10 Advantages of Working with a Trusted Electronic Components Distributor

Electronic components distributors are not just middlemen. They provide crucial services for customers who require electronic parts while also representing manufacturers’ interests and delivering their products to customers efficiently and effectively. These distributors provide value-added services, including customer support and technical expertise on a scale manufacturers generally cannot.  For manufacturers that require parts, distributors help ensure that their production lines keep running, and that they do not experience a shortage of any required electronic components. Distributors can quickly ship electronic parts in any quantity, and even those scaled for larger production runs can supply smaller amounts when needed. 

Here are 10 advantages an electronic components distributor can provide:

  1. 1. Offers greater choice in components

As electronic components distributors are connected to parts manufacturers worldwide, they have the capabilities to find just about any electronic part a customer requires. Most also store a wide range of electronic components in controlled environments in their warehouses, ensuring they will work the same as those coming straight off the assembly line of an original equipment manufacturer (OEM). It makes finding a hard-to-get part much easier, so if the distributor doesn’t have stock it knows from where to source it. 

2. Compliance with quality standards

Regulatory and quality standards exist for all electronic components to ensure customers buy quality parts. Distributors must comply with these standards to keep their own customers happy, which is why many also list and maintain their certifications. This includes certification by ISO (International Organization for Standardization), an international, independent and non-governmental organization that represents standards by 165 other standards associations.  

3. Tracing products to their source

Counterfeiting has become increasingly common among producers of anything electronic. Components distributors deal directly with a part’s manufacturer to minimize the risk of buying fake components, which often offer inferior performance over genuine parts. Authorized suppliers give customers the confidence that they’re buying authentic components.   

  1. 4. Reduces shipping costs

Electronic parts distributors buy from a variety of manufacturers, warehousing goods for customers that include device manufacturers, retailers and even personal consumers. While product prices tend to be higher than what the manufacturer offers, especially on a per unit basis when buying in bulk, distributors have capabilities for supplying smaller orders quickly and with lower shipping costs. This largely makes up for the higher unit price. 

5. Quicker delivery

Just-in-time delivery is used by suppliers of all sorts of goods, including electronic components. Distributors use this approach to enable deliveries better. Distributors ensure parts are: 

  • Accurately packaged and shipped 
  • Delivered promptly 
  • Provided in desired quantities
  • Transported to the correct location
  1. 6. Offer strategies for dealing with excess inventory

Manufacturers sometimes deal with overproduced parts when production runs are cut short. This requires managing the sale of those components to other customers. An electronic components distributor often buys this excess inventory at or near cost, selling these parts at discounted rates to customers who require them.

7. Provide access to direct customer support

With electronic components, distributors are a go-between between manufacturers and their customers. Some authorized distributors even have whole departments dedicated to working with OEMs. These serve to:

  • Assist customers with decision-making about the best electronic part for their application
  • Provide all necessary customer support
  • Resolve technical difficulties arising from components they supply

Additionally, an electronic components distributor’s seasoned staff will likely have the knowledge to help customers choose, locate and acquire the correct parts for a specific application. 

8. Allows purchasing of smaller quantities

Most electronic parts manufacturers have “minimum order requirements” that compel customers to purchase larger quantities of components than they need. These can be cost-prohibitive for smaller manufacturers or other end users, who do not need components in large volume. This is also the case when engineers develop prototypes that require specific electronic components. Distributors can provide these smaller quantities quickly while also offering capabilities for delivering parts for full-scale production runs. 

9. Offers everything in one place

As most distributors carry multiple components from various manufacturers, product designers can save time by ordering from a single electronic parts dealer. Distributors carry everything a design engineer might need. This can include: 

  • Antennas
  • Cabling
  • Capacitors
  • Diodes
  • Integrated circuits
  • Power supplies
  • Resistors
  • Semiconductors
  • Sensors
  • Switches
  • Transistors

Certain electronic product distributors can even offer design engineers information on the future availability of components. 

  1. 10. Helps companies become more efficient and profitable

An often-overlooked but key benefit of using an electronic parts distributor involves how they can improve efficiency and profitability for manufacturers that utilize electronic components. Distributors that have been in the industry for a while understand the electronic components market, and can source parts quickly, even in an emergency. This keeps production going, enhancing a manufacturer’s productivity and increasing profits. 

To learn more about how a trusted electronic components distributor like Solid State Inc. can benefit your company, please contact us today.