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OKFor Arnd Borkowsky, Senior Key Account Manager, there are three key factors: Cusomer relationships, reliability and trust. To underpin this, the 54-year-old sales specialist points to the example of the GGP Media printing company. Based in Pössneck near Jena, GGP Media has been an Alpiq full-supply customer since December 2021. The company is a member of the Bertelsmann Printing Group, Europe’s largest printer. Its 1,000 employees process some 4 million printed sheets every day. The relationship with Arnd and the trust they had in him was so important to GGP that when Arnd left his old employer and joined Alpiq in May 2021, they switched too.
“The print service provider is a typical tranche customer,” Arnd explains. GGP spreads its purchases over time, thus also spreading its risk. The price is therefore not fixed at the signing of the supply contract, but un-dergoes successive adjustments in several tranches. The printing company thus benefits from the volatile wholesale electricity prices. GGP Media is also such a good match for Alpiq because they have already accomplished their goal of achieving climate neutrality. This makes GGP a pioneer in its sector.
With full supply, we tailor a product for our customers that allows them to look to the future with confidence. They no longer have to worry about grid issues, balancing energy or electricity prices. Because the latter are fixed and apply for the full year, or even for the entire term of the contract. These are usually between six months and five years. In addition to the conventional fixed-price model, customers can also opt for structured full supply products based on the prices on the electricity exchanges. In this case, the customer determines the time and quantity of identically structured individual tranches with and can thus spread their risks.
Over his past 16 years in the electricity sector, Arnd has built up a comprehensive network of contacts. Many industrial companies approach him directly when they are on the lookout for an electricity supplier. Because electricity supply contracts have become more complex with each passing year, around 70 % of large industrial companies in Germany utilise an energy consultant. Fortunately, Arnd also maintains very good contacts with these specialists. So, great prerequisites for signing scores of new contracts? Unfortunately not, because the drafting of each individual offer is a very time-consuming process. Electricity supply contracts for Germany have to be put together piece by piece for each customer, taking into account all the legal and regulatory framework conditions. Although Alpiq offers a wide range of products in Switzerland, they have to be adapted to Germany. Moreover, in the wake of the turmoil on the electricity trading markets in the fourth quarter of 2021, pricing is anything but straightforward. Arnd often requires a fair amount of patience before he can submit an individually tailored offer to a customer.
On the other hand, he especially enjoys working with the different teams in Berlin, Lausanne and Olten. “Alpiq’s vast toolbox allows us to put together interesting offers for our customers,” says Arnd and adds: “Since the willingness of customers to switch is very high, and because Alpiq has a solid base and enjoys a good reputation, the prospects for the conclusion of further full-supply contracts are certainly intact.”