Scaling Smarter: How TTI Transformed Logistics, Packaging, and Sustainability with ERA Group

A Global Distributor Under Pressure to Scale

Daily, over 3,900 parcels and 100 pallets depart from TTI's European distribution centre in Maisach-Gernlinden, Germany, near Munich. With more than 850,000 product lines in stock and 5,400 employees spanning Europe, North America, and Asia, TTI has established itself as a global leader in distributing electronic components to industry and end customers.

However, rapid growth incurred significant costs. Logistics and packaging expenditure for the Bavarian hub had already amounted to €8 million annually for logistics and €2 million for packaging. Existing processes resulted in excessive empty space in packaging, underutilised lorries, and generated unnecessary emissions – all whilst customer expectations for service quality and sustainability were escalating.

As Thomas Rolle, Corporate Senior Vice President Global Operations and Supply Chain Programmes at TTI, elucidates:

The rationale for collaborating with ERA was to ensure that the quality level would at least be maintained, if not enhanced. This has been corroborated throughout the collaboration.

The Challenge: Growth Meets Complexity

TTI faced a threefold challenge:

1. Rapidly increasing volumes: daily shipments doubled in just a few years.
2. Inefficient processes: oversized packaging, fragmented logistics, and suboptimal freight utilisation.
3. Sustainability pressures: excessive packaging waste, high CO2 emissions, and increasing regulatory scrutiny.

Internally, teams recognised the issues but lacked the capacity and specialist expertise to redesign systems at this scale. The solution necessitated not merely cost savings but also process transformation, automation, and sustainability integration.

Translating Insight into Action

ERA Group brought deep category expertise, benchmarking insights, and hands-on project delivery. Together with TTI's teams, ERA launched a review of logistics, packaging, and telecommunications.

• Data & Benchmarking: An audit of parcel sizes, transport routes, and supplier contracts revealed inefficiencies in both cost and environmental performance.
• Automation in Packaging: ERA recommended and supported the introduction of two automated packaging lines, dynamically adjusting parcel sizes to product dimensions. This reduced empty space, cut material waste, and improved vehicle utilisation.
• Supplier Strategy: ERA consolidated suppliers and renegotiated contracts, embedding both cost competitiveness and sustainability requirements.
• Logistics Optimisation: Route planning and lorry utilisation were redesigned, reducing partial loads and unnecessary emissions.
• Telecommunications: Parallel to logistics projects, ERA also streamlined mobile contracts, identifying savings of 28% on an €80,000 annual spend.

Change management proved a critical success factor. Packaging automation was phased in through pilot zones, employees received training, and logistics partners were engaged early to adapt to new packaging sizes.

As Rolle emphasises: “We benefited enormously from ERA's market knowledge. Furthermore, we received intensive support throughout the entire process.”

Results: Cost Savings, Efficiency Gains, and Sustainability

The collaboration delivered multi-dimensional results:

• 8% savings in logistics costs
• 18% savings in packaging costs
• 28% savings in telecommunications
• Improved vehicle utilisation and reduced CO2 emissions through dynamic packaging and route optimisation.
• More efficient warehouse processes, maintaining delivery reliability despite volumes doubling.
• Positive customer impact: fewer damaged goods, faster, more reliable deliveries, and eco-friendlier packaging.

During implementation, transaction volumes increased by 20% and inventory by 30% - yet the system went live ahead of schedule and under budget.

Long-Term Partnership and Strategic Value

Today, ERA's partnership with TTI continues. Packaging and logistics are not treated as one-off projects but as part of a continuous optimisation journey. Together, TTI and ERA are already exploring:

• Further reductions in packaging waste and emissions.
• New sustainable materials.
• Optimisation strategies for a new distribution centre under planning.

ERA has helped TTI not only save money, but also future-proof its operations against regulatory risks, market volatility, and sustainability demands.

Growth Without Compromise

For TTI, growth once meant rising complexity, costs, and emissions. With ERA Group, it became an opportunity to modernise logistics and packaging, introduce automation, and embed sustainability into daily operations - while still delivering substantial savings.

Here we could see that ERA had a very sophisticated process, which really helped in implementing the projects. - Thomas Rolle, Corporate Senior Vice President Global Operations and Supply Chain Programmes.

8% savings in logistics. 18% in packaging. 28% in telecoms. €1 million+ freed annually.

The message for business leaders is clear: cost control, efficiency, and sustainability are not competing priorities. With the right partner, they can move forward together.

ERA identifies savings in unexpected areas, transforming complexity into capital for growth.