Channel Partner - Atlas Copco : Increasing the engagement of the different players in the sales channel

Abstract: The Atlas Copco group is an industrial group of companies that are making sales with customers located all around the world. This thesis is done at the ACTA-GI division (Atlas Copco Tools and Assembly Systems GI Division), where the sales process stretches through four main players; the Atlas Copco headquarter in Stockholm, local customer centers, distributors and end customers.   When having several different players in the sales process, the communication between these may sometimes be deficient. When news and information from the headquarter is released, it has to travel through several instances before reaching the distributors or the end customers. This leads to a deficient flow of communication where information is often delayed or misinterpreted before reaching its target. The purpose of this master thesis is to investigate how ACTA-GI can improve the flow of information in the sales channel and to develop a plan of action for increasing the engagement of the distribution partners by developing an online distributor portal. In order to investigate the best ways of handling distribution partners, this study contains both qualitative and quantitative research methods. The study contain a theory review on distribution and communication strategies, an analysis of the existing sales channels and current markets, an analysis of the content of the online portal, and a benchmarking study with a similar industrial company. The result is a plan of action for industry best practice and proposals for improvement areas.