Congratulations on 50 years of Rutronik! Looking back: What was your company's most significant milestone?

Thomas Rudel : In 50 years as a distributor, there have been a number of significant milestones, all of which have contributed to our success. In retrospect, we can actually see turning points and milestones in every decade of Rutronik's existence that have shaped us as an owner-managed, independent distributor. The first major milestone was the opening of our company headquarters at Industriestrasse 2 in Ispringen, three years after the company was founded by Helmut Rudel. We see the first technological turning point and milestone in the 1980s, when the semiconductor industry grew rapidly due to the great demand for microchips. When the cell phone industry experienced its breakthrough in the 1990s with the introduction of the GSM network, digital networks became established and the Internet changed the way we live, Rutronik also expanded considerably in order to help shape the newly emerging markets. Shortly before the turn of the millennium, Rutronik succeeded in becoming one of the leading broadline distribution companies in Europe with a comprehensive range of products, components and services.

The most emotional milestone for the Rutronik company and the Rudel family came in 2008: the handover of the baton from my father Helmut Rudel to me. Since then, he has acted as President of the family business. Technologically, the 2000s set the course for wireless communication and information technologies, which is why we founded our wireless division in 2005. And because digitalization does not stop at any market, I set the next milestone in the 2010s, when the upheaval in the automotive industry began. This was primarily reflected in innovations relating to connectivity and the internet-based linking of vehicles as well as the development of alternative drive systems. With our Automotive Business Unit, founded in 2014, Rutronik has an in-house specialization that focuses explicitly on the procurement and development structures of customers in the automotive sector.

Artificial intelligence, big data, robotics and human-machine interfaces, automation and Industry 4.0 - this is the next milestone that we are currently focusing on and will continue to focus on in the coming years. Then there is the changing use of resources and the associated environmental protection, constantly reshaping global markets, challenges in procurement due to political circumstances... there are still a number of milestones awaiting us.

It's not all rosy in 50 years - what do you think was the most difficult time for the company?

Rudel: I'm thinking primarily of the economic crisis in 2008 / 2009, when the sales volume of distribution (DTAM, Distribution Total Available Market) in the German electronics and electrical industry fell to a record low of just over 2.5 billion euros. The global economic crisis and the associated negative trend in price structures have reduced margins enormously. This low challenged many companies to move out of their comfort zones or fall victim to the crisis. In addition to traditional distribution services, the "extras" became the decisive factor in determining where and whether a customer would buy. A stable logistics system was no longer enough. Rutronik's strength was and still is its ability to know and analyze the market and, above all, future developments and trends in detail. Accordingly, we are able to adapt our business model at an early stage, add services and set our own beacons that set us apart from our competitors and enable us to survive crises.

What is the roadmap for the next ten to 15 years?

Rudel: Our goal is of course to continue to grow sensibly. This includes the continuous expansion of our R&D activities and our further development as a system provider. We have already laid the foundations for this with the founding of Rutronik System Solutions and, with the RDK2, RDK3 and RDK4 as well as various adapter boards, we offer our customers the opportunity to save considerable time and money in the pre-development phase of their applications.

Worldwide, we are pursuing a regionalization strategy in order to be even closer to our customers and to be able to meet country-specific market requirements with our usual excellence.

As a major training company in the Pforzheim region, we also see ourselves as having a social responsibility. We train qualified young people, for example through a dual study program in electrical engineering, and enable qualified young people to enter the world of electronics.

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

Rudel: We think in terms of future markets and how these can be linked with each other or how technologies can be used and further developed as efficiently and economically as possible. We are also pursuing a "deep-tech approach". Fundamental research and basic investigations always involve an extremely high risk for companies, which is why we start here and offer our customers solutions that have already been tested and work, based on scientific results. It is crucial to always be a few steps ahead, which is why we regularly conduct in-depth market research and work closely with a number of colleges and universities. We are constantly discovering approaches, such as printed electronics, that have the potential to have a disruptive effect on existing business models and change them in the long term.

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

Rudel : The semiconductor situation in particular will certainly continue to occupy more than just the electronics industry. One of the biggest challenges is the fact that the European share of the global semiconductor market is less than ten percent. In addition, just ten manufacturers account for around two thirds of the total market - with only two European companies, which are, however, owned by American investors. We see considerable risks for the European economy in this development. For us as the only major European distributor, this unfortunately means some considerable hurdles and disadvantages in international competition.