Congratulations on 100 years of Conrad Electronic! Looking back: What was the most significant milestone for your company?

Ralf Bühler: The most important milestone? Phew, that's a really difficult question with a whole century of company history. Even in the early years of our company's foundation, we were at the cutting edge with components for the then revolutionary media of radio and television. And that is precisely the Conrad DNA: what has always driven and advanced us is our pioneering spirit and our willingness to innovate. Let me illustrate this with three of our most important milestones: In 1976, we introduced an IT system. Here, too, we were at the forefront and just one year later we were able to send 1,000 parcels a day instead of the previous 150. In 1997, we were one of the first in our industry on the World Wide Web and from one day to the next, 30,000 products went online at conrad.de. And then in 2017, the launch of the Conrad Marketplace heralded our transformation into the Conrad Sourcing Platform to become Europe's leading procurement platform for technical requirements.

It's not all rosy in 100 years - what do you think was the most difficult time for the company?

Bühler : If you want to be successful on the market for 100 years, you have to be prepared to change. In this context, 'entrepreneurial thinking' also means having to make difficult decisions from time to time. I'm thinking here, for example, of economically necessary branch closures. We had to react to the trend of more and more private customers shopping online. And fortunately, we foresaw this development and focused early on where we come from, who we are and what we are good at: We have always wanted to be more than just a technology retailer.

We understand and see ourselves as a solution provider for our customers, especially in the B2B sector. We founded the Conrad Business Supplies division back in 1998 in order to increasingly address companies. In recent years, it has become increasingly clear that our business customers in particular value our many years of experience in the market and perceive us as a strong and reliable procurement partner. As a result, our e-procurement solutions and services have been increasingly well received. At the same time, our curated online marketplace offers real added value for this customer group. This is how a challenging time became the new Conrad way. And I am proud that we have successfully completed a large part of this transformation today.

What does the roadmap for the next ten to 15 years look like?

Bühler: There are three major topics on our agenda: Clearly, our focus will continue to be on traditional e-commerce, i.e. our core competence as a retailer that has grown over decades. Task number two is to support companies in successfully overcoming complex procurement problems, which brings us to the topic of digital direct connection to our platform or e-procurement. And we want to further establish ourselves as a procurement platform for business customers on the European market. Keyword internationalization and cross-border procurement.

Technological trends and challenges

Roundtable on the occasion of the 100th anniversary celebrations: Conrad CEO Ralf Bühler (2nd from left) discusses the topic of AI with Florian Deter (2nd from right), Managing Director at Microsoft Germany, and Dr. Daniel Holz (right), Vice President EMEA North at Google - moderated by TV journalist Caren Miosga.

© storytile/Mirja Kofler

What technological trends do you see that are or will be important for Conrad Electronic and how are you addressing them?

Bühler: At the moment, we are seeing an absolute trend in the area of cobots. With a collaborative robot, even small and medium-sized companies can benefit from the advantages of automation. Cobots can be easily integrated into existing work environments and are also much easier to manage financially than a classic industrial robot. Apart from the fact that we have cobots in our range, we want to actively support companies in selecting the right cobot for them with the help of guides, a white paper and tailored services. This trend topic is also about being more than just a technology retailer, but about contributing to the success of our business customers' projects as a solution provider.

What do you think will be the biggest challenge over the next few years, in terms of business and/or technology?

Bühler: I think that the topic of AI and, above all, its correct use will keep us busy in the coming years. After all, it only makes sense for companies if it brings real added value. I recently took part in a panel discussion on the topic of AI as part of our 100th anniversary event: We were able to get Florian Deter, Managing Director at Microsoft Germany, and Dr. Daniel Holz, Vice President EMEA North at Google, to join us. These two experts mentioned customer acquisition and automation with AI as important areas of application. The risks of AI were also discussed and we all agreed that both legislators and AI providers need to set the right framework.

And, of course, it will generally be about how we secure our supply chains. How we can optimize our efficiency in order to keep pace with the global competition. And how we can use resources more sustainably in order to fulfill our responsibility towards future generations. At Conrad, we are convinced that digital procurement can provide the answers. That's why we have the Conrad Sourcing Platform - a network of people, digital solutions, services and partners to deliver all parts of success to our customers.