ComTeam wants to grow with services

On the sidelines of the IFA, the system house group ComTeam gave insights into the current development of the company. Despite the still noticeable after-effects of the corona pandemic, the current economic situation is extremely satisfactory, reported Matthias Assmann. The membership numbers of the ComTeam partners have also proven to be stable. With around 800 members, the company is at a constant level, despite minor fluctuations.

Compared to the parent company ElectronicPartner, the different seasonality is an advantage. While some divisions, such as the consumer sector, are currently struggling with challenges – for example a weakening TV market – the system house business is proving robust. Assmann explains: “If TV becomes difficult in the consumer sector, that does not necessarily mean that PCs will also become difficult for us. That is of course great for us.” This stability currently makes ComTeam an important source of income within the group and underlines the importance of the ICT system house model.

Assmann reported that a key issue in the system house landscape at the moment is that more and more system houses are being bought up or merging into larger groups. This “clumping” poses a certain risk to ComTeam’s traditional structures. “In one place or another, this has affected us a little,” said Assmann.

The situation becomes particularly critical when system houses reach a size where they build up their own structures and may no longer need the services of a system house network such as ComTeam. “The system house owner who now exceeds a certain limit naturally says to himself: Well, I can now go directly to the suppliers,” says Assmann.

Not least because of this, it was recognized that the model of a traditional purchasing group alone was no longer sufficient to be successful in the long term. The company has therefore made a change to a service model. “Groups will no longer generate their profits from the classic goods business. That is why we have switched to services,” says Assmann, describing the new direction.

One example of this is the white label campus that ComTeam has set up for its partners. This campus enables system houses to offer training courses under their own name and thus provide their customers with regular training and consulting services. This innovation is part of a larger range of services that also includes training in the area of ​​funding and social media. “Our members value the topic of social media and the training courses that we have set up in the context of funding,” adds Assmann.