TTI Europe, TE Connectivity forge industrial alliance

Thomas Schmidt (pictured right), Senior Vice President, TE Industrial, TE Connectivity cited three key objectives.

“We believe in enhacing the customer experience and we see TTI as the ideal partner to help us do that,“ he told Electronic Specifier. “We want to increase our demand creation activities and TTI Europe has a broad coverage in EMEA. They can help us work with OEMs and SMEs on their projects. And the deal with TTI will help us intensify the technical expertise available.“

“The key is customer engagement,“ confirmed Geoff Breed (pictured left), Vice President Marketing, TTI Europe.

“We will focus on the industrial customers and SMEs. But nothing is ruled out. If TE sees an opportunity best served by TTI then we will work together closely to ensure the customer experience is the best.”

TE Connectivity’s Industrial business unit offers CAE design support as well as prototyping. “Supporting the customers design is paramount,” Breed affirmed. “Both companies will collaborate to ensure this high level of service is offered to the customers.”

Backing up the intense design collaboration will be a high level of inventory. “We have made a substantial investment of several hundred thousand Euros in the inventory, and worked with TE to decide the profile,” commented Breed.

Initially the two companies will focus on TE Connectivity’s heavy duty connector product range. They have developed a product road map and will cooperate on a programme of new product introductions for the industrial market place identified to meet customer requirements.

Selected product programmes will benefit from Minimum Order Quantities (MOQs). “These are not inexpensive products, and we want to meet the needs of our customers,” commented Geoff Breed. “It depends on the type of customer, for instance in the rail industry, this could be supplying spares for maintenance,” he explained.

Typical applications for the TE Connectivity products include robotics, production equipment, rail, forklifts and motors.

Both companies have recruited personnel to support the initiative. TE Connectivity has expanded its field-based technical expertise to support TTI Europe and the distributor has reciprocated.

Industry veteran Norbert Piefer has been named as Industrial Marketing Director for TTI in Europe. He will drive the segment via the sales and business development teams. TTI has also appointed a Business Development Manager for Southern Europe who will support Piefer in France and Italy. And it has added two Product Development Managers for the French market.

Added Glyn Dennehy, Senior Vice President and General Manager, TTI Europe, “This is a major and exciting commitment for both companies. We deliver regional field coverage, inventory, design and technical solutions and logistical support to complement TE Industrial’s current and future activities, so that our customers get the service they require for their specific business needs and receive an extraordinary customer experience.”