which significant recovery is expected, and railways, which have interesting potential.
"The power electronics market is a niche but strategic market, which requires products with high technological content and therefore needs well-prepared and competent players," explains Cosenza. "This integration will make us the best prepared organisation to deal with the power electronics business. We are in fact consolidating a new structure made up of people totally dedicated to this market and specialised in this sector, who will operate in the field to support customers".
The two partners bring a unique set of skills: Comelec brings its industry experience and knowledge of the customer base, know-how and technical expertise, while Rutronik brings a product range covering 100% of power applications, a first-class service with state-of-the-art logistics and an established sales structure: "Competing in the electronics market is very difficult, and even more so in the power electronics sector; that's why you need critical masses like the one we have achieved.
A solid and lasting bond
There is a lot of enthusiasm on the part of both partners, but above all there is a desire to establish a solid and lasting relationship. "I belong to the romantic category, those who still put people before business. The meeting between Rutronik and Comelec was certainly born from an economic opportunity, but it was also born from the personal feeling that was established and from our will to make this partnership, which allowed us from the beginning to give the right setting and with the right harmony, making everything easier", explains Cosenza.
In fact, the two companies may seem very different, but in reality, as Cosenza explains, they have many things in common: "Even though they are different in size, Rutronik and Comelec are very similar: they are two companies where the management carries out the message of the owners as if it were their own in an entrepreneurial logic, two companies that have the same philosophy and similar principles and that base everything on the value of people. "I totally agree with this vision and I am absolutely convinced of the success of this initiative and of the results we will achieve," confirms Cavallotto.
"The partnership with Rutronik is very important for us and will allow us not only to offer our customers, in addition to Infineon, which is certainly one of the drivers of this initiative, a broader product portfolio, ranging from IGBTs to capacitors, from power modules to filters, but also to present ourselves to large customers as a specialist that has a first-class commercial structure behind it," he continues. "I have found in all the people at Rutronik the greatest willingness to cooperate and a total openness that is difficult to find on a commercial level. This will enable us to achieve important results quickly and to go very far.
As far as the expected results are concerned, it is difficult at this early stage to talk about numbers: "We have defined the linecard on which we will work and we have had the first approaches with some customers, who have already shown interest. The year 2021 will be dedicated to consolidating and strengthening the businesses already underway; only at the end of this first year of activity will we be able to make a balance sheet, but I am convinced that the partnership will be worth ten years and that it will benefit from continuous progressions and growth, " concludes Cavallotto. "By utilising all our synergies, we will not only reach a wider circle of potential customers, but we will also be able to increase the number of specialised solutions to be proposed to the market and thus achieve important results, " concludes Cosenza.
