Heard in the Channel: Avnet announces leadership change, America II adds franchised line
Avnet, Inc. announced a leadership transition for its Avnet Electronics Marketing business unit recently, promoting Gerry Fay to global president, effective October 1. Fay will replace Harley Feldberg, a 30-year Avnet veteran who has served as Avnet EM’s global president since 2004.
Fay will be responsible for the strategic direction, day-to-day operations and performance of Avnet Electronics Marketing, the company’s electronic components distribution business, globally. As a corporate officer and senior vice president, Fay is a member of Avnet’s executive board and will continue to report to Avnet CEO Rick Hamada, the company said.
In other company news, Avnet announced some corporate milestones recently. In July, the distributor celebrated the one-year anniversary of the ZedBoard, the popular community-oriented development kit for the Xilinx, Inc. Zynq®-7000 All Programmable (AP) SoC. Since the ZedBoard launch, Avnet has sold more than 3,000 ZedBoard kits, has trained 2,400 customers globally in its SpeedWay seminars and another 3,000 through online courses, the company said. The distributor also announced the availability of the MicroZed, a $199 evaluation kit based on the Xilinx Zynq®-7000 All Programmable SoC. MicroZed supports multiple use models for exploration, prototyping and System-on-Module (SOM) use, allowing designers to start with a single platform and grow with it as they progress in their SoC development and learning process.
Avnet also announced the 50th anniversary of its supply partnership with electronic component manufacturer Vishay Intertechnology and said its Avnet Memec group, a division of Avnet EM, was named North American Distributor of the Year by fiber optic components and subsystems supplier Finisar Corp.
In other news, America II Electronics announced a new authorized distribution agreement with HellermannTyton to supply the manufacturer’s line of cable management and identification solutions globally. The deal expands America II’s new blended distribution model, in which it serves as both an independent distributor and franchised distributor of select product lines.
“Our goal continues to be this evolution from a traditional independent distributor to more of a blended model—taking on traits typically found in authorized distribution,” explained America II’s president Brian Ellison. “Offering complete product solutions and partnering with a recognized manufacturer like HellermannTyton confirms this commitment.”
The HellermannTyton lines will support customers in the automotive, manufacturing, industrial, electrical, telecommunications, commercial data and renewable energy industries, America II said.
Other distributors announced new distribution agreements and the availability of new products recently:
- Heilind Electronicssaid it is now stocking metric ring terminals from Molex Inc.
- Newark element14announced a new distribution agreement with XMOS, distributing the company’s differentiating xCORE architecture.
- Mouser Electronics signed a global agreement with Intel Corporation, offering Intel’s entire portfolio of mobile, desktop and server products.
And here’s a look at upcoming industry events:
Events
ISM Center for Strategic Supply Leadership Symposium
September 11-12, 2013
Chicago
ECIA Executive Conference
October 27-29, 2013
Chicago
We want to hear from you. Send your news to [email protected].
