There have been many changes in electronic component distribution in the last fifteen years. Many old names have disappeared – either because they failed to adapt to new market conditions or because they were acquired – some massive global players have emerged and so-called ‘high-service’ distributors from the USA have risen to challenge established UK ‘catalogue’ brands. Leaving aside the six or eight household names, there are other distributors that have been successful because they have chosen a different path – generally providing services that the majors can’t or don’t want to. Often these are referred to as value-added.
Transonics Plc is a franchised provider of domestic and international electronic component supply and design solutions. It operates from three locations in the UK and also has offices in Italy and China. Transonics is different in that its philosophy is to adopt an ethical approach to the well-being of its staff, customers, and supporting the community at large. Its business was developed by acquisition and the development of strategic partnerships, whilst delivering consistent quality and an ever-growing range of technology solutions and value-added services. Transonics can supply all products that are in current production and holds 100 million devices across 13,000 product lines at its warehouse in Leicester, to service its global customer base. All products are covered by the manufacturer’s warranty with full batch traceability. We provide a certificate of conformity with each delivery and, on specific request in advance, can provide the original manufacturers certificate.
Having seen significant growth in 2018 in common with the rest of the market, Transonics bucked the negative industry trend in 2019 and experienced solid growth. This was attributed by the company to its real expertise in value-added services, including MCU programming, PCB supply including design support and fast turn-around, Far-East sourcing and cable assembly – backed up by additional services include consignment stocks, dedicated buffer stocks and logistic solutions including production kitting. Transonics’ overall philosophy prioritizes ease of transaction for its customers and this is borne out by its steady growth over recent years.
Notable milestones in the past 12 months include:
– Expanding its headquarters in Hemel Hemstead by 50% to accommodate additional personnel.
– Some of the additional headcount were personal account handlers for clients typically spending £50K – £2M per year, hired to further increase the company’s commitment to customer service, with a brief to know that customer and its business requirements well and to deliver a personalised service with a human face.
– Adding to its franchises, including:
• Hongfa, the world’s number one supplier by volume of relays. Transonics is the first UK company to have such a distribution contract with the company. It now holds the UK’s largest inventory of Hongfa relays right across the entire product range, with the majority of devices available ex-stock. Leadtimes on many popular lines are very much shorter than other relay manufacturers.
• JJ Micro, the Chinese producer of discrete and power semiconductors, and the third largest manufacturer of Triacs in the world. Transonics holds stocks of most of JJ Micro’s internally-isolated tab Triacs,as well as its diodes, MOSFETs, protection devices, thyristors and transistors.
– Increasing its range of services:
• Adding a 24-hour 2-layer PCB quote and sample dispatch service from one of the world’s top 30-ranked PCB producers. Transonics’ supplier also manufacturers board for companies including Samsung and Sony, so customers are assured of the highest levels of quality. Boards can be up to 48 layers with approvals for UL/ CUL / TS16949 / IPC. Products are 100% electrically-tested.
• Buffer and consignment stocks of PCBs are held in UK warehouses, boards are shipped with full batch code traceability.
• UK-based technical expertise and support for the 24-hour PCB quote service, including Gerber file manipulation, re-baking and repackaging with moisture indicator strip and de-penalisation.
Transonics’ plans for 2020 include the launch of a new eCommerce site. An specialist manager and team have been hired implement this project and deliver an optimal customer online ordering experience.
https://www.transonics.com/