Global electronic, mechanical and industrial equipment distributor RS Components has significantly expanded its pneumatics, hydraulics and power transmission portfolio by entering into a deep strategic partnership with pneumatics manufacturing company SMC Pneumatics.

The new deep strategic partnership, which began in April 2013, saw RS Components add 3 000 new pneumatics products, supplied by SMC, to its range in December 2014.

However, RS Components South Africa GM Brian Andrew explains that RS Components includes up to 5 000 new products monthly to its product line and, therefore, the latest additions are “business as usual”.

The latest additions include more specialised products, such as pressure boosters, flow switches, controllers and vacuum devices, as well as more classical components, such as filters, regulators, lubricators, valves, cylinders, pressure reducers, hoses and fittings.

Common advantages of many of the new products are that they save space and are versatile, says Andrew.

“Many of these products focus on energy efficiency, which reduces operational costs, including the user’s environmental footprint,” he emphasises, adding that the strategic partnership between SMC Pneumatics and RS Components’ sales teams has enabled RS Components to proactively respond to customers’ energy-saving demands.

Andrew reveals that compressed air savings of between 5% and 50% are typically achieved with new technologies, adding that more than €2-billion in energy costs could be saved on compressed air systems in Europe.

He admits, however, that the additional 3 000 products required RS Components to develop new logistics processes, in terms of sourcing new products from the US.

Andrew explains that, especially in the last fiscal year, the company has implemented an expansion programme called ‘globalise the offer’, which increases product ranges across all RS Components markets, mainly between RS Components and Allied Electronics which is RS Components’ sister company in the US.

He says this strategy has opened up new logistics routes, especially Allied’s US-based warehouse in Texas, adding that the company did not require any additional employment or warehouse space.