In a move to streamline the purchasing process for design engineers and purchasers alike, Mouser Electronics recently launched an all-new intelligent bill of materials management tool. Available at mouser.com/bomtool, the tool allows customers with a My Mouser account to import a new BOM or view BOMs saved in their account. The tool’s key differentiator: users can customize the BOM to their own, original spreadsheet. Essentially, engineers and buyers can choose what product data they want in which columns and then export everything into their spreadsheet with their own custom formatting intact. The program remembers currency, formatting, RoHS options and other preferences, allowing each user to create a personalized experience and speed their processing the next time around. Customers without their own spreadsheets can paste data directly into the tool. Ultimately, customers will spend less time reformatting data and resetting preferences, according to Mouser.
“We take your actual spreadsheet and we analyze it,” says Mouser’s vice president of Internet business Hayne Shumate. “We figure out where the data is supposed to go, we match all the products we can—giving you choices if we don’t have an exact match—and then you download your spreadsheet back with all the data in it.
“We do a great deal for our engineers, and we’re trying to do a better job for the buyers and come up with a tool that will help them. If you manage a BOM and are in and out of it a lot … this is going to make your job a lot easier.”
Mouser’s new BOM management tool also analyzes partial part numbers and product descriptions using a relevancy engine.
Shumate says more than 1,000 customers were using the tool within days of its launch in mid-February.
“We’re getting a lot of traffic and a lot of feedback from customers saying it’s a time-saving tool,” adds Kevin Hess, Mouser’s vice president of technical marketing. “Even before we began promoting it, people were finding [the tool] and giving us positive feedback.”
Industry News
ECIA launches Texas chapter, Arrow and Avnet named to Fortune list
Members of the Electronic Components Industry Association met in Dallas recently to launch the ECIA Texas Chapter, the group’s first local presence. The Texas Chapter meeting was the first of more to come as ECIA focuses on bringing association benefits to the local level, according to ECIA officials. Robert Logan of electronics sales rep firm Kruvand Associates is the Texas Chapter president.
“The feedback from several individuals that attended the inaugural ECIA Chapter meeting in Dallas state that it was well worth their time to attend,” Logan said in a statement announcing the Chapter. “There seems to be a lot of excitement and interest in this Chapter and what the ECIA can offer. ECIA brings the industry together in a way that no other association has managed to in the past. This opportunity to work together to achieve mutual goals and improve the business climate for the authorized sale of electronics is unique. Future chapter meetings will keep an eye on the industry from the street level as well as provide a national and global perspective.”
The Chapter meeting featured a presentation by Michael Knight, senior vice president, Americas, for electronics distributor TTI, Inc. The chapter will meet quarterly to network and discuss local industry issues and association business.
In other news, the industry’s two largest distributors were recently named to Fortune magazine’s list of the “World’s Most Admired Companies.” Avnet and Arrow Electronics ranked first and second, respectively, in the magazine’s list of most admired companies in the Wholesaler: Electronics and Office Equipment category.
New and Expanded Distribution Agreements
Element14 and RS Components began selling the credit-card sized Raspberry Pi computer last week. The release of the $35 educational computer caused a stir among software and hardware designers and enthusiasts, with both element14 and RS Components selling out of the limited-release product within hours. Both companies were taking pre-orders for the computer last week. Click here for more.
Arrow Electronics signed a pan-European distribution agreement with Micropelt, which offers a full range of thermoelectric energy-harvesting semiconductor devices and systems to customers throughout Europe.
Avnet Electronics Marketing was recently named the preferred global partner for Osram Opto Semiconductors; the agreement is effective immediately in the Americas; Europe, the Middle East, Africa (EMEA); Japan and Asia. Avnet also announced a new agreement with Discera; Avnet EM Americas will represent Discera’s MEMS oscillators.
Digi-Key announced an expanded distribution agreement with Elektron Technology to include Arcolectric products globally. The distributor also announced a new global distribution agreement with Ramtron International Corp., a leading developer and supplier of nonvolatile ferroelectric random access memory (F-RAM) and integrated semiconductor solutions.
Mouser Electronics announced a new distribution deal with Amphenol TCS, offering the manufacturer’s high-speed, high-density connection systems, which are used in communications. Mouser also announced the immediate availability of ON Semiconductor’s two new LED drivers: the NCL30051 and NCL30160 to help design engineers optimize their solutions for automotive, industrial and general lighting applications.
TTI, Inc. has added new optoelectronics supplier, Kingbright Corp., to its discrete semiconductor line card.
Events
Don’t miss these upcoming industry events:
CARTS International 2012
March 26-29, 2012
Las Vegas
http://www.eciaonline.org/meetings/CARTSInternational/2012/index.htm
2012 World Capacitor/Resistor/Inductor Trade Statistics Meetings
April 10-11, 2012
Washington, D.C.
http://www.eciaonline.org/meetings/world_mtgs/apr_2012/index.html
EDS 2012
May 7-10, 2012
Las Vegas
http://www.edsconnects.com/
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