Heilind Electronics make connections in Frankfurt

Founded by Bob Clapp in 1974, Heilind Electronics began its journey from a single room in a building, and from there it has forged its foundation on connections – fully imbibing the essence of what ‘connection’ means – both on an industry and a personable level.

Electronic Specifier’s Associate Editor, Sheryl Miles, paid a visit to the new distribution warehouse to better understand the logistics of the company’s operations and how this new location enables it to better serve its customers.

A strategic location

Located in Frankfurt’s industrial quarter, the facility is positioned in the beating heart of transport and logistics, enabling Heilind to strengthen its position in this region whilst allowing growth in Central and Western Europe, namely the DACH region, Benelux, Italy, and France for Industrial and Mil-Aero business.

Speaking on the manifold of reasons behind the new location, Heilind’s President and CEO, Robert Clapp, comments: “For me, the driving forces behind the location are that we needed to find somewhere that has access to a great pool of candidates with great skillsets, and moving more North [from Munich] gives us better access to Western Europe.”

With the city’s exceptional connectivity, particularly its proximity to a major airport and the highway, Heilind is able to significantly optimise its supply chain and delivery time.

Grzegorz Łyszczarz, Managing Director at Heilind Europe, said: “We analysed where we wanted to be. Frankfurt has great connections for our suppliers, for our customers, and for our employees. We are 20 minutes from the airport … and five minutes from the main highway. We can ship our products Express via cargo and we can react [to requests] really quickly. This space allows us to focus on serving the customers in the Central and Western parts of Europe.

“Our Frankfurt warehouse is also connected to our Poland facility by a main highway, so it allows us to be extremely flexible when there is peak demand for operational support … [with] Frankfurt specialising in distribution and VAD (Value-Added Distribution), and Poland in distribution and fasteners.

“Frankfurt is also a great area for expanding our VAD connector assembly. Our goal is to be number one in Europe when it comes to VAD connector production. It’s the same when it comes to our interconnect products.”

The distribution warehouse

Boasting over 8,000 square metres of space, including a Value-Add Centre, offices, and a storage capacity of approximately 2,000 cubic square feet, the size of the warehouse is a testament to the growing need for Heilind to provide connections to the global market. Plus, the facility’s VAD offers services which include kitting, re-reeling, special packaging, and connector assembly –  all tailored to meet the diverse needs of Heilind’s customers across Europe.

Catering to the mil-aero industry, each and every part of Heilind’s inventory is fully traceable and every member of staff is trained to EN 9100 certification standards, ensuring that they offer the most comprehensive service possible to customers.

From the voluminous space, Heilind is able to quickly turnaround its parts production – often within four to five days, which is critical for meeting the needs of industrial, military, and aerospace customers who rely on a fast and accurate delivery of goods.

Heilind’s inventory is checked to precision, ensuring that the customer gets exactly what they want. The company also ensures it is as sustainable as possible, by recycling as much packaging as it can, which is then used to protect its components.

Market views and operational strategy

The electronics market fluctuates rapidly yet the demand for technical excellence remains steadfast. Heilind is able to swiftly adjust to market demands and maintain a diverse product range as it keeps a clear perspective on its market approach and a competitive edge.

Clapp shares: “We are a specialised distributor. We have a high focus on interconnect. That’s what we do, every day. We don’t get distracted by other areas.”

The company’s commitment to a thriving operational strategy that outputs customer satisfaction is at the forefront of all it does.

Commenting on how market dynamics have impacted on their business strategy, David Warren, Director of Global Marketing at Heilind, reflects on how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted distributors as customers became flush with inventory in 2022, then in 2023 the global economy started to slow causing production to follow suit.

“[distributors] all saw it slow, and a lot of our public friends and competitors had to pull back because of their shareholdings,” said Warren, emphasising the operational advantage of Heilind being privately owned. “That’s where Bob and Robert Clapp are more visionary, and they are able to move forward.”

“Whenever there’s a supply chain problem like COVID, we look at how we can lean into it. How can we take advantage of the disruption. As a private company, we can lean into it and take chances,” confirms Clapp.

Łyszczarz adds: “Making the European logistics connections between the two facilities is important because our competitors usually operate with one. We learned our lesson during COVID when you have employee shortages and you need to provide a service during market peaks. So we now have two warehouses, meaning we are more agile and we can react better and faster.”

Further illustrating Heilind’s agility in adapting to market conditions and distinguishing itself from its competitors, Łyszczarz emphasises: “Our asset is driven by being agile and having lean management; these two things are the DNA of our asset. Our asset people share desks with our sales people, our salespeople are connected to our customers, and that drives asset behaviour”

This adaptability is vital in allowing Heilind to adapt its strategies not quarterly or even monthly, but on a weekly basis – ensuring that they are always aligned with the current demands of the market and the needs of their customers.

The value Heilind adds to the customer

Heilind prides itself on its customer-centric approach and family ethos, and by focussing on interconnect solutions and avoiding the distractions of a broader market, the company is able to provide a targeted, high-quality service that meets the specific needs of each customer.

This ethos is ingrained right down to the design of its facilities, which include inspiration and technical centres, where customers can visit Heilind and interact with its products and specialists.

“We are looking to bring our great customer satisfaction status to Europe,” says Warren.

Clapp echoes: “In the Americas we are the number one customer experience provider of what we do – which is a distributor of interconnect electromechanical, sensors, and hardware, and we are now bringing that into Europe and Asia.”

What sets Heilind apart really is that they are “willing to work with the customer to deliver what they need, the way they want it, as opposed to the way we want to give it to them. We are here to serve them as best as we can,” says Clapp.

Another customer focus is order quantity. At Heilind, there is no minimum order quantity – you can buy as little as one component if that is what you need.

“We have time for the customer,” says Łyszczarz. “We are here for them. We’re not in a hurry to get to the next customer. We spend time with them, discussing their needs about their production. It is pure dedication on our side.”

Heilind Electronics underscores the value it brings to both customers and suppliers, focusing on crafting a successful supply chain. The company acts as a reliable partner that customers can trust, capable of delivering on the same day if necessary. Suppliers benefit from a partnership that is straightforward and conducive to smooth operations. Excelling in these areas, particularly as a family-owned company, Heilind believes that value is a crucial component of its service. With ‘Heilind Connects’ embodying the company’s core position in the marketplace.

Although, perhaps it’s the simplest messages that are often the most effective.

“It’s like my father always said, ‘do what you say you’re going to do’, and it’s really that simple, yet its very powerful,” ends Clapp.