Electronics supply chain executives head to Chicago next week for the annual Executive Conference of the Electronic Components Industry Association. The event draws about 300 professionals from electronics distribution and manufacturing and will take place at the InterContinental Chicago O’Hare October 28-30. On the agenda are 15 leaders from inside and outside the electronics supply chain talking about key issues shaping today’s business world.
Entitled “Information + Application = Innovation, A Powerful Formula for Business Growth and Success,” the conference features Avnet Inc. CEO Rick Hamada as keynote speaker. Hamada will draw on his 28 years of experience with Avnet in his speech, “From Information to Innovation.” Also on the agenda are Glenn Bassett, vice president, supply chain intelligence for industry research firm IHS; Gordon Hunter, president and CEO of global electronics manufacturer Littlefuse; and IBM’s Guy Blissett, author of the 2010 installment of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors’ Facing the Forces of Change series, which examines trends and issues in distribution.
Visit ECIA’s website for more information about the event.
In other news, Mouser Electronics was recently named a top employer in Texas and is in the running to be named the state’s 2012 Employer of the Year. Mouser is one of five finalists that will be recognized next month by the Texas Workforce Commission at its annual conference in Grapevine, Texas. If Mouser wins, it will be the second award the distributor will receive at the conference, as it has already been named a Local Employer of Excellence for Tarrant County, nominated by the Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County’s local board.
Mouser is the largest private employer in Mansfield, Texas, and has recently grown 20 percent year-over-year.
“In addition to the 1,100-plus we employ directly, our operations help support more than 2,000 local vendors and suppliers throughout the economy,’’ Mouser’s vice president of human resources Paula Holcomb explains. “That translates into salaries of more than $46 million a year. We are very excited to be named among the top employers in the state.”
Other industry headlines include:
- Mouser announced the winner of its third 500 Engineering Challenge, honoring design engineer Bill Groves of Arlington, Mass., for his innovative design concept that helped the Mouser/KV Racing Technology Team find a more effective means of monitoring and controlling damper temperature during IndyCar races. Groves received the Grand Prize: an autographed Tony Kanaan racing helmet.
- TTI Inc.recently released a new video in Season 3 of its marketing series, The Specialist. The episode highlights TTI’s emphasis on training, with The Specialist taking new recruits through the paces of a rigorous workout and whipping them into shape to be the best product specialists in the IP&E industry: http://www.ttiinc.com/page/the-specialist.html
- Independent distributor America II Electronics launched a new Inventory Business Group, comprised of 40 people responsible for partnering with OEMs and contract manufacturers to develop custom inventory programs.
- Manufacturer I.F. Engineering opened a new manufacturing and engineering development facility in Dudley, Mass. At 20,000 square feet, the new facility is nearly three times the size of its former Connecticut facility and provides additional manufacturing space to support its growing line of components and sub-systems that support the RF and microwave markets.
- Britain’s RS Electronics and its U.S. sister company Allied Electronics, along with Premier Farnell’s element14 and its U.S. Newark element14 brand announced availability of the 512 MB Raspberry Pi board.
- Avnet Electronics Marketingand ITT Corp. celebrate the 60th anniversary of their distribution partnership this year.
- Component manufacturerDanfoss launched danfossdirect.com, a new website where customers can configure and purchase industrial valves, coils and accessories.
- Independent distributor Smith & Associates received ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation at its global headquarters in Houston.
And still other companies announced new distribution agreements:
- Mouser signed a global distribution agreement with RF Digital Corp., maker of configurable wireless RF transmitter, receiver and transceiver modules.
- Digi-Key and Touchstone Semiconductor signed a global distribution agreement to distribute all of Touchstone’s analog IC products. Digi-Key also announced the addition of prepaid data SIM cards from Jazz Wireless Data to its North American line card.
- Heilind Electronicsannounced a new agreement to represent Molex products in Brazil through its Sao Paulo-based Kotek Eletro Eletronica Ltda. division, acquired earlier this year. Heilind also announced the expansion of its agreement with Molex to include the manufacturer’s new Temp-Flex cable product line.
Events
Don’t miss these industry events:
Avnet Electronics Marketing
Global SpeedWay Design Workshops Featuring Xilinx Zynq-7000 All Programmable SoC
San Jose and Boston
Various dates in November
ECIA Executive Conference
October 28-30, 2012
Chicago
Conflict Minerals: Meeting Regulatory & Customer Requirements
Sponsored by IPC, Association Connecting Electronics Industries
San Francisco
November 1, 2012
SAE 2012 Counterfeit Parts Avoidance Symposium
Sponsored by SAE and TTI, Inc.
November 2, 2012
Phoenix
Electronica 2012
November 13-16, 2012
Munich
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