March 2020 is the month of the outbreak of the pandemic that, even today, dictates the way we live our daily lives. For Ivan Sgevano, however, it is also the start of a new stage in his career at Rutronik: since then he has been Area Manager for the Triveneto region, a role he has taken on naturally, also thanks to the team he coordinates, a united and solid group that has been working together for many years.
The Padua branch has four Insider Sales, four Field Sales Engineers, including Sgevano, and one Field Application Engineer. In addition, there are two managers with national responsibilities: Luca Rangoni for Fae and Liana Michelotto for Logistics. Ivan Sgevano has also been the European Key Account Manager for the De'Longhi Group, one of the leading global players in the small domestic appliance sector, for about a year.
What is involved in managing a client that operates on a global scale?
Working with a key customer of this magnitude is challenging, because it requires knowledge of a complex global market and the ability to dialogue at multiple levels, interfacing with all its development, logistics and production centres. Not only that, but the cooperation between the colleagues at Rutronik who follow the customer's subsidiaries on an international level is essential. By working together, by staying in direct contact, we can track the various activities in all their phases, from promotion and quotation to order management, guaranteeing the customer a high level of service. In my role, therefore, I deal on a daily basis with my sales and marketing colleagues who promote our solutions at the customer's development centres, and I coordinate with Rutronik's foreign subsidiaries to complete the process of order taking and management at the Contract Manufacturers. The processes today have a global dimension and, as distributors, we are called upon to follow them up by verifying the success of the purchasing operation at the subcontractor's premises, at the last stage of the process, regardless of where the subcontractor is based. So we may have to make a phone call to China at times that are unlikely for us, but managing a global customer is a source of pride and a great opportunity for professional growth.
Problems such as shortages of materials and rising prices are also global...
The shortage of materials has been triggered and fuelled by geopolitical and economic factors, compounded by the impact of the pandemic, which has undermined the manufacturing capabilities of major manufacturers and contributed to longer lead times. In particular, alongside increased demand for electronic components from markets such as electric vehicles, 5G and automotive, we have seen strong growth in demand from the big players in consumer computing, who are driving far greater numbers than those in the aforementioned emerging and automotive sectors. Against this backdrop, our customers have had to change their working methods and scheduling times, and we in turn have aligned ourselves with them, returning to long and very long lead-time orders. Whereas previously the average delivery time was eight to twelve weeks and orders followed a similar schedule, today we have lead times of up to seventy weeks. Long-term planning is necessary for manufacturers to have greater visibility over the coming months and to allocate their production resources in the most optimised way possible. On the price front, in recent months we have had to face, like all operators in the sector, new purchasing conditions. Our nature as a private distributor, who makes his money exclusively from his own profits, does not allow us to absorb these increases without adjusting our selling prices.
How much autonomy do you have in proposing components from different suppliers to customers?
Rutronik has embarked on a major change by dividing its European business into five macro-regions, each with greater autonomy in the choices inherent in its target market. Together with those in Spain and Portugal, our subsidiary, which has always enjoyed a good deal of autonomy, is part of Rutronik South Europe, a macro-region that will be able to decide which strategies to adopt, which brands to promote, how to approach customers based on the needs of its own territory, using cross-functional figures. As a broadliner distributor, we represent manufacturers of active, passive, electromechanical, wireless, display and embedded products, in a range of proposals that, in terms of variety, distinguishes us from our competitors. Our strength, in our approach to the customer, is precisely our ability to offer systems made up of several components, which fully satisfy a specific application requirement. Having in-depth knowledge of the sectors in which we operate, being able to count on such a varied offer, with a great capacity for "crossing", i.e. proposing alternatives, and having the necessary autonomy to propose targeted offers allows us to have a winning approach with our customers and to build solid relationships with them.
On what basis do you build the relationship with suppliers?
The relationship with our suppliers is just as important as the relationship with our customers. It is essentially based on two fundamental elements: common strategy and synergy. We define objectives with our suppliers and how to achieve them, and we act in synergy. The stronger the relationship with the manufacturer, the better the service we can offer the customer. The common denominator is the human aspect of the relationship, an essential feature of our corporate mentality. The impact of the pandemic has also been strong in our relations with suppliers, but not being able to meet physically has not undermined the solidity of our relationships, which we have tried to keep alive with all the means that technology has offered us.
You follow customers all over the world, but you know the local market very well. What are its peculiarities?
The economic fabric of the Triveneto region is made up of a large number of SMEs for which distributors are fundamental when it comes to purchasing electronic components. These companies are mainly active in the industrial sector, in particular door-opening, alarm and HA, which require different approaches and levels of support, but whose common denominator is the care for human relations. Helpfulness, competence and the ability to perceive individual needs are key points in the relationship with these customers, and these are factors that our team in Padua has in its DNA. At Rutronik, we also share another characteristic: the ability to allow ourselves moments of leisure with our partners - customers and suppliers - outside of the classic professional dynamics. In short, collaboration must also be fun!
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