— Answers, Not Brochure Copy
Frequently Asked Questions
Straight answers on how independent distribution actually works — how we source, how we inspect, how we quote, and how we handle excess stock. If your question isn’t here, send it to our team and you’ll get a real answer, not a brochure.
Jump To
Getting Started & Quotes
Independent Distribution Explained
Quality, Inspection & Counterfeit Protection
Sourcing, Obsolescence & Shortages
Excess & Surplus Inventory
Orders, Logistics & Commercial Terms
Suppliers & Partners
Company, Locations & Events
Getting Started & Quotes
New to independent distribution? Start here — what we need from you, how fast you’ll hear back, and whether we’re the right fit.
Is Electronic Direct the right partner for me?
We work with OEM and EMS procurement teams who need supply security when the standard channel cannot deliver. In practice that means shortages, allocation, end-of-life and obsolete parts, or excess stock that needs a home. Our customers sit mainly in aerospace, defence, automotive, medical, industrial and telecom, where one missing component can stop a production line. If that sounds like your situation, send us your requirement and we take it from there.
How quickly will I get a quote?
We respond as fast as we can once we have your part numbers — normally within 24 hours. Straightforward open-market lines are often quoted the same working day. Complex obsolete or allocated requirements can take longer because we are working the global market on your behalf, and we will tell you up front if that is the case rather than leaving you waiting.
What do you need from me to quote?
Manufacturer part numbers and quantities are enough to start. Ideally also: target date required, any date-code or lot restrictions, packaging preference (tape and reel, tray, tube), and whether the part is for production, prototype or a last-time buy. If you have a full bill of materials, send it as it is — we will normalise it. A photograph of a component label or reel is enough if that is all you have.
In what format should I send my BOM?
Excel or CSV is easiest, but we will work with a PDF, an email list, a screenshot from your ERP or a photo of a label. There is no template you have to fill in. If your BOM contains internal part numbers only, include your cross-reference or tell us and we will work through it with you.
Is a quote free and non-binding?
Yes. Quotes are provided with no obligation and no cost. We review your BOM line by line against the open and franchised market with a single goal: reducing your landed cost while keeping supply secure. There is no minimum enquiry value to get a quote.
Do you have a minimum order quantity or order value?
We handle everything from a single line item to a full multi-hundred-line BOM. There is no fixed minimum, though very small quantities of low-value passives can be uneconomic to source individually — in those cases we will tell you honestly and suggest a better route.
Can I speak to a person rather than fill in a form?
Yes. Europe: +49 89 45248 0. North America: +1 450 449 0001. You can also request a callback through the contact form and a member of the procurement team will come back to you.
Independent Distribution Explained
What franchise-free actually means for your supply security, your pricing and your risk.
Why are you not a franchise distributor?
Because independence works in our customers’ favour, not against them. A franchise distributor is tied to the lines of its contracted manufacturers and bound by their allocation rules. We are not. We source manufacturer-independent across the entire open market, and we are able to deliver precisely when the standard channel cannot: in shortages, during allocation, and for obsolete or long-lead-time parts.
Our strength is not the catalogue. It is access to what no one else can find.
Which manufacturers can you supply?
As an independent distributor with no franchise agreements, we are not tied to a fixed set of brands. We source components from all major manufacturers of active, passive and electromechanical parts across the open market. To give you a sense of where we have sourcing experience: leading manufacturers including Analog Devices, Texas Instruments, STMicroelectronics, Infineon and NXP, among many others.
If you are looking for a specific manufacturer or part, send us the manufacturer part numbers or your BOM and we come back with price, availability and lead time.
What is the difference between an independent distributor and a broker?
A broker matches a buyer to a seller and takes a margin. We take ownership of the supply chain: we buy the material, receive it into our own facility in Putzbrunn, inspect it under our own ISO 9001 quality system, and ship it to you with documented traceability. If a lot fails inspection it does not reach you. That distinction is the whole point of the business.
Do you compete with my franchise distributor?
No — we work alongside it. The franchise channel is the right route for catalogue parts on normal lead times. We exist for the lines it cannot serve: allocated parts, obsolete and NRND devices, last-time buys, and shortage events where weeks matter. Most of our customers use us as a second, sanctioned source rather than a replacement.
What component types do you supply?
Active components (semiconductors, ICs, discretes, memory), passive components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, crystals and frequency control), electromechanical parts (connectors, relays, switches, cooling) and system components. From single line items through to complete BOMs.
How can you be cheaper than my local supplier?
Access, not corner-cutting. Direct relationships with manufacturers, authorised distributors and some of the largest Asian and American contract distributors let us price against global availability rather than a single regional stock position. Add the procurement leverage of the Conrad Group and we can frequently present a line-by-line offer that beats local pricing.
Are you a stocking distributor, or do you source to order?
Both. We hold stock in our Putzbrunn warehouse — including consignment and bonded material for scheduled call-off customers — and we source to order across the global market for everything else. For repeat production lines we can hold buffer stock against a forecast so your line is insulated from market volatility.
Quality, Inspection & Counterfeit Protection
The inspection process, the certifications, and the documentation your auditor will ask for.
How do you inspect the goods?
In our own inspection lab in Germany, following a defined, documented process. Depending on the component and its risk profile, a delivery passes through several stages: document and packaging verification, high-magnification visual inspection, mark-permanency testing, X-ray analysis of bond wires and lead frame, and electrical sample and solderability testing. Every inspection is documented with images and signed by name.
Do you inspect every incoming delivery?
Every delivery goes through incoming goods inspection. The depth of that inspection is risk-based: it depends on the source of the goods, the component type and the customer’s requirements. Open-market goods, where the counterfeit risk is higher, are inspected more intensively, up to full lab analysis. We are happy to agree the exact scope of inspection with the customer.
What certifications do you hold?
An ISO 9001 quality management system, with inspection aligned to AS6081 requirements — the standard written specifically for avoiding counterfeit parts in the open market. We are also a member of COGD, the German obsolescence management association. Current certificates and our declaration of conformity are available to download from the Quality page.
What are the inspection gates a lot passes through?
Four, applied according to risk:
- Visual & mark — high-magnification visual inspection, solvent and abrasion mark-permanency testing, full packaging and label verification.
- X-ray — real-time imaging to confirm die size, lead-frame geometry and bond-wire pattern against a genuine reference.
- Decapsulation & XRF — on suspect lots, decap and die photography; XRF to confirm lead-finish chemistry matches the manufacturer datasheet.
- Electrical — curve-trace and parametric sample testing to confirm the device is electrically what it claims to be, not just visually convincing.
What happens if a lot fails inspection?
It is quarantined immediately and you are informed within the working day. Nothing suspect is shipped and nothing is quietly substituted. We then either re-source the requirement from an alternative vetted supplier or advise you on a qualified alternative part — and the failed lot is handled through our supplier claims process.
Will I receive inspection documentation with my order?
Yes. Every shipment carries the paperwork your auditor expects, generated as part of the process: inspection report with images, signed sign-off, documented sourcing history, ESD-handling records and, where applicable, certificate of conformance. It is a complete, defensible record of material movement from supplier dock to your receiving bay.
How do you protect parts from ESD and moisture damage?
Handling is controlled from the loading dock, not from goods-in. The Putzbrunn facility is ESD-controlled throughout, test fixtures are calibrated, and moisture-sensitive devices are handled and re-packed in moisture-barrier packaging with desiccant and humidity indicators to the relevant MSL requirement.
Can I audit your quality system, or send my own inspection requirements?
Yes to both. We host customer and third-party audits, and we can execute a customer-specific inspection plan — additional gates, wider sample sizes, specific test houses, or a fixed reporting format for your supplier qualification framework. Agree the scope with us before the order and it becomes part of the contract.
Do you verify RoHS and REACH compliance?
Yes. RoHS and REACH conformity is verified at goods-in as part of the standard inspection workflow rather than being taken on trust from a supplier declaration. Where a customer needs a specific conflict-minerals or substance declaration, we will obtain and supply it.
Send us your BOM
Drop a part list, a photo of a label, or an Excel BOM. Our procurement team will come back with prices, availability and lead times — normally within 24 hours.
Sourcing, Obsolescence & Shortages
Where we source, how we handle allocation and end-of-life, and what happens when a part no longer exists.
What are your sourcing channels? Do you buy in Asia?
We source through a vetted global supplier network of distributors, stockholders and open-market sources across Asia, the Americas and Europe. Yes, Asia is an important procurement market for us, as it is for the whole industry. What matters is not where a component comes from, but that every open-market lot passes our inspection process in Germany before it leaves the building. That is how we combine global availability with dependable quality.
Can you source obsolete or end-of-life parts?
Yes. Obsolescence management is one of our core services, from single line items to full BOMs — including last-time buys, NRND lines and technical consulting on substitutions.
How does the special procurement process actually work?
Four steps.
1. Send your requirement — part numbers, quantities or a full BOM, including obsolete and allocated lines.
2. We search the market — our procurement desk works the global network to locate availability and return competitive offers.
3. Quality and verification — parts are inspected and tested against counterfeit risk with traceable documentation.
4. Complete processing — we handle the full order, logistics and delivery, so you stay focused on your business.
What do you do when a part goes into allocation?
We treat every allocation event as a project with a single point of contact: escalation into franchise distribution, parallel open-market sourcing, and where available bonded pull-forward stock — until your line is supplied. When lead times move from 12 weeks to 52, the objective is pulling parts forward in days, not quarters.
Can you help with a last-time buy or lifetime buy?
Yes. We will build a lifetime-buy strategy against your remaining production and service demand, source the volume, and hold it under bonded or consignment stock with scheduled call-off so you are not funding and warehousing years of inventory on day one.
Can you suggest an alternative if a part is genuinely unavailable?
Yes. Through ED Systems, our subsidiary founded in 2007 for exactly this, we provide technical consulting on substitutions and redesigns — form-fit-function alternatives, cross-references, and guidance on where a redesign is the more economic answer than chasing a dead part.
Do you supply date-code or lot-specific requirements?
Yes, where the market allows it. Tell us the date-code window, lot restriction or single-lot requirement with the enquiry and we will scope availability against it, rather than quoting first and disappointing you later.
Excess & Surplus Inventory
Three routes to convert idle stock back into cash or space — and how to pick between them.
Do you buy excess or surplus stock?
Yes, through direct purchase or a remarketing model with a profit share. Whichever route suits you, the material is handled with full traceability and the same inspection discipline as everything else we touch.
What are the three excess inventory models?
Acquisition — the fastest route: we buy your overstock at an agreed price and take it into our own warehouse, so you reclaim space and capital immediately with no further effort.
Consignment — for optimal pricing over a flexible time frame: the material comes into our stock but remains your property, and we market it for you.
Marketing service — for customers who prefer to keep goods in-house: you send us the stock list and we advertise it to the market on your behalf.
Which model is right for us?
It depends on what you are optimising. Choose acquisition if speed, certainty and warehouse space matter most. Choose consignment if realising the best price matters more than realising it this quarter. Choose the marketing service if your stock cannot leave your site for compliance or accounting reasons. Send us the list and we will recommend a model rather than push one.
What information do you need in an excess stock list?
Manufacturer part number, manufacturer, quantity, date code or lot where known, packaging condition (sealed reels, opened, loose) and location. Regular updating of the list is an essential criterion for successful sale — a stale list generates enquiries for material you have already scrapped.
Is the process confidential?
Yes. Surplus is handled discreetly and can be marketed without disclosing your company name, which matters when the material relates to a cancelled programme or a customer you still trade with. Every line is handled with the same anti-counterfeit discipline and documentation our aerospace, defence and medical buyers rely on.
How wide is the audience for our surplus?
Your material is exposed to our active customer base and a trusted global network of buyers, brokers and stockholders across more than 30 countries — plus the reach of the wider Conrad Group. Full traceability travels with every line, which materially increases what a quality-conscious buyer will pay.
Orders, Logistics & Commercial Terms
Delivery, stocking programmes, payment terms and what happens if something arrives wrong.
What are your delivery terms?
Delivery terms can be discussed and negotiated, and we can also ship goods on your own carrier accounts. Tell us how you prefer to receive material and we will build the terms around it.
Which countries do you ship to?
More than 30 countries, from our facilities in Germany and Canada, with DDP delivery available wherever your factory is located. Export control and dual-use screening is applied as standard before despatch.
What logistics programmes do you offer?
Scheduled call-offs, bonded and consignment stock, kanban replenishment, vendor-managed inventory and just-in-time delivery to your line. We take on the complete logistics chain — forecasting, buffer stock and custom solutions — so production runs without surprises.
What payment terms do you offer?
Terms are agreed per account. New customers are typically set up on prepayment or a secured basis while credit is established, with open terms available thereafter subject to credit review. Being part of the Conrad Group means the balance sheet behind those terms is a genuinely stable one.
What currencies do you trade in?
Principally EUR and USD, with GBP and CAD available. We will quote in your preferred currency so you are not carrying the conversion risk internally.
What is your returns and warranty position?
Every lot is inspected before it ships. If material nevertheless arrives non-conforming, notify us and we will investigate under our documented non-conformance process — with the inspection records and traceability to establish where the problem originated. Commercial terms are set out in our Terms & Conditions.
Can you support a scheduled production forecast rather than spot orders?
Yes, and that is where the model works best. Give us a rolling forecast and we will build buffer stock, agree call-off dates and manage the supply chain against it — the difference between reacting to shortages and never seeing them.
Suppliers & Partners
What we look for in a supply partner and how our qualification process works.
How do I become a supplier to Electronic Direct?
We source globally and franchise-free, so we are always open to new supply partners for active, passive and electromechanical components. We look for partners who can document quality and traceability and who give us reliable access to allocated, hard-to-find or obsolete parts. To be considered, send us your company details and product focus through our supplier form. Our Purchasing team reviews every submission and comes back to qualified partners directly.
What do you look for in a supply partner?
Documented quality and traceability first — verifiable sourcing history, certificates, and a willingness to stand behind a lot. Then genuine access: allocated, hard-to-find, obsolete or excess material we cannot easily reach elsewhere. Then responsiveness, because our customers are usually in a hurry.
What is your supplier qualification process?
Purchasing reviews your submission, then qualified candidates go through documentation review (certifications, quality manual, trading references), a commercial and compliance check, and initial trial orders inspected in full through our lab. Performance on those first lots determines whether you move onto the approved vendor list.
Do you have supplier quality requirements we must meet?
Yes. Our supplier quality guideline and our delivery and packaging specifications form part of every purchase contract, alongside our general purchasing conditions. They cover documentation, ESD and moisture handling, labelling, and packaging standards. We will share them with you during qualification.
We have excess stock to sell rather than a product line — who do we speak to?
Our excess inventory desk, not purchasing. Send the stock list and we will come back with a purchase offer, a consignment proposal, or a marketing-only arrangement.
Become a supply partner
We are always open to new partners who can document quality and traceability, and who give us reliable access to allocated, hard-to-find or obsolete parts.
Company, Locations & Events
Who we are, where we are, who owns us, and where you can meet us.
Where can I meet Electronic Direct?
We exhibit at industry trade fairs and speak at obsolescence and supply-chain events. The next major date is electronica 2026 in Munich this November, where we also present at the COGD Obsolescence Forum.
Where are you based?
Our teams are based in Putzbrunn near Munich and in Boucherville near Montreal, with a sales presence in Poland and Denmark. Putzbrunn is home to the main warehouse, the in-house quality inspection lab, and the commercial and procurement teams.
Who owns Electronic Direct?
Electronic Direct GmbH has been part of the Conrad Group since 2024, following acquisition by Conrad Electronic SE, and operates as the obsolescence management specialist of the group. We retain our own quality system, supplier network and commercial decision-making; the group provides financial backing, shared procurement leverage and group-level supplier agreements.
How long have you been trading?
Electronic Direct GmbH was established in 1995 as a specialist broker serving European OEMs struggling to source end-of-life and long-lead-time semiconductors. Over three decades it has become a fully certified independent distributor with formalised quality processes, an in-house inspection laboratory and a global sourcing network — while keeping the responsiveness of a specialist house.
What languages do you work in?
German and English as standard, with additional support in French, Italian, Polish and Chinese across our sales presence. The website is available in each of those languages.
Are you hiring?
We build careers across the whole supply chain — procurement and sourcing, quality assurance and in-house testing, sales, excess inventory management, and operations and logistics. We are glad to hear from strong people even when the exact role is not advertised.
