The Princeps Way
Princeps has been built on three fundamental principles which demonstrate our commitment to our customers and is what sets us apart from other distributors.
The meaning of ‘Princeps’
‘Princeps’ as a name was inspired by our mission to show there is a better way to do distribution – and to be the best. It comes from the Latin word meaning “first in time or order; the first, foremost, chief, most eminent, distinguished or noble”. It was an unofficial title given to Roman emperors at the height of the Roman Empire and is the root of many modern English words such as prince, principal and principled – associations we are proud of.
Quality
Princeps is a member of a global elite of electronic, electrical and electromechanical (EEE) component distributors, holding both AS9120 and AS6081 accreditations. Both standards necessitate a multi-stage certification process, followed by periodic surveillance audits to ensure compliance is maintained throughout the three-year certification cycle.
Traceability – AS9120
We operate a quality management system that meets the stringent requirements of the AS9120 standard. AS9120 is based on ISO 9001 but encompasses nearly 100 additional requirements specific to aerospace distributors. AS9120 provides us with a comprehensive quality system focused on areas directly affecting product traceability, safety and reliability. Discover more about Princeps' full traceability service and its implications.
Counterfeit Risk Mitigation – AS6081
Few distributors take counterfeit mitigation as seriously as we do and even fewer hold AS6081 certification to substantiate this claim. We understand that the parts you require are not always available with full traceability, whether due to obsolescence, unavailability or extended lead times. In such instances, AS6081 provides guidance on mitigating risks associated with parts sourced on the open market. Learn more about how we can help resolve your obsolescence challenges.
Continuous Improvement
We are committed to a continuous improvement process that embraces every aspect of our operation, with an unwavering focus on achieving total customer satisfaction. We never become complacent: we recognise that our customers' requirements are constantly evolving and if we are to continue meeting them, we must evolve accordingly.
Service
The Princeps Way is our statement of intent for serving you. It can be summed up by the phrase, “hassle free” and it is how we ensure total customer satisfaction. We constantly gather and analyse customer feedback to ensure that our high standards are consistently being maintained.
Tail Management
Vendor reduction is proven to deliver efficiency improvements and reduce costs. We can effectively streamline the unproductive range of suppliers for customers. Our OEM customers have found this service particularly beneficial, gaining supply chain performance efficiencies and lowered total cost of acquisition. Discover more about our tail management service.
Secure Open Market Sourcing
If manufacturer-authorised sources are not available, we work with our customers to find them safe, feasible alternatives on the open market to keep their lines running. Find out more about Princeps secure open market sourcing service.
Kitting
To simplify the assembly of components, we offer kitting solutions including complete project management of sourcing, traceability and FAIRs (First Article Inspection Reports). Find out more about our kitting service.
No Restrictions
We have no restrictions on the range of manufacturers we can offer or product ranges we can provide. Our customers love the flexibility, allied to the security of traceability, that we can offer them, even for commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) products.
Global reach
Our global experience enables us to navigate the potentially treacherous global supply chain and source parts for our customers. Leveraging our worldwide network of thousands of manufacturer-authorised sources allows us to secure the most competitive pricing on current products, whilst maintaining traceability. Why limit yourself to one or two franchised sources, when you could benefit from the flexibility our network provides?
Buffer stock, kanban and blanket orders
With lean practices thriving throughout the electronic manufacturing industry, our provision of buffer stock, kanban and blanket orders helps provide our customers with reassurance. They understand that we are maintaining an agreed buffer stock level for their key lines, enabling them to minimise their stock holding and maximise their productivity.
Flexibility
Our flexibility and can-do attitude enables us to continually exceed our customers’ expectations in a rapidly shifting global environment.
Communication
Transparency
We listen to our customers and continuously refine our service offering to better meet their needs. Our customers help us to be the very best we can. So, whether it is qualifying an RFQ, confirming an order or notifying a despatch, our transparent two-way communication process is central to everything else we do.
Tenacity
We go to exceptional lengths to locate hard-to-find stock items which are hindering our customers' production, even to the extent of negotiating an extension to manufacturer last time buy (LTB), to spare them from costly re-design and re-qualification processes. We offer an alternative to the frustrating "computer says no" approach of franchised distributors that, when confronted with similar circumstances, will typically only advise that the part is irretrievably unavailable from the manufacturer.