Renik Retoré (Axelent) on the Global Account Team and solution selling in enterprise security systems

“When I started at Axelent as a representative, I literally stood between the machines and the mechanics,” says Renik Retoré, today Global Account Manager at the family-owned company. “That practical experience helped me tremendously later when projects became increasingly international. You quickly realize: what works in one country must be able to be repeated in multiple countries without reinventing the hot water every time.”

“About two years ago we set up the Global Account Team within Axelent,” Retoré explains. “We work in a virtual country: every country with an Axelent subsidiary has one or more colleagues who are on that team. We have our own administration, order flow and sales processes, but everything is aligned. It's like playing with different orchestras, but all reading the same score.”

According to Retoré, monthly (online) consultations with international Axelent colleagues are crucial. “That's when we discuss international customers, coordinate prices and see how we can guarantee the same service in terms of machine guards, mesh wall systems, collision protection solutions and cable management systems, no matter where the customer is located. That creates predictability, which really makes a difference for integrators and machine builders with multiple locations.”

From product selling to solution selling

“At Axelent, we have long been selling not just products, but complete solutions,” Retoré points out. “Solution selling means that we don't start from a catalog, but from the customer's issue. What is the level of security needed? How does that fit into the workflow? Only then do we look at which product or combination fits best.”

He gives a concrete example: “At a large Belgian customer that operates worldwide, we work from Axelent Belgium as a central point of contact. We coordinate the approach with all the countries where they operate. We start every project with a joint alignment, which has led to a huge reduction in the number of revisions. We went from a lead time of two months to two weeks. That means production starts faster and the customer can build and install sooner.”

“Think locally, protect globally”

“The strength of our team is that we offer the same quality and service worldwide, but still leave room for local adjustments,” says Retoré. “Production, R&D, marketing and HR are in Sweden, but sales is done locally. In Europe, we stock from one central location. On other continents we have local stocks so that customers are delivered quickly.”

Retoré sees that as a direct translation of the ‘One Axelent’ idea. “We are one family company, regardless of distance. You can also see this in our policy on the environment and well-being: all our products are recyclable. We are about long-term relationships, not short-term sales.”

Focus on safety in automated warehouses

“With our new Warehouse Automation campaign, we want to make it clear that safety in automated warehouses is not a tick-box exercise of legal obligations, but a strategic choice for the future,” explains Retoré. “By investing in thoughtful safety solutions, companies avoid accidents and damage claims, which not only prevents costly downtime, but also ensures higher productivity and a reliable workflow. At the same time, confidence grows among employees and customers, who know that the work environment is safe and stable.”

“With Axelent, we distinguish ourselves by offering a total package: from collision and machine protection to fall-through protection, cages and safety doors. In this way, companies do not have to work with multiple suppliers, but can rely on one experienced partner who works out the entire project.”

Look into the future

“Our Global Account Team now has a foothold on all the continents where Axelent operates,” says Retoré. “The next step is to get even closer to the right decision makers - whether in procurement or engineering - so that we can make trajectories from idea to execution even faster.”

“Security should know no boundaries,” he concludes. “With our Global Account Team, we make sure that solution selling has the same face everywhere. Whether you work in Belgium, Japan or Australia, you get the same speed, the same quality and the same security.”