Heard in the Channel: Mouser/TI pen engineering book, Avnet acquires Israeli distributor

Avnet Inc. announced its purchase of Israeli components distributor C.R.G. Electronics Ltd., which sells PC products and electronic components to customers throughout Israel. The company will become part of Avnet Israel, a business unit of Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA.

The deal strengthens Avnet’s business in the region, adding pre- and post-technical support engineers, marketing, sales and inventory logistics sources, and roughly $23 million in sales.

“The acquisition of CRG will strengthen our position in the design-intensive Israeli high-tech market by adding complementary product lines and a highly reputable technical team,” said Patrick Zammit, president of Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA. “CRG’s technical resources and customer service commitment will help us to further enhance our strategy of providing technical support to our Israeli customers at the point of design and support them with global fulfillment capability from manufacturing ramp through end of life.”

In other news, catalog distributor Mouser Electronics recently collaborated with Texas Instruments on a specialized engineering book titled “TI FRAM for Dummies,” an in-depth design engineering resource covering key areas of Ferroelectric Random Access Memory (FRAM) capabilities and applications.The book is designed to help engineers rethink their system architecture in ways that will increase operating life, reduce system cost and build more reliable products, according to Mouser. Customers can order a free copy of “TI FRAM for Dummies” at www.mouser.com/framfordummies.

“FRAM is rapidly becoming an alternative to flash and EEPROM-based microcontrollers in ultra-low power solutions,” said Kevin Hess, Mouser’s vice president of technical marketing. “FRAM has a reputation as an ultra-low power, differentiated and more secure solution for embedded applications. This gives design engineers an avenue to bring their technologies to the next level, and Mouser is proud to stock the most cutting-edge FRAM products to help them achieve their design goals.

More News

Other top distributors were making news this month, especially online:

Excess and end-of-life semiconductor specialist Components Direct introduced componentsdirect.com, an e-commerce Web site offering in-stock availability and guaranteeing 100% direct traceability from original manufacturers. The site aims to combat the counterfeit components problem by offering authentic, traceable parts.
TTI Inc. announced the launch of Season 3 of its video series, The Specialist, www.ttiinc.com/thespecialist.
element 14 announced the launch of a new digital catalog for analog and embedded design, offering new and best-in-class technology that includes MCUs, MPUs, DSPs, development kits, debuggers, programmers, emulators and software.
Future Electronics launched Spanish- and Italian-language Web sites, featuring localized content, technical resources and access to the distributor’s product search engine in Spanish and Italian.
Manufacturer Littlefuse, Inc. launched a newly redesigned Web site, www.littelfuse.com, featuring a fresh new look, updated content and improved functionality.

And still others were making headlines with community service projects, global expansion and new distribution agreements:

A team of employees from Allied Electronics participated for a second straight year in a “Day of Caring” in Fort Worth. Coordinated by the local United Way, the July event gave businesses and other organizations the opportunity to share their time and skills with local community groups. Thirteen Allied employees volunteered at the Fort Worth Boys and Girls Club.
Manufacturer Luminus Devices, Inc. opened an office in Taiwan in response to growing demand in Asia. The office offers sales support, customer service, field application engineering, and operational engineering to Luminus' key customers, suppliers and contract manufacturing partners in the region.
Distributor TJR Globalwas named to the #3 spot in the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s list of the 50 Fastest Growing Companies. The distributor also announced a new distribution agreement with Hellermann Tyton, maker of high quality cable and wire management products.
Digi-Keyannounced a new global distribution agreement with LED maker Luminous Devices.
Amphenol Industrial Global Operations, a leader in interconnect systems, said it now offers a variety of its products on AmazonSupply, the online retailer’s source for industrial, scientific and business supplies. Amphenol is the first connector company to sell its products through the online store.
Mouser Electronics announced it is now stocking Amphenol RF Rugged IP67 rated connectors as well as NXP Lighting dev boards for Dali, DMX512 and KNX.