Established 2001
A common sense approach to business.
In 2001, our founder, Kenny McGee, was working in mainstream electronic distribution. He was astounded to learn that the electronics industry generated over 20 million tonnes of e-waste annually. Kenny knew that manufacturers were treating their excess and obsolete components (E&O) as scrap. Other manufacturers were ordering production of the same parts as those destined for landfill. At the same time, Kenny was a young single father, struggling to find the perfect work-life balance.
Sending valuable, brand-new excess electronic components to landfills, and never seeing your family are two things that just don’t make sense.
Starting a business to solve both of these challenges does. And so, Component Sense was born!
Component Sense is a global marketplace for the re-distribution of E&O electronic component stock. A company dedicated to creating a positive impact on our planet, our people, and your profit.
Makes sense for everyone.
Over 30m
electronic components saved from landfill.
In 2021, 57.4 million metric tonnes of electronic waste was generated around the world. This is a three-fold increase since our inception in 2001.
Our aim is to reduce this number, one component at a time.
Empowering sustainability in electronic manufacturing.
By providing a range of innovative products and services, we help our customers succeed financially, operationally, and ethically. Exceptional customer service comes as standard, as does our dedication to sustainability.
EPIC CULTURE
We are EPIC.
A carefully curated culture based on continual personal development and growth gives our clients a service
that is second to none.
OUR TEAM
An epic team, passionate
about our purpose.
Our team is comprised of talented, ambitious, and enthusiastic people who love to get things done.
Find out why you’ll love working with us.
Kenny McGee
Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Rose McGee
Director of Sales
Grant Rutherford
Chief Technology officer
A RICH HISTORY
22 years of business
and counting.
In our more than two decades in business, we have learned a lot. We are happy to share our knowledge and experience with our customers.
Inspiration
Whilst visiting the warehouse of a multi-billion dollar electronics company in South Korea, our founder and CEO, Kenny McGee, was stunned to find millions of dollars worth of excess stock sitting marked as scrap.
Component Sense is born
Kenny chose to leave his position at Arrow Electronics and set up a business focused on sustainability and customer service.
As a single father at the time, Kenny wanted to create an organisation with a supportive and flexible work environment — giving him the work-life balance he was struggling to find elsewhere.
Breakeven
After two years of business, Component Sense sales began to completely cover running costs. This was an important milestone!
2003 was also the year in which we became a limited company.
Our very first hire
In 2004, sales were strong enough to necessitate and allow for the hiring of another employee. Kenny was joined in his small business, bringing our headcount to a total of two.
Company rebrand
We decided to refresh our look, and the Component Sense logo you know and love was created, albeit in red!
Expansion
As our company was continuing to develop, we decided to relocate into larger premises.
Crisis hits
The world was hit with financial crisis and a global economic recession, and Component Sense was no different. Like countless other companies, we were forced to adapt to the new market conditions.
We had significant funding pulled from banks, and so we had to restructure and consolidate the company. Kenny knew that customers would be struggling to deal with the excess created by the economic downturn. So, he wanted to work as closely as possible with them to help navigate the crisis.
Customer Relations Management
As part of our economic resilience efforts, we saw the need to create a bespoke turnkey business system. This system has continued to evolve, and is updated daily to keep our customers happy at every step of their Component Sense journey. Our team’s lives are also made significantly easier with automation and unique functionality.
InPlant™
Component Sense continued to expand and entered into relationships with larger EMS businesses around the world. Our team found frustration with this expansion, as larger EMSs were less willing to sell their excess and obsolete stock through traditional cash purchase or consignment options.
In response, our team created InPlant™ as a complete stock solution for very large EMSs. Find out more about InPlant™ here.
New look
2015 saw Component Sense enter into a newer, more digital iteration. We completely redesigned our website and added full e-commerce functionality.
Purchasing from Component Sense was thus made easier than ever!
As part of our brand refresh, the Component Sense logo you know and love was created.
Did you know that the blue of our logo matches the Saltire blue of Scotland’s national flag? We are proud to be a Scottish company and love representing this in our brand identity!
International expansion
In 2017, the Component Sense team continued to grow and our business expanded worldwide. We were now operating out of the UK, Europe, and Australia.
Our hard work building relationships during the global financial crisis paid off as the market recovered.
Impending downturn
The electronics industry can be incredibly informative. Those working in our industry know that our electronic component market can even show economic shifts before they become known to the wider world.
In 2019, the market began to turn sharply downwards, seemingly without reason. Our sales fell to around 35% of their previous numbers.
Little did we know how greatly the world was about to change...
Covid-19
As the world started to see the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the electronics industry was severely affected. The global supply chain was disrupted by shipping restrictions, lockdowns, and ill workforces.
At the same time, demand for electronic devices was higher than ever, and the world saw a time of extremely high demand and low supply. Prices for electronic components skyrocketed and customers saw lengthy lead times and limited availability.
21 years in business
Following the difficulties of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2022 saw the world officially return to the “new normal”. Whilst some states maintained rigid COVID-19 lockdowns, most countries returned to business as usual. For Component Sense, it was an extremely important year in many ways!
We achieved record turnover, saw our headcount reach 25, expanded into North America, and celebrated our 21st birthday as a company. What a year!
The future...
It is now 2024! As an established business, we bring our 22+ years of expertise and experience to revolutionise the electronics industry. Our passion for customer service and sustainability set us apart, and we are so excited to see what the future holds.
We hope you love our beautiful new website as much as we do.
Component Sense also continues to work hard on creating an EPIC company culture. This was recently acknowledged with our official certification as a Great Place to Work©.
We are so proud of our last 22 years… here’s to many more!