It is often said that if your customers are doing well, then you are doing well; after all that is what business should be all about. But at times other factors can influence the entire ecosystem. The Covid 19 pandemic is testimony to that. After lockdown, electronic component and device manufacturers could simply not ramp up their production fast enough to meet the huge demand. The component industry was under enormous stress.

“It is quite extraordinary that despite the upheaval, the pandemic brought the industry closer together”, Renato Martins told me during our conversation about the component industry and its position in South Africa. “We were in constant contact with our customers to keep them informed of developments and engaged with them on how best we could assist them. If there was one thing we learned, it is that customer communication is one of the most important aspects of managing a successful business.”

Renato has been in the industry for 28 years. He started his career with Logitech as a general manager and six years later joined Memec S.A. as a field sales engineer. He was at the company almost 3 years and then on the 5th of May 2005, joined Arrow Altech Distribution (Pty) Ltd as a sales executive, a move that cast his future career. He moved through the ranks and three years ago he was ppointed as managing director. Read on. (The article was published in the 12 March edition of EngineerIT)