Fegime - A Background
The development of FEGIME is simple to describe: it has grown and grown and grown. An end to this positive development is still not in sight.
By Ronald Übelmesser
In 2002, market federations from eight countries were combined to form FEGIME – now there are twelve. Our 2002 sales were roughly 1.45 billion Euros. In 2007 our 171 wholesalers and their 660 subsidiaries generated sales totalling 2.9 billion Euros. This means we doubled our sales in that short time.
Our success makes us more attractive to many industries, including manufacturing.
Our manufacturing partners have been looking for ways to sidestep the purchasing power of large companies whenever possible. Manufacturers have realized that medium-sized electrical wholesalers are particularly attractive due to their local presence and large range of products and services. I primarily attribute our sustained growth to our unity.
Nearly all of our organizations use the “FEGIME” name. This is an expression of true identification with our European idea in all of the countries. The latest proof of this is the fact that our Norwegian “Elgros” friends have decided to incorporate “FEGIME” in their company name in 2009. In light of the great administrative and financial effort that is associated with such a change this decision deserves our highest respect. Our corporate identity is certainly unique among medium-sized business and a remarkable feature.
In addition, we decided several years ago to introduce English as our company language and to do without interpreters during our in-house meetings. This decision has resulted in a new quality of communication. It has fostered a closeness that helps us connect both at the business and the human levels.
Our successful programs, such as “FEGIME future” and “Philips Wholesale Academy,” have shown how important this closeness is and the effect it can have in business. We would have never come so far so fast without a shared language. These programs have quickly led to friendships across borders. We have discovered that we all have to cope with the same tasks. This shared work will result in a new generation of electrical wholesalers with international experience who will lead the companies in our federation in the future.
That’s the keyword: future.
What’s next? Growth, of course! We are currently involved in serious discussions with market federations in Eastern Europe.
Our goal is clear: We want to be represented in all European countries.
I am confident that we can reach this goal.
