RS Components – The Austrian business location was never better than it is today

Questions posed to Rudolf Koch, Country Manager Austria, Switzerland and Slovenia and Reinhold Bock, Director Customer Services DACH 

RS Components is a major player on the global market and has also been successfully operating in Austria since 1992. What were the underlying reasons for RS Components to set up business operations in Austria at that time? 

RS Components began to expand in those days. A company called Verospeed already existed in Austria. It was a well-known and successful firm offering a similar product and service portfolio. RS Components had already acquired the Verospeed branch offices in France and Denmark, so it was a clever decision to take this step into the Austrian market as well. Verospeed disappeared from the global market a few years later. 

What are your main target groups? 

Our main target group consists of customers and users in the B2B segment, especially when it comes to research, development and maintenance. Schools and institutions as well as research facilities comprise a further key target group of RS Components.  

At the Austrian site of RS Components in Gmünd, Lower Austria, the four principal areas of operation are internal sales, customer service, technical sales and management of external sales. What are the intragroup priorities of RS Components in Austria, and which conditions comprise the underlying basis for these activities?  

Our objective is “Making Amazing Happen.” What we want is to inspire a more sustainable world through education and innovative solutions which, in turn, have the effect of enhancing our overall quality of life. We support the engineers of today and tomorrow by means of a series of projects and activities. We ensure that they have all that they need, i.e., from a broad product portfolio to a range of services contributing to our ability to offer real added value to our customers.  

What role does the Austrian facility play within the RS Group? 

Austria was the location of one of the first branch offices established when RS Components expanded to Continental Europe. Austria continues to play this role today.  

What are the strengths of the Austrian business location for your type of company? What is its unique selling proposition? 

Its strength lies in the mentality and commitment of the employees. For several years now, the customer service unit for the entire DACH region, a very crucial part of the company, has been located in Gmünd. 

The Austrian site is also the head office or headquarters for other areas of the company? Can you tell us something more about this? 

German-speaking Europe will be one of the most important regions for RS Components in the coming years. Service and direct contact to native speakers play a substantial role in this regard. The site in Austria emerged as the customer care hub for the DACH region within the context of our centralisation drive. Both customer service and the accounts receivable department are located at the Gmünd site. 

You employ a staff of about 100 people in Gmünd. How would you rate the quality and motivation of Austrian employees in an international comparison? How important are these qualities for the success of your company? 

RS Components attaches great importance to the satisfaction and well-being of its employees. Each year we conduct employee surveys. The Gmünd facility always features excellent results. This shows that the employees are motivated and thus changes can be quickly implemented. Last but not least, the legal situation in Austria with respect to employers and employees is also an advantage. 

What are the next steps which RS Components plans in Austria? Can you already tell us something about this today?  

The market and customers are in a state of development. In this respect we have various added value solutions for our customers in the pipeline. In the meantime, our office building is bursting at the seams. For this reason, we are currently evaluating the options of constructing a new building or expanding the existing one. In any case, the company will retain its facility in Gmünd. 

Were there any particularly formative or noteworthy events, turning points or personal experiences in the corporate history of the Austrian site which you vividly remember? 

One of the most decisive events was certainly our shutting down the warehouse in 2008. Afterwards we demonstrated that great things can be achieved with professionalism and the right attitude. This certainly impacted the decision to locate the Customer Care Centre for the DACH region in Gmünd. As a result, the site benefits from a degree of certainty with respect to its future viability and we now boast the highest number of employees RS Components has ever had in Austria. 

From your point of view, how has the Austrian business location changed over the years and decades? What has improved and what do you view critically? 

It has never been better than it is now right now. Over the last few decades, we have managed to successfully integrate the Austrian site in the RS Group, effectively positioning it and leveraging all advantages in order to be successful on the Austrian market and, at the same time, to be relevant within the Group. 

How has ABA supported you? 

At present we are in the planning phase for a new office building. Our plans were delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic as well as the home office situation. With ABA’s support we gathered material enabling us to retain the facility in Gmünd, also in the future.  

And finally, one last question: what do you personally value the most about Austria? 

In particular, we value the safety and security prevailing in Austria, both professionally and in our private lives.