What Elektro-Material does

Elektro-Material AG (EM) is the Swiss market-leading B2B electrical wholesale distributor and a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Rexel Group. Founded in 1913 and headquartered in Zürich-Altstetten, EM operates nine fully stocked branch locations and warehouses across Switzerland's German-, French-, and Italian-speaking regions, distributing over 250,000 SKUs of wires, cables, household electrical appliances, pipes, occupational safety tools, lighting, and industrial electrical components to electrical installation professionals and industrial customers. The company employs between 501 and 1,000 staff and reports a 95%+ warehouse delivery readiness from stock with a 24-hour nationwide delivery service. EM monetizes primarily through one-time product sales priced in Swiss Francs, with small-order surcharges and, for new or large-order customers, advance-payment requirements of up to 100%.

The company's core technology stack is a multi-channel B2B procurement platform consisting of EM.Webshop (online ordering portal gated by customer number), EM.App (mobile application for field electricians with push notifications and order tracking), and EM.EDI (electronic data interchange for automated enterprise ordering). On top of this platform, EM has built six verticalized sub-brands: EM Licht (lighting solutions), EM e-mobility (EV charging infrastructure), EM solar (photovoltaic systems with the proprietary EM pvXpert planning tool), EM Smart Building (KNX and Matter building automation), EM ecowin (energy-efficiency subsidy navigation with a funding calculator), and EM Industrie (Industry 4.0 automation, Kanban, kitting, pooling, and circuit-breaker services). An AI-powered chatbot is deployed on the Webshop for general customer service and product navigation, and the company uses Microsoft Dynamics 365 Marketing for email automation and event management.

EM's go-to-market is sales-led and multi-channel: physical branches with sales consultants handle advisory and counter sales; digital channels (Webshop, App, EDI) serve repeat-procurement workflows; and vertical sub-brand specialists (e.g., EM solar Berater, EM e-mobility Berater) provide domain expertise. The company supplements this with training seminars, an EM.Blog, and multilingual email newsletters. Marketing is concentrated on the Swiss electrical installation professional persona, while the EM Industrie division serves industrial facilities and manufacturers with customized procurement solutions. The combined offering is positioned as a single-source "Einfach.Mehr" (Simply.More) package of consulting, product breadth, logistics, and digital integration.

Name

Elektro-Material

Legal name

Elektro-Material AG

Website

https://elektro-material.ch

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Elektro-Material AG is the Swiss market-leading B2B electrical wholesale distributor and a Rexel Group subsidiary, distributing 250,000+ products via nine branches and digital channels to electrical installation professionals and industrial customers across Switzerland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Zürich

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices9 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Electrical Materials Wholesale: EM generates revenue through the wholesale distribution of over 250,000 electrical materials, components, and installation products to electrical installation professionals. Revenue is generated through product sales at listed prices in Swiss Francs, with possible surcharges for small orders and special order items.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Elektro-Material AG is a Swiss B2B electrical wholesale distributor that sells over 250,000 electrical materials, components, and installation products to electrical installation professionals and industrial customers. The company operates nine physical branch locations with fully stocked EM Shops, an online EM.Webshop, a mobile EM.App, and an EM.EDI system, complemented by consulting, technical advisory, logistics, and specialized division offerings in lighting, e-mobility, solar, smart building, and industrial automation.

Product overview

Elektro-Material AG operates as a Swiss electrical wholesale distributor offering a unified platform-plus-services architecture. The core digital platform consists of EM.Webshop (online ordering portal), EM.App (mobile application for field electricians), and EM.EDI (electronic data interchange for automated B2B ordering), together providing access to over 250,000 quality articles. This digital infrastructure is complemented by specialized business divisions: EM Licht (lighting solutions), EM e-mobility (EV charging infrastructure), EM solar (photovoltaic solutions featuring EM pvXpert planning software), EM Smart Building (KNX and Matter-based building automation), EM ecowin (energy efficiency incentive navigation), and EM Industrie (industrial automation and procurement optimization services including kitting, Kanban, and pooling). The company positions itself as a one-stop shop with consultation power, delivery services, and digital integrations under the brand promise 'Einfach.Mehr' (Simply.More).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• EM Licht: Competence center for lighting solutions, including lighting renovation, solutions, services, and references for electrical installations.
• EM e-mobility
• EM solar
• EM Smart Building
• EM ecowin
• EM Industrie
• EM.Webshop
• EM.App
• EM.EDI

Products and services

• EM.Webshop 24/7 online B2B ordering platform that enables electrical installation professionals to browse and purchase over 250,000 electrical articles, manage orders, view personalized offers, and access account information. Requires existing customer number for login.
• EM.App Mobile application serving as the primary tool for electricians, providing access to product information, ordering, order status tracking, and push notifications for delivery updates and personalized offers.
• EM.EDI Electronic Data Interchange solution enabling automated order processing and integration with customer enterprise procurement systems for high-volume B2B transactions.
• EM pvXpert Proprietary photovoltaic planning software tool that enables customers to design PV installations based on customer-provided and EM-supplied parameters, with automated calculation results and standard parameters applied when data is incomplete. Available with licensing training.
• EM Licht Lighting solutions competence center offering comprehensive services including lighting audits, planning, implementation support, and references for commercial and residential lighting projects.
• EM e-mobility Electric mobility charging infrastructure solutions offering consulting, charging station selection guidance, installer training, and sales support for EV charging equipment targeted at electrical installers.
• EM solar Solar energy solutions encompassing photovoltaic planning tools (including EM pvXpert), licensing training for pvXpert software, and advisory services for solar installation projects.
• EM Smart Building Smart building solutions covering KNX systems and Matter standard integration, including consulting, training, and expert guidance for intelligent building automation.
• EM ecowin Energy efficiency incentive program providing guidance through a 3-step process to obtain energy efficiency subsidies for energy-efficient electrical projects, including a subsidy calculator tool.
• EM Industrie Industrial solutions providing product competence, process competence, and automation expertise for Industry 4.0 applications, including customized procurement solutions (Kitting, Kanban, Pooling) and power switch services.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95%+ delivery readiness from warehouse stock
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rexel GroupcoreOthersElektro-Material AG is part of the Rexel Group, a global electrical distributor. EM adheres to the Rexel Group's Global Compact of the United Nations commitment covering human rights, labor standards, environment, and anti-corruption principles. The company follows Rexel's ethics and compliance guidelines and code of conduct.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Otto Fischer AG: Established Swiss electrical wholesale distributor headquartered in Zürich offering cables, installation materials, lighting, and tools to Swiss electricians. Overlaps directly with EM's core assortment and installer customer base in the Swiss domestic market.
• Sonepar Suisse: Swiss subsidiary of Sonepar Group, the other major global electrical distributor alongside Rexel. Sonepar Suisse runs an identical B2B electrical wholesale model targeting Swiss installers, directly competing with EM on the same 250,000+ SKU category with parallel branch coverage.
• Fust (Dipl. Ing. Fust AG): Swiss electrical retailer and installer-facing distributor with national branch coverage selling appliances, electrical installation material, and lighting. Overlaps with EM on the B2B electrical installation category, though Fust skews more toward retail/consumer; the trade business is a direct comparable.

Broad incumbents

• Würth Group: Global leader in trade-focused assembly and fastening materials with an electrical supplies and installation-materials portfolio. Comparable as a multi-category trade distributor selling to professional installers across Europe with branch-heavy distribution and digital ordering platforms analogous to EM.Webshop/EM.App.
• Rexel Group: EM's parent conglomerate and one of the world's two largest electrical distribution groups. Comparable as the broader organization whose strategy, supply relationships, and capital allocation decisions directly govern EM's trajectory, and whose other national subsidiaries compete with peer electrical distributors globally.
• W. Grainger (Grainger Industrial): U.S.-headquartered MRO and industrial distribution major with expanding electrical and facility-maintenance offerings. Comparable as a multi-branch, multi-channel industrial distributor with deep webshop/App/EDI digital infrastructure serving professional buyers, though operating at significantly larger scale and broader category.
• Sonepar Group: Global electrical distribution major and parent of Sonepar Suisse. Operates the same B2B electrical wholesale model worldwide; EM and Sonepar are the two clear category leaders globally, and their competitive dynamics set industry pricing and service-level benchmarks.

Regional players

• Conrad Electronic: Pan-European electronics and electrical components distributor operating primarily online with a large SKU catalog across multiple countries. Comparable to EM's webshop/app/EDI digital-stack approach, though Conrad addresses broader European geographies rather than focusing on the Swiss installer professional channel.
• Distrelec: European electronic and electrical components distributor (now part of RS Group) targeting industrial and professional buyers across DACH and wider Europe. Comparable to EM on product-range breadth and B2B digital ordering, though focused on components/industrial MRO rather than full electrical-installation materials.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/elektromaterial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Elektro-Material