TLA Distribution
TLA Distribution Ltd is a UK specialist distributor of electrical control and automation components, operating six branches plus a self-serve e-commerce storefront, serving electricians, panel builders, OEMs, and maintenance professionals with products from Schneider, ABB, B&R, Wago, and Weidmuller.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1998
- HeadquartersBingham, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What TLA Distribution does
TLA Distribution Ltd is a UK-based specialist distributor of electrical control and automation components, headquartered in Bingham, Nottinghamshire, and operating five additional branches in Nottingham, Sheffield, Leeds, Stafford, and Northampton. Founded in 1998 and registered in England (company number 03572974), the company sells an extensive catalog of industrial electrical products organized into ten main categories — automation, cables and cable management, electronic products, enclosures and climate control, motor control, safety, switchgear and power management, terminals and connectors, tools, and transformers/PSUs/UPSs — sourced from more than twenty manufacturer brands including Schneider Electric, ABB, B&R Automation, Wago, Weidmuller, Leuze, Telemecanique, DEHN, Mersen, Fibox, nVent Hoffman, and Pilz.
The underlying technology is a conventional e-commerce platform — SKU search, real-time inventory, transparent GBP ex-VAT/inc-VAT pricing, shopping basket, live chat for urgent orders, and a Schneider Electric Motor Control Configurator — backed by a multi-channel fulfillment model of branch phone sales, branch pickup, and worldwide shipping under DAP incoterms. All six UK sites hold ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications assessed by NQA, which qualify the business for spec-in by OEMs and panel builders.
The business model is product distribution revenue on a per-transaction basis, with published unit pricing showing discounts of 10% to 80% off manufacturer RRP (e.g., Tri Rated cables starting at £0.15 ex-VAT per unit, SY Cable £0.72-£5.30, Ethernet cables £1.63-£30.43). The company sells primarily to industrial electrical professionals (electricians, panel builders, automation engineers), with secondary segments covering OEMs (machine builders and control panel assemblers) and maintenance/facilities management customers. Customer logos, headcount, revenue, ownership, and management team details are not publicly disclosed in the input.
TLA Distribution firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- TLA Distribution
- Legal name
- TLA Distribution LTD
- Website
- https://tlauk.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1998
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- TLA Distribution Ltd is a UK specialist distributor of electrical control and automation components, operating six branches plus a self-serve e-commerce storefront, serving electricians, panel builders, OEMs, and maintenance professionals with products from Schneider, ABB, B&R, Wago, and Weidmuller.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where TLA Distribution is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Bingham
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices6 records
Markets served
TLA Distribution business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Product Sales - Electrical Components Distribution: Revenue generated through the sale of electrical control and automation components. Products include cables (Tri Rated, SY Cable, Ethernet, Double Insulated), automation equipment (PLCs, HMIs, sensors), motor control components, switchgear, enclosures, terminals, tools, and power supplies. The company operates on a per-transaction model with transparent pricing.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Standard per-unit pricing with volume discounts |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
TLA Distribution product offering
Product offeringCore offering
TLA Distribution is a specialist UK distributor of electrical control and automation components, selling cables, cable management products, industrial automation (PLCs, HMIs, sensors, remote I/O), motor control components, switchgear, safety devices, enclosures, terminals and connectors, electronic components, industrial tools, and power protection products. The company serves electricians, panel builders, OEMs, and maintenance/facilities teams through a self-serve e-commerce storefront, six UK branch locations, and worldwide shipping under DAP incoterms.
Product overview
TLA Distribution operates as a specialist electrical control and automation components distributor offering a comprehensive portfolio organized into ten main product categories. The portfolio includes B&R industrial automation (PLCs, HMIs, X20 bus systems, motors), cable and cable management solutions (Tri Rated, SY Cable, Ethernet, Double Insulated cables with accessories), electronic products (circuit breakers, relays, timers, surge protection), enclosures and climate control, motor control components (contactors, drives, overloads), safety products (light curtains, safety relays, guard locking), switchgear and power management (distribution boards, MCBs, MCCBs), terminals and connectors (Wago, Weidmuller, Wieland), industrial tools, and power protection (transformers, PSUs, UPSs). The company distributes products from multiple manufacturer brands including Schneider Electric, ABB, B&R, Wago, Weidmuller, Leuze, Fibox, and others, with ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 14001:2015 certifications across all UK branches.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Cables Comprehensive range of industrial cables including Tri Rated (BS6231, H05V2-K, H07V2-K, UL, CSA approved), SY flexible braided control cable, CAT5E Ethernet cables, Double Insulated cable (Triangle Cables TDI series), YY cable, and 6701B/H05V-K types — designed for internal wiring of electrical cabinets, switchboards, motor control centres, and small electrical devices, as well as control panel and machinery interconnection.
- Cable Management Products Cable management accessories including braided sleeves, cable glands, cable markers, cable ties/tyraps, conduit, crimps and lugs (bootlace ferrules, pre-insulated, uninsulated copper tube), DIN rail, grommet strips, heat shrink tubing, panel trunking, printing solutions, rubber cable sleeves, and Spiroband spiral wrapping — supplied to electrical installers and panel builders.
- Industrial Automation Products Industrial automation components including B&R automation (X20 PLCs, I/O modules, bus controllers, safety controllers, ACOPOS inverters, Power Panel HMIs, servo motors), industrial Ethernet switches, HMIs, Crouzet Millenium 3 logic controllers, modems, PLCs and remote I/O, sensors (Leuze and Telemecanique), and Weidmuller automation (controllers, I/O fieldbus couplers, U-Link remote access routers, U-Remote I/O systems) — sold to machine builders, panel builders, and automation engineers.
- Electronic Products Electronic components including electronic circuit breakers (Wago ECBs, Weidmuller maxGUARD), hours run meters, current and voltage monitoring relays, general purpose relays, surge protection devices (DEHN, Mersen), Orbis timeclocks (24 hour, 7 day, astronomic), timers, and vehicle chargers — supplied for control panel and electrical cabinet applications.
- Enclosures and Climate Control Wall-mounted and floor-standing enclosures (ABB, Ensto, Fibox, Gewiss, HellermannTyton, nVent Hoffman, Schneider Electric, TLA), enclosure air conditioning and cooling units, compact and standard filter fans, anti-condensation panel heaters, panel lights and accessories, swing arm systems (CS-B Light), and ambient control thermostats — supplied for housing electrical and automation equipment.
- Motor Control Components Motor control components including 22mm buttons/switches/indicators (ABB, GSC, Schneider Electric), contactors (ABB, LS Electric, Schneider Electric), enclosed starters, inverter drives and softstarts, manual motor starters, overloads, sounders and beacons, TeSys U, tower lights (Schneider Electric XVB7, XVBC), and the Schneider Electric Motor Control Configurator — sold for motor starting, protection, and control applications.
- Safety Products Industrial safety devices including safety light curtains, safety accessories (Pilz identification and access management), safety controllers, safety guard locking (standard and mini variants), safety relays, and safety switches — supplied for machinery protection in industrial environments.
- Switchgear and Power Management Switchgear and power management products including Acti9 distribution boards (Type A, Type B, Isobar P), busbars and accessories (copper busbar, Flexibar Advanced, flexible power braids, grounding and bonding braids), current transformers, enclosed isolators, fuses and fuse holders (5x20mm, BS88, Class J, Class T, cylindrical, NH), MCBs, RCBOs, RCCBs, RCDs, MCCBs, metering (ammeters, energy meters, volt meters), PowerPact 4 panel boards, switchgear (change-over switches, isolators, switch fuses), and the Wohner 60 Classic system — for power distribution and circuit protection.
- Terminals and Connectors Terminals, connectors, and wiring accessories including distribution blocks and earth bars, industrial plugs and sockets, lighting installation connectors (Wago WINSTA MIDI, Wieland Gesis Classic), multipole connectors, power and data outlets, terminals (Entrelec, Wago, Weidmuller, Wieland), Wago 221 series splicing connectors, TOPJOB S rail-mount terminal blocks, and Weidmuller terminal blocks — supplied for DIN-rail panel building and machine wiring.
- Industrial Tools Industrial tools including battery and hydraulic cable cutting tools, battery and hydraulic crimping tools with die sets, battery and hydraulic hole punching tools with die sets, hand tools, and portable LED lighting equipment — supplied to support panel building and electrical installation work.
- Transformers, PSUs and UPSs Power protection products including isolating control circuit transformers, AC/DC power supplies, dual redundancy power supplies, capacitor modules, DC buffer modules, diode modules, uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), and UPS modules — supplied for critical power and control circuit applications.
Companies that use TLA Distribution
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
TLA Distribution technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
TLA Distribution partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
23 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- B&R AutomationcoreTLA Distribution distributes B&R Automation products including X20 PLCs, X20 I/O modules, X20 bus controllers, X20 safety controllers, ACOPOSinverters, HMI Power Panels, and motors.
- WeidmullercoreTLA Distribution distributes Weidmuller products including automation controllers, I/O fieldbus couplers, I/O modules, U-Link Remote Access Routers, U-Remote I/O systems, terminal blocks, maxGUARD electronic circuit breakers, and access gateways.
- Schneider ElectriccoreTLA Distribution distributes Schneider Electric products including motor control components, contactors, overloads, enclosed starters, tower lights, enclosures, distribution boards, inverter drives, softstarts, and provides access to their Motor Control Configurator.
- ABBcoreTLA Distribution distributes ABB products including 22mm buttons/switches/indicators, contactors, overloads, and enclosures.
- WagocoreTLA Distribution distributes Wago products including splicing connectors (221 series), terminal blocks, electronic circuit breakers, WINSTA MIDI lighting installation connectors, and smartPRINTER printing solutions.
- LeuzeminorTLA Distribution distributes Leuze sensor products.
- Telemecanique SensorsminorTLA Distribution distributes Telemecanique sensor products.
- DEHNminorTLA Distribution distributes DEHN surge protection devices.
- MersenminorTLA Distribution distributes Mersen surge protection devices.
- OrbisminorTLA Distribution distributes Orbis timeclock products.
- CembreminorTLA Distribution distributes Cembre printing solutions including MARKINGenius and ROLLY3000E label printers.
- HellermannTytonminorTLA Distribution distributes HellermannTyton enclosures.
- nVent HoffmanminorTLA Distribution distributes nVent Hoffman enclosures.
- EnstominorTLA Distribution distributes Ensto enclosures.
- FiboxminorTLA Distribution distributes Fibox enclosures including ARCA enclosures.
- GewissminorTLA Distribution distributes Gewiss enclosures.
- Top CableminorTLA Distribution distributes Top Cable tri-rated cable products in various sizes and colors.
- ElandminorTLA Distribution distributes Eland SY cable products including SY16.0/5C-NC and SY16.0/3C-NC cables.
- Triangle CablesminorTLA Distribution distributes Triangle Cables double insulated cable products including TDI series (TDI-50.0BLK, TDI-10.0BLK, etc.).
- LS ElectricminorTLA Distribution distributes LS Electric contactors and overloads.
- PilzminorTLA Distribution distributes Pilz safety accessories including identification and access management solutions.
- IBOCOminorTLA Distribution distributes IBOCO trunking products.
- NQAcoreNQA (National Quality Assurance) is the certification body that has assessed and registered TLA Distribution's Quality Management System (ISO 9001:2015) and Environmental Management System (ISO 14001:2015) across all UK branches.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
TLA Distribution competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Distrelec: European electronics and industrial automation components distributor serving the UK and Ireland. Direct peer on automation and control product range, with comparable multi-brand e-commerce model and B2B industrial customer base.
- Farnell / element14: Global distributor of electronic and industrial components owned by Premier Farnell (part of Avnet). Comparable to TLA as a multi-brand e-commerce distributor serving industrial and automation buyers, though with a stronger electronics-component bias.
- Rapid Electronics: UK-based electronic and electrical components distributor serving industrial, education, and prototyping customers. Comparable to TLA on multi-brand distribution model and digital catalogue, though somewhat smaller and more electronics-oriented.
- CPC Farnell: UK arm of Farnell focused on industrial, electrical, and maintenance products. Direct competitor to TLA for panel-builder and facilities-management customers, with overlapping SKU coverage in cables, terminals, and motor control.
- RS Components (RS Group): UK-based industrial and electronic components distributor operating a large e-commerce catalogue spanning automation, cables, connectors, tools, and enclosures. Directly comparable to TLA on product breadth, digital GTM, and target customer base of panel builders and maintenance engineers.
Broad incumbents
- Edmundson Electrical: UK's largest independent electrical wholesaler with a national branch network distributing cabling, lighting, and industrial electrical products. Broad incumbent comparable on electrical distribution, but with a much larger footprint and stronger focus on commodity electrical versus TLA's automation specialisation.
- City Electrical Factors (CEF): UK's largest specialist electrical wholesaler with over 390 branches nationwide. Broad incumbent comparable on electrical distribution model, though focused more on cable, lighting, and contractor products than on TLA's automation and control niche.
- Rexel UK: UK subsidiary of global French electrical distributor Rexel, serving contractors and industrial customers with broad electrical product ranges. Broad incumbent with overlapping product categories, though operates at much larger scale and broader commodity focus.
Others
- Wieland Electric (UK distribution): Manufacturer of industrial electrical interconnection and automation products (terminals, connectors, power supplies) with direct UK sales and partner distribution. Adjacent comparable as an upstream brand whose products TLA distributes, illustrating a direct channel competitor for premium connector SKUs.
Regional players
- Wolseley UK (incl. Centered Solutions): UK distributor of plumbing, heating, and HVAC products now increasingly expanding into broader electrical categories. Adjacent peer with similar trade-distribution model and UK branch footprint, though primarily plumbing-focused.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
TLA Distribution social profiles
Digital presenceTLA Distribution compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
TLA Distribution financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
TLA Distribution leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
TLA Distribution funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
TLA Distribution M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about TLA Distribution
What does TLA Distribution do?
TLA Distribution is a specialist UK distributor of electrical control and automation components, selling cables, cable management products, industrial automation (PLCs, HMIs, sensors, remote I/O), motor control components, switchgear, safety devices, enclosures, terminals and connectors, electronic components, industrial tools, and power protection products. The company serves electricians, panel builders, OEMs, and maintenance/facilities teams through a self-serve e-commerce storefront, six UK branch locations, and worldwide shipping under DAP incoterms.
Is TLA Distribution a public or private company?
TLA Distribution is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was TLA Distribution founded?
TLA Distribution was founded in 1998. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is TLA Distribution based?
TLA Distribution is headquartered in Bingham, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does TLA Distribution make money?
One revenue line is on record: product Sales - Electrical Components Distribution.
Who are TLA Distribution's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Distrelec, Farnell / element14, Rapid Electronics, CPC Farnell and RS Components (RS Group). Broad incumbents are Edmundson Electrical, City Electrical Factors (CEF) and Rexel UK. Wieland Electric (UK distribution) is listed as an others. Wolseley UK (incl. Centered Solutions) is listed as a regional player.
Does TLA Distribution have an API?
No public API is recorded for TLA Distribution.