Avnet Inc. says its acquisition of U.K.-based distributor Premier Farnell will help the company accelerate its digital transformation and make it a more critical partner to customers through the provision of a wider range of design engineering and supply chain solutions to move them swiftly and seamlessly from the idea and product conception stages to…
At the end of the year, Avnet Inc., the longtime global revenue leader in combined components and systems sales, is going to look very different from the company that recently celebrated more than 60 years in the electronics distribution business. $26.2 billion Avnet and its nearest competitor Arrow Electronics Inc., with sales of $23.28 billion…
E-commerce has effectively demolished the geographic boundaries that used to limit electronics procurement through the distribution channel. Component suppliers authorized distributors to sell their brands in geographic markets to avoid over-distribution and linecard conflicts. The first time a distributor offered all of its brands internationally online tested those boundaries. The supply chain found that expanding…
The announcement is vaguely reminiscent of the 1990s: A successful distributor in its domestic market is duplicating its model overseas. This time, however, it’s a European company establishing itself in the U.S. Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente GmbH, founded in 1973 in Ispringen, Germany, has opened its U.S. headquarters in Cleveland, Ohio. (See facts and figures, below.) Its…
Electronics distributors, particularly those that specialize in engineering and design volumes, are seeing an increase in orders from do-it-yourselfers and hobbyists. Often, people that tinker with electronics are also involved in the market in some other way. Distributors such as Jameco Electronics have found engaging with hobbyists can lead to business orders down the line.…
I’m privileged to spend my work days engaged in the processor market. As a processor buyer for many years and now as the manager of that commodity for my company, I’ve seen a lot of growth and a lot of change. Fortunately, EPS is giving me the space to offer a frequent update on the…
One of the most successful distributors in the electronics industry once told me something I think about a lot. This distributor, at the time, did not participate in suppliers’ design registration programs because it wanted to put as few barriers between customers and their purchases as possible. This was very unusual. Design registration programs, in…
Outside of corporate management, engineers are the most valued—and best-paid—members of the electronics supply chain. So why do so many customers expect to get engineering services for free from their business partners? The distribution industry for decades has been struggling with this issue. “Giveaways” began with value-added services. Customers that bought components from distributors asked…
Tom Hudak, who recently took the reins of Chicago-based Newark element14, has three goals for the high-service distributor. He wants Newark element14 to be a great company to do business with, invest in, and work for. To meet these objectives, Hudak is putting plans in place to meet specific goals and metrics that will measure the…
Avnet Inc. is moving to transition more of its engineering and supply chain services and functions online as part of a strategic effort to reach more customers, broaden offerings, improve engagement with suppliers, OEMs and other partners, as well as further streamline operating costs.