Electrical supplies distribution giant Sonepar is accelerating its digital transformation with the deployment of what it calls the first global Data & AI platform of its kind in the electrical distribution industry.

Paris-based Sonepar announced the initiative Sept. 24 alongside technology consulting firm Onepoint, which supported the design and deployment of the platform. Sonepar said the technology provides a common foundation for its subsidiaries and is designed to analyze sales, customer histories and logistics flows at scale.

Predictive models supported by the platform are now deployed across operations representing 95% of Sonepar’s revenue, according to the company. Sonepar said those models are being used to improve demand forecasting, optimize stock levels and product availability and support its broader omnichannel strategy.

The distributor highlighted three current AI use cases:

• Personalized product recommendations based on customers’ purchasing patterns and histories;
• Automatic email categorization designed to prioritize customer requests and improve sales team efficiency; and
• Carbon data calculation using product characteristics to supplement CO₂ measurements.

Onepoint helped Sonepar modernize its data infrastructure, establish data governance and migrate to a unified platform based on Microsoft Fabric and Azure AI Foundry. Sonepar said its next phase will expand AI applications around product recommendations, advanced inventory optimization and sales team support.

“AI is a truly strategic lever for Sonepar, enabling us to combine commercial performance, operational excellence, and sustainability,” Sonepar Chief Transformation Officer Jérémie Profeta said.

The development builds on a major digital transformation investment Sonepar detailed in April 2023, when it said it planned to invest more than $1 billion over five years. That initiative included partnerships with Microsoft, Publicis Sapient and Hitachi Solutions and centered on Sonepar’s Spark omnichannel platform, along with consolidating transaction data into a companywide data lake.

Those investments have become an increasingly significant part of Sonepar’s business. The company posted record 2025 revenue of $37.9 billion, while online sales reached $13.9 billion. Sonepar said omnichannel sales increased 50% year over year, fueled by its Spark platform. The distributor also reported increasing use of AI across sales order automation, demand planning and inventory management.

Sonepar operates in 40 countries with nearly 90 brands, 180 distribution centers and more than 46,000 employees.