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In a move to help more customers quickly find and purchase frequency control devices, Arrow Electronics, Inc. has implemented Ecliptek’s Data Download on Arrow’s product lifecycle platform available via arrow.com. This gives buyers of frequency control devices, including crystals, quartz oscillators, and MEMS oscillators, access to more than 500,000 products. Results are based on either a part number or parametric search.
“The automated download provides our customers with over half a million frequency-control products from available inventory,” said Jim Ricciardelli, vice president of eCommerce strategy at Arrow Electronics, Englewood, Colo., in a statement. “This program, updated daily, offers users anywhere in the world immediate access to current, accurate information directly from the manufacturer.”
The available inventory shown is typically what's in stock at the Ecliptek factory. When a customer clicks on the buy or view button it takes them to Ecliptek's system where they can request a quote and access the datasheet by part number. In this way, all of the supply chain data (availability, pricing, lead times) and part specifications come directly from Ecliptek, ensuring the data is current and accurate. However, the details of the transactions are between the customer and Arrow.
As part of Ecliptek's counterfeit prevention program, Arrow agrees to buy only from Ecliptek or another authorized Ecliptek distributor. "This insulates the channel because we only sell through distribution," said Robert Zarrow, Ecliptek's vice president of global customer support, Costa Mesa, Calif.
There are several advantages to the program. For the customer it helps them avoid the "no results syndrome," when they search for parts, and for distributors it gives them "an amazing presence as far as frequency control available on the Internet," Zarrow said. He also noted that distributors don't have to buy the parts until they sell them.
Providing supply chain and parts data online is also key to the program. "We want to provide as much information through automation as we can," said Zarrow. Ecliptek provides datasheets by part numbers, which includes all the information associated with the part such as compliance information for RoHS, REACH, China RoHS, IPC-1752, and DRC Conflict Free.
"We think it's the best way to serve the customer," said Zarrow. "They don't have a series on their AVL; they have a part number."
Ecliptek recently updated two million part number specific datasheets for REACH 151 compliance. The European Chemicals Agency's (ECHA) Candidate List of Substances of Very High Concern (SVHC) was increased to 151 substances on December 13, 2013.
In addition, the datasheets now feature a clickable part number that enable customers to quickly obtain the latest compliance and product life cycle information for the part. The hyperlink links to the Part Number Detail page on Ecliptek’s website where customers can view and download up-to-date part number specific compliance documents for REACH, RoHS, and China RoHS.
Currently, Ecliptek has seven distributors participating in its Data Download Program. In addition to Arrow, the other distributors are Cytech, Hughes Peters, Serial Microelect., PUI, SMD, and UR Holding.
