Sonepar Showcases Its AI Leadership at the Microsoft AI Tour in Paris

Artificial intelligence is transforming how industries operate, collaborate, and create value. The companies shaping this new landscape are those placing AI at the heart of their strategy. Microsoft refers to these pioneers as Frontier Firms, and Microsoft AI Tour in Paris on March 11, provided a clear illustration of what this new generation of companies looks like, and how Sonepar stands among its leaders.

A shared vision for the future of intelligent industry

During the event's keynote, Sonepar President & CEO Philippe Delpech joined Microsoft CEO Judson Althoff on stage to share perspectives on how frontier firms embed intelligence directly into their operations and daily workflows. Their discussion highlighted how Sonepar is using AI not as an addon, but as a core capability powering its long-term transformation.

AI: combining scale, relevance, and human expertise

In another session, Sonepar Chief Transformation Officer Jérémie Profeta spoke with Agnes Van de Walle about what gives Sonepar a unique advantage: the combination of global scale with local relevance, operational excellence with human expertise. Together, they emphasized why AI is a central driver of Sonepar's competitive strength, today and for years to come.

AI already powering core activities across the Group

Across the organization, AI is accelerating progress in multiple areas:

• Customer engagement powered by tailored, data-driven interactions
• Associate experience enhanced through intelligent assistance and automation
• Critical business processes, including:
  • Sales order automation
  • Demand planning
  • Smart inventory recommendations

These advancements reaffirm Sonepar's commitment to deploying AI responsibly and at scale, ensuring that innovation translates into tangible impact for customers and associates alike.

Enhancing customer service while elevating human value

The most important outcome is clear: AI enables Sonepar to serve customers better, faster, and more consistently. By automating routine tasks and improving decision making, AI frees associates to focus on higher value activities: strengthening relationships, and supporting customers with enhanced expertise.

As Philippe summarized at the event, the real power of AI lies not only in efficiency, but in elevating the human contribution, a belief fully aligned with Sonepar's Purpose and transformation agenda.