NATIONWIDE SERVICE WITHOUT GAPS

For the first time, Elesco Norge is holding its autumn gathering in Hamar. Over four days in September, workshops, technicians, suppliers and partners will come together for professional updates and the exchange of experience.

– We try to move around Norway so that all our members have the opportunity for a short journey. Hamar is also easily accessible from Gardermoen, says Liv-Anne Svendsen, chief financial officer at Elesco Norge, to the trade magazine Elektronikkbransjen.

This year’s gathering has 170 participants. More than 200 attended last year.

– We celebrated our 30th anniversary last year, and also invited retired key personnel, says managing director Kjell Unes.

The purpose of the gathering is to provide both administrative staff and technicians with updated expertise through courses and presentations from suppliers.

– This is a huge success. We see that the suppliers like it, and they can provide their updates and explain, on their own terms, what the technicians should learn. The same applies to the administrative side, in terms of how to facilitate service and reporting, says chairman Christoffer Hamer.

– Skills development is our top priority, so that we remain best in class as the natural choice for suppliers, Hamer tells the trade magazine Elektronikkbransjen.

Competence first

The training primarily takes place in plenary halls, where suppliers present products, solutions and provide service information. At the same time, practical sessions are held in smaller groups.

– We are the only electrical chain in Norway to offer this type of training and professionalisation in relation to the aftermarket. This makes Elesco unique and able to retain its position as number one in aftermarket services and service, says Hamer.

The gathering also gives suppliers the opportunity to meet across established competitive relationships.

– They see a sense of solidarity in an aftermarket where we all usually struggle with the same problems, says Unes.

– We see the advantage of being a chain. Suppliers can be used on the same service routes in sparsely populated areas, while Elesco can cover remote districts. Competitors in a small country like Norway depend on one another, so there are major advantages to being in the same place, says Hamer.

Only one retailer

Among the participants, Komplett is the only retailer taking part.

– We have invited several others, but unfortunately they have not participated. Komplett has been with us at the gathering for many years, and after a short break they are now back, says Svendsen.

– Why does Elesco want more retailers to attend the gathering?

– Participation would give them closer cooperation with the workshops and a better understanding of challenges that can be resolved through dialogue, says Unes.

– If Power and Elkjøp read this, they should wake up, Hamer adds.

Elesco has no plans to expand its operations outside Norway.

– We are Norwegian, and there are no plans for anything other than that, says Hamer.

Recruitment is a challenge

Recruitment is highlighted as one of the biggest challenges facing the industry.

– Very many people are unfamiliar with the profession of electronics repair technician or computer electronics technician, says Svendsen.

To address the challenge, Elesco has run social media campaigns, produced informational films and established partnerships with NAV and recruitment agencies.

The chain also supports workshops that take on apprentices.

– We provide NOK 30,000 per apprentice, and have done so for many years, says Unes.

– The workshops do a lot of promotion at upper secondary schools and visit schools, but some are better at it than others, says Svendsen.

Good coverage

Elesco currently consists of 29 workshops and also cooperates with ten external workshops that are used when needed.

– Apart from certain islands without ferry connections, we have quite good nationwide service coverage, says Unes.

In total, the chain employs around 320 people, of whom approximately 230 are technicians.

– How are you doing in terms of the distribution between genders and different age groups?

– We are no longer an old boys’ club, says Unes.

– It seems to be becoming increasingly interesting for women to enter the profession. It has been a male-dominated industry with many older people, but it has begun to level out, says Unes.

When faced with acute capacity challenges, the workshops help each other across regions.

– We send technicians across the country to assist each other with acute challenges, says Svendsen.

– Many people think it can be enjoyable to spend a week elsewhere in Norway to see a little of the country, even if there is a lot of work during that period, Unes adds.

Stable market

Elesco had turnover of NOK 443 million last year.

– As a workshop-owned chain, Elesco’s aim is to create value for the owner workshops rather than generate high profits. Through ongoing service settlements, large parts of the value creation are returned to the workshops, and the annual result is therefore normally around NOK 2.5 million, says Svendsen.

Unes finds that the overall volume of service work remains stable, even though the supplier landscape is changing.

– We can clearly see that some major suppliers have lower sales, while new suppliers have entered and made up the difference. The total volume of service work in Norway is fairly stable, but it varies which supplier has the most, he says.

– What would you say about the quality of the products being sold?

– We have more electronics and more functions, which create different types of faults than before, says Unes.