Belden and Digital Transformation: From Product Sales to Solutions Sales

This case concerns the industrial automation division at Belden, a hardware manufacturer. While Belden historically sold products such as cables, wires, and other networking devices, EVP of Industrial Automation Ashish Chand recognized that IT vendors were entering the market via new digital technologies. Chand initiated Enhanced Solutions Delivery (ESD), which pivoted Belden from selling products to selling solutions to optimize customers’ networks. The case has three main teaching objectives: 1) To understand the impact on an organization of changing buyer criteria and competition due to digital technology; 2) To examine what does and does not change (in areas ranging from product development and pricing to sales hiring, training, roles, and channel responsibilities) when a company shifts its focus from product sales to marketing “solutions”; and 3) To illustrate how channel partners are both conduits and barriers to managing these changes.