Renewing the solutions offering

Renewing the solutions offering
Within the value chain, Rexel is on the cutting edge of market trends. The Group helps installers to master new technical solutions. By broadening its expertise with innovative solutions, Rexel enables its customers to enter new markets, such as electric mobility or energy auditing.
  • Supporting our customers in high-growth markets

    The services and infrastructure designed for electric vehicles represent a fast-growing, fast-changing market. In order to enable its customers to efficiently operate in it, Rexel develops high value-added solutions. In 2016, at the Swedish Schneider Electric HQ near Stockholm, Rexel Energy Solutions implemented a customized installation: a solar charging station for electric vehicles that uses the entire electrical network of the building like a virtual energy storage unit. When there are no electric vehicles charging, the electricity produced by the solar panels is stored or used to power the HQ offices, from lighting to computers. When a vehicle is plugged in, the stored energy is redirected to the charging station via the electrical network. The car can therefore be 100% recharged, with no carbon footprint, even in winter.

  • Developing new skills

    Committed to offering its customers ever-greater expertise and service, Rexel accompanies them throughout their projects, supporting them from the design phase to the roll-out. In the field of energy audits and renovation, which requires collecting precise data, harnessing advanced technical skills and using an efficient analytical approach, Rexel facilitates the task of building managers in France via its design consultancy Inoveha. Specializing in energy audits for the collective residential market, it conducts a full analysis of the factors affecting a building's energy performance and its tenants' comfort and makes renovation recommendations, while accompanying the administrator throughout the renovation process. A technician goes to the site, collects the specific data concerning the insulation, equipment, carpentry and materials used, and provides a complete energy assessment. Using thermal modelling tools, Inoveha creates several optimization and renovation scenarios taking into account technical and financial constraints and environmental, economic, or even esthetic impact, and finally, makes recommendations to improve the building's energy consumption and reduce its energy bill, while ensuring its tenants' comfort.

  • Capitalizing on digital technology to innovate

    Rexel designs and offers its customers high value-added tools that are increasingly user-friendly. Available in several European countries including France, Esabora is a software suite developed by Rexel Digital Applications. Designed for independent contractors and small and medium-size companies, this solution increases their efficiency and credibility. The suite includes "Vesta," a software application that facilitates installers' pre-sales work. "Schema" is an intuitive and efficient CAD design app tailored to installers' business needs, allowing them to design a full technical study that can be turned into a quotation in a few clicks via the "Business" app. This multifunction assistant improves business management thanks to an activity dashboard and makes administrative tasks easier: preparing cost estimates with access to specific products, prices and conditions reserved for Rexel installers, invoicing and order management, works management, etc. The Esabora suite is a turnkey solution with great business content, enabling installers to optimize and improve the profitability of their business.
    For fields requiring significant technical expertise, such as home automation, or more specifically the connected home, Rexel has designed Energeasy Connect, a controller that renders the main market standards interoperable and makes the cable and radio technologies complementary.

Optimizing the customer interface

Rexel offers a dedicated interface to all its customers, from independent contractors to leading global companies, based primarily on an updated e-commerce platform and advanced CRM tools.
  • Webshop and commercial network

    Since 2015, Rexel has been rolling out a new global e-commerce platform. With nearly 250 configurable features designed to meet customers' needs as closely as possible, depending on their specific markets and context, the platform is being gradually implemented at the local level. It is already operational in Germany, France, Austria, Sweden and the Netherlands, as well as at Gexpro in the US, and its roll-out is ongoing in North America, the UK and Scandinavia. All European countries will have adopted this platform by 2018. The webshop completes Rexel's service offering, allowing customers to place orders or to search for information on products, their prices and their availability anytime, anywhere. As an example, just like in the Group's branches, the live chat feature allows customers to connect with a salesperson whenever needed. Webshops include new functionalities: the guest checkout allows unregistered customers to quickly place an order without requesting the creation of an account.
    The broadening of Rexel's multichannel offering, including an increasing number of digital tools, has a direct impact on the Group's business growth. Whenever customers use traditional channels at the same time as they use digital ones, such as webshops or mobile applications, their purchase volume is far superior to that of customers using a single channel alone. For example, in Sweden, a multichannel customer represents 27% higher sales on average than a branch-only customer.

  • Customer relationship management

    The Group is preparing the launch of a next-generation CRM tool. This CRM system optimizes customer portfolio management according to pre-defined profiles: it enables Rexel to provide them with the services and offers they need at the right moment. Data analysis and predictive models facilitate the identification of commercial opportunities for Rexel's salesforce, while ensuring better customer retention. Customer lifecycle management is fine-tuned with tools suggesting actions for each analyzed account. Precise and customized actions are designed for each customer according to their position in a model cycle. Analyzing their orders also allows their needs to be anticipated and the corresponding equipment or services to be proposed. In France, the Rubbics app offers office-based and travelling sales representatives real-time monitoring of their customer relationships.
    The Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), operating from system to system between Rexel and its key customers, is another important back office development. This system offers large groups direct access to Rexel's services via their own ERP system, from catalogue browsing to ordering to invoicing. In Europe, more than 1,000 customers rely on EDI with Rexel.

Improving back office efficiency

Improving back office efficiency
Product availability and fast order delivery require flawless organization. In 2016, Rexel launched a major initiative to design its new ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) tool. Aiming to integrate all of the Group's functions, its roll out will be progressive and should start in Europe by the end of 2017.
  • Logistics excellence

    In 2016, a logistics center manages 30% more SKUs on average than three years before. The product lifecycle is also shortening, with increasingly technically advanced products and frequent renewals. Efficient warehouse management tools (WMS, Warehouse Management System) are constantly improved and ensure optimal management of the daily variations in the load, representing 20-30% on average. Serving the customer at the best cost efficiency while ensuring product availability requires an ERP. Rexel's logistics are evolving toward automated learning systems, with predictive stock and product range management, minimizing the lead times between the launch of a new reference at the manufacturer and its delivery to a customer. In three years, Rexel has successfully reduced its error rate in order preparation from 0.20% to 0.10%.
    Another initiative run at the global level aims to further reduce the lead times between order placement, preparation and delivery. In France in 2016, the lean approach implemented in the logistics center enabled the deadline for placing an order for next day delivery to be pushed back from 5PM to 6PM. In 2015, 85% of the orders placed by 6PM were delivered the next day; in 2016, 99.7% of them were.
    Certain services facilitate customers' access to products: the "click and collect" or "drive" services, deliveries to large work sites with dedicated teams and vehicles, delivery commitments on urgent orders, etc.

  • Innovative storage

    A fully automated storage and product selection solution, Autostore illustrates Rexel's innovation potential to improve its service: in an aluminium structure, thousands of boxes are stored on high shelves. At the top of the structure, robotized chariots retrieve the boxes containing the right product in order to deliver it directly to the operator preparing the order shipment. Elektro-Material, Rexel's Swiss branch, adopted this solution, which was also rolled out in Norway.
    Rexel also offers its customers a tailored supply solution via SmartVan. This offering associates equipment, a long-term rental vehicle, a mobile app and services. Installers benefit from a specially fitted vehicle and on-board equipment functioning as inventory. Whenever they need to use a product, installers simply scan a bar code using the app. The new inventory is then prepared at the chosen branch, and the product is automatically invoiced in complete transparency.

  • Sustainable and responsible supply chain

    The Group's environmental responsibility and logistics performance are intertwined. In 2016, in partnership with EcoVadis, Rexel continued the assessment of its suppliers' environmental and social practices. Nearly 43% of the Group's direct sales volume was assessed based on 21 criteria divided into four themes: environmental, social, ethical and supply chain. The Group aims to cover 80% of its direct sales volume (in value) for these CSR performance assessments by 2020.
    At the core of the Group's operations, logistics centers are directly involved in its sustainable development efforts. In 2016, in Canada, 80% of storage and retail surfaces were equipped with low consumption lighting fixtures and LED bulbs, reducing electrical consumption by 50% on average.
    In Stockholm, the logistics center is now equipped with solar panels, a 100% LED lighting installation and charging stations for electric vehicles. In the UK, the Microlise tool was installed in 2016 in nearly all of Rexel's fleet of utility vehicles. The app captures data on drivers' behavior, their fuel consumption and vehicles' CO2 emissions, in real time.

Pour accéder au rapport d’activité
et de développement durable Rexel 2016,
tournez votre mobile.