A German distribution business is built on installer partnerships and one working habit: confirming the local position before you quote. Recruit electrical partners region by region, close each region’s installation and paperwork questions with the partner who will do the work, and stock only what your channel can install, service and support. The hardware is the easy part; the channel is the business.
Key Takeaways
- The channel is installers: recruit them region by region, pilot before volume.
- Regional installation positions are confirmed with the local partner, per quote — a habit, not a research project.
- Stock follows demonstrated install capability: partners, pilots, training and spares, then volume.
- Billing-use questions are closed during partner onboarding, never at the first billed site.
The Channel Is Installers
Chargers reach German sites through people who are licensed and trusted locally. Build three partner types, in this order:
| Partner | What they control | What they need from you | First step |
|---|---|---|---|
| Electrical installation firms | Site access, connection work, sign-off and the service call when something fails | The model documentation pack, product training, and spares they can reach without a factory lead time | One pilot installation, done together, before any volume talk |
| Regional electrical wholesalers | Reach into installers you do not know yet | Reliable stock of a narrow core range, and datasheets that match the shipped units exactly | Stock the core range they can explain, not the whole catalogue |
| Workplace and fleet project partners | Access to commercial sites and their decision-makers | Platform documentation — and the billing-use questions closed before a billed site is quoted | A joint site survey, with the confirmation list on the table |
Regional Variation Is a Working Habit, Not a Surprise
Installation practice, notification duties and approval paperwork are confirmed where the work happens — per state and municipality, with the local partner, before the quote is written. This guide deliberately describes none of those regional rules: they are the partner’s local knowledge, and your job is to make asking for them routine. Keep a per-region confirmation sheet that travels with every quote: who confirmed the installation position, what paperwork the site needs, and which items are still open. A distributor who treats regional confirmation as a habit can sell the same product nationally; one who treats the first region’s answers as national facts will re-learn them at the second region’s expense.
Stock After the Channel Can Sell Installed Chargers
Sequence the build so stock follows capability, not the other way round:
- Partners first. Signed installation partners in the launch regions, with the confirmation sheet in use.
- Pilot installations second. A small number of real sites, installed and documented, that train your partners and expose paperwork gaps while they are cheap.
- Training and spares third. Partner technicians trained on the stocked models; spares depth set by what a service call actually consumes.
- Volume stock last. Quantities set by the channel’s demonstrated install rate — including the billing-use confirmations closed during onboarding, so a partner never discovers them at the first billed site.
Building the Business With EVDANCE
EVDANCE is a Shenzhen manufacturer founded in 2011, exports to more than 30 countries, offers private label from 100 units and backs its chargers with a 3-year standard warranty. For German distributors, the practical start is the confirmation list itself: the model documentation pack for the units you plan to carry, so your importer and your first installer partners close their questions against real documents. Begin through the distributor program or contact us. Which models to put at the head of the range is worked through in our guide to 11 kW vs 22 kW wallboxes for European distributors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need my own installation crews?
Not necessarily — the partner model is the common route, because installation is licensed, local work. What you need is partners whose licence scope covers the work, confirmed in writing per region, plus your own control of training, documentation and spares.
Can one national price list work across Germany?
The product price can be national. The installed price cannot: installation terms ride on the regional position your partner confirms for each site class. Quote product nationally; confirm installation locally.
What belongs in partner onboarding?
The documentation pack for the stocked models, hands-on training on those models, the per-region confirmation sheet, the spares arrangement, and the billing-use questions — closed during onboarding, not at the first billed site.
Related Reading
- 11 kW vs 22 kW Wallbox: Which Should Distributors Stock for Europe?
- Choosing Plug, Cable and Connector for an OEM Charger by Market
- CE Marking for Private-Label EV Chargers Sold in the EU
- FOB vs DDP: How to Import EV Chargers From China Without Surprises
