This is the result of the company’s continued investments in expanding the scope of its global inventory portfolio, and further developments of its e-commerce capabilities. The business planned to add 250,000 new SKUs through FY22 and has so far delivered 63% of that total, with the existing global portfolio now approaching one million products. Additional investments in e-Commerce capabilities, new product introductions and continued support for the online engineering community were also key drivers of growth.

In e-Commerce, Farnell continues to strengthen its offering, with more than 72% of transactional orders placed online through the quarter, which represents Farnell’s historically best quarter with 56% of Farnell sales taking place online. This marks the company’s sixth consecutive quarter of online sales growth.

Rob Rospedzihowski, President Sales, EMEA, said: “We are pleased with these latest results which, following equally impressive results in Q2, is especially encouraging as we continue to demonstrate strong performance in FY22 to date.

“Online continues to be a major focus area for our business and play a key role in both our growth and improved customer offering, as we commit to delivering a vastly enhanced web experience. The result of this is that we now see over 70% of our sales and orders being placed through e-Commerce avenues, while we continue to differentiate our product offering through launching new supplier lines and expanding in core and new segments.”

Farnell’s expansive inventory remains a key priority for the Avnet group and was a critical driver of Avnet’s adjusted operating margin reaching 4.7% in the quarter, as well as Avnet’s gross margin rising from 12.2% to 12.5%.

The EMEA region achieved record quarterly results despite Farnell ending all business interests in Russia alongside the ongoing challenges relating to market uncertainty and increased lead times associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. This success was particularly driven by an increase in demand from the industrial, security and transportation industries

Rospedzihowski, commented: “Our global demand indicators remain strong. And while challenges remain in terms of backorder fulfilment, our ongoing success is a direct result of the resilience and commitment our employees have demonstrated; our customers who remain a delight to service; and our suppliers who have remained steadfast and responsive as we collectively look to deliver further successful operating results throughout the calendar year ahead and beyond.”

Read Avnet’s Third Quarter Fiscal 2023 Financial Results in full, and find out how Farnell is supporting customer journeys here.

Avnet, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVT) announced results for its second quarter ending 1 January, 2022 with record revenues. These results were driven by strong performance from the Farnell business with sales increasing 35.3% YoY to $441 million. Farnell’s operating margin grew to 13.7% in Q2, reflecting the strength of performance globally, up from 10.9% in Q1 and 8.3% in the final quarter of FY21.

Farnell’s growth has been driven in large part by continued investments in expanding the global product portfolio. The business planned to add 250,000 new SKUs through FY22 and has so far delivered 55% of that total, with the existing global portfolio now approaching one million products. Additional investments in e-Commerce capabilities, new product introductions and continued support for the online engineering community were also key drivers of growth.

In e-Commerce, Farnell continues to strengthen its offering, with over 71% of transactional orders placed online through the quarter, rising above 85% in some European countries. Having already seen a 15% uplift in orders and a 30% increase in traffic, additional investments in the digital offering over the coming quarters will continue to drive increased traffic and customer acquisitions.

Rob Rospedzihowski, President Sales, EMEA, said: “We are really pleased with performance in FY22 to date and Q2 results were especially strong. The business is well positioned to weather macro-challenges and continue delivering the very best in High Service Distribution through the new calendar year.

“We have significantly invested in e-Commerce projects currently underway including the brand-new content management system and the investment in major headless commerce developments. These, in turn, will create a world-class experience for users, personalising and curating both content and product based upon the user’s own unique experience of the Farnell sites. The global digital platforms will become more flexible and efficient with better integration, all of which is being designed with customers in mind.”

Farnell’s breadth of inventory remains a key priority for the Avnet group and was a critical driver of Avnet adjusted operating margin hitting 3.7% in the quarter, as well as Avnet’s gross margin rising from 11.8% to 12.2%.

New additions to Farnell’s linecard include Omega, Torex Semiconductor, Excelsys, Delta Electronics and CTS Corporation, as well as expansions to existing lines from Omron, Amphenol, TE Connectivity and CUI Inc. Brand new products from leading brands such as Raspberry Pi, Broadcom, Nexperia and others have also been introduced.

In EMEA, sales performance was driven across all key market segments with the strongest performance in the DACH region. Vertical markets such as Electrical, Connectivity, and the Contract Manufacturing sector showed the greatest growth and this is expected to continue in the coming quarters.

In North America, overall Q2 Sales grew strongly with particularly good performance in IP&E and Semiconductor categories. Newark e-Commerce sales also crossed the $1 million per day mark in January and this is expected to continue in the coming quarters.

In APAC, strong sales performance was driven predominantly by market segments such as Industrial Automation, Medical and EMS. There are excellent growth opportunities in electric vehicles, renewables and automobile markets in coming quarters.

Rob Rospedzihowski, President Sales, EMEA, said: “Our performance is a testament to our incredible employees across the globe. They have shown great resilience and commitment to the business, to our customers and to our suppliers over the last year and we are focused on delivering further successful operating results for our customers in the quarters to come.”

“We’re also looking ahead with great excitement as we recruit a VP of Customer Relations, take our new state-of-the-art UK distribution centre into full operation and roll-out agile working practices across the global business to ensure adaptability for any challenges to come.”

Read Avnet’s Second Quarter Fiscal 2022 Financial Results in full, and find out how Farnell is supporting customer journeys here.

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, invites customers and supplier partners to the Big Winter Event celebration taking place on Thursday, 16 December at 12pm GMT. Registration for the virtual event is free and Farnell will be making a £5 donation to the Hearty Foundation for every attendee in honour of the holiday season.

The event will begin with a short business update from Rob Rospedzihowski, Sales President EMEA at Farnell. Event host and stand-up comedian Jim Williams will provide entertainment and introduce other guest speakers including Farnell customer and professional solo sailor Alberto Riva, who recently secured a podium place in the 2021 Mini-Transat regatta.

As part of the celebration event, all participants are invited to take part in a Christmas quiz with the chance to win great prizes including an Apple Watch 7, Apple iPad Mini, Moleskine Writing Set, portable projectors and more.

Rob Rospedzihowski, Sales President EMEA at Farnell, says: “We have all experienced a challenging 18 or so months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with some further challenges still ahead of us. We are excited to host this event for our customers and supplier community to get together and share some festive goodwill. We welcome all who would like to join us, and in doing so, help raise money for a long-term charity partner of ours, the Hearty Foundation.”

The Big Winter Event 2021 will be broadcast live, participants can register their attendance online at https://uk.farnell.com/big-winter-event

About Hearty Foundation

The Hearty Foundation is a charitable organisation with the aim of reducing social inequalities by educating the future. The charity engages entrepreneurs and specialists across a variety of fields to help support young people in need, such as children from orphanages, children with disabilities and students from smaller towns. The Foundation provides training and equipment to enable young people to learn or work.

About Jim Williams

Jim Williams has developed a unique brand of comedy over 20 years of entertaining people all over the world. He has toured the United States and Europe as a mime, actor, clown and stand-up comedian. His physical comedy act Liquidmime has won top awards at comedy festivals and made several television appearances. Jim is also a professional medical clown, working for Czerwone Noski and its umbrella organisation Red Noses International. He makes regular visits to hospitals to bring joy to patients and health care staff. Born in the United States, Jim has now lived in Poland for nine years and performs in both Polish and English.

About Alberto Riva

Alberto Riva is a highly skilled professional sailor currently ranking second in the Mini 6,50 class International Ranking. Alberto is also a qualified and enthusiastic engineer. His expertise includes on-board electronics and the research and development of marine electronics devices. Alberto was the on-board engineer for the Maserati Cat70 and Data Analyst of Azzurra TP 52. As a guest speaker at the Big Winter Event, Alberto will talk about his career and how he implements electronics designs into his sailing endeavors.

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has today announced the results of its Women in Engineering 2021 survey. Results showed positive support for women in engineering from all genders and a great similarity between the opinions of men and women about the need to address gender equality. While women remain underrepresented in the engineering/electronics industry, the latest research from Farnell highlighted that people believe the most important thing to achieve is the equal treatment of all genders.

This year’s survey of more than 370 people globally showed that all genders have similar views about the benefits women bring to the engineering industry and believe that inequality needs to be addressed. A key step to addressing inequality is introduce more women into leadership positions where they can act as role models and mentors to other women in the industry. While women clearly experience sexism in engineering, and all genders were united in their belief that this should not happen, respondents of other genders were more in favour of implementing stronger and more strictly enforced equality policies to prevent sexism in the workplace.

Although research showed strong agreement on many issues, there were some key differences uncovered. Research revealed that women were more likely to cite good pay as a benefit of working in engineering, however, they believe that the gender pay gap is still an issue. Women were also less worried about the need to travel for work than other genders think. Only 15% of women surveyed suggested reduced travel would be helpful, in comparison to 25% of all other respondents believing this to be important for women.

Farnell, in partnership with element14.com, an Avnet community, released the results from the Women in Engineering 2021 survey to coincide with International Women in Engineering Day and help shed light on women’s experiences and career paths as well as the wider challenges and opportunities in the engineering/electronics industry. The survey was open to all genders and ran for three months between March and May 2021. Most respondents were aged between 25 to 54 and just over half cited they had more than 10 years’ experience in the industry.

Rob Rospedzihowski, President Sales for Farnell EMEA said, “The industry has come a long way but we can always do a better job, and the job is never finished. This centres on equality and fairness for all. Women have told us that they don’t want to be part of a quota – they want to be recognised for what they do and given the opportunity to show what they can do. This is a hugely important message to get out. It’s about recognising each person in your team and your business as an individual. On Women in Engineering day I encourage this conversation. Ask yourselves, your colleagues and your teams ‘’What can we do better?’ because it’s through these conversations that we can make change happen.”

Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community and Social Media for element14 says: “This important research has enabled us to  gain valuable insights directly from members of our industry, allowing us to better understand what is working well for women in the workplace and what could be improved. The survey identified some clear challenges for our industry, however, the results also offered a positive outlook for the future with both sexes presenting united views on topical issues such as the need to enforce stronger equality policies. We look forward to sharing some of the amazing success stories from women who are already achieving great things in our industry. Women should have confidence in themselves and their abilities to continue inspiring others and to drive positive change in engineering.”

The survey unearthed many anecdotal success stories showcasing how women are contributing to the electronics industry, including:

• “During my time as an intern…I have worked on/taken charge of projects for some bigger companies. Some of those projects were worth more than $1 million. This was all done while attending school full time and working full-time.”
• “My proudest achievement is taking a failing electronics manufacturing business unit and completely turning it around. My second would be stepping into a leadership role and setting a record for highest employee engagement and satisfaction in the manufacturing organisation.”
• “Taking over a project that was failing which included the creation of a new API with a third party and turning it around to the point where the company I was working for in the past won an award for its successful delivery.”
• “Writing an oscilloscope display program to display the results of data gathered from tests on a monitor back when oscilloscopes were only analogue and did not have any way to accept any sort of external data source.”

There was an overwhelming response from all genders encouraging women to be more confident, trust in their abilities and take on the challenge of working in engineering. Some of the top drivers leading women to enjoy a career in engineering included the opportunity to work on diverse projects (23%), getting a preview of what’s coming next in technology and seeing that come to life (15%), flexibility and work/life balance (12%).

Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has enhanced its service to customers in South Africa through a new partnership with sister company EBV Elektronik, an Avnet Company. Embedded system designers and engineers in South Africa can now access Farnell’s global online catalogue of more than 950,000 products direct from their local EBV sales contact. Local sales and technical support is offered by a team of representatives from both companies to simplify product selection and ordering processes.

Farnell’s product offering spans more than 2,000 leading suppliers and manufacturers including Micron, Panasonic, Raspberry Pi, TE Connectivity, Schneider Electric and Tektronix, with over 900 new products brought to market each week. Since July 2019, Farnell has added over 30 new suppliers, increased inventory by 25 per cent and added $150 million worth of stock. Global logistics operations have also been enhanced with investment in a new distribution centre in the United Kingdom which enables shipping to South Africa in three days.

Rob Rospedzihowski, President Sales EMEA, Farnell says: “This new partnership with EBV enables more customers than ever to access our market leading product offering, from semiconductors to single board computing, and test and measurement. We are already receiving very positive feedback from customers in South Africa on how the greatly increased product range available to them is better supporting their business needs.”

Farnell has also enhanced its website to offer customers multicurrency options. Customers can access Farnell’s entire global range online, including:

• A market-leading portfolio of over 120,000 semiconductor lines from top suppliers such as Xilinx, Micron, STMicroelectronics and Microchip.
• Significantly enhanced range of Interconnect, Passives and Electro-mechanical products to support industrial automation and Industrial IoT projects alongside addition of new suppliers such as Yageo and KOA.
• SBC for industrial, hobbyist and educational use from over 100 brands including Raspberry Pi, Arduino, Beagleboard and BBC micro:bit.
• Farnell has also invested $4 million in test and measurement with more than 4,000 products added.

Fast quotes for customised or not-in-stock products are now also available for South African customers. The content-rich website features a suite of industry-first online tools including Connector e-Guide and Soldering Tip Selector to help design engineers identify critical components much faster. Farnell’s IoT Hub and Embedded Hub also host an extensive range of free online resources, data sheets, application notes, videos, webinars and technical articles on Artificial Intelligence and the Internet of Things.

Farnell’s full global online catalogue is available from export.farnell.com. Customers can also contact their local Farnell or EBV representative for support.

Farnell, the Development Distributor, today announced the promotion of Susanne Ertl to Director of Sales and Commercial Centre, DACH. Ms. Ertl will be reporting to Rob Rospedzihowski, President of Sales EMEA at Farnell.

In her new role, Ms. Ertl will lead the Farnell DACH region (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and is responsible for improving Farnell's multi-channel service and distribution offering.

“I have held many different positions at Farnell, know the business and have always worked closely with our customers and suppliers. Together with a successful and motivated team, I would now like to use my new position to support our business partners in every stage and every situation in the best possible way”, said Ms. Ertl.

“We have a very dedicated team of regional salespeople available 24/5 who provide technical support and advice to our customers across all channels. This is enhanced by broad range of services that can help customers save time and money by speeding up their design to production journey.”

Ms Ertl, who completed her training at Farnell and then moved to Future Electronic to gain further experience in the industry, returned to Farnell in 2010. Since then, she has held a variety of positions and contributed to the growth of the regional customer base and the success of the company.

Rob Rospedzihowski, President of Sales EMEA at Farnell said. “Susanne was selected for this role because she has a unique skillset which includes front-line sales, extensive experience collaborating with other departments and an in-depth knowledge of Farnell’s processes and systems. Susanne has strong business acumen, deep knowledge of the electronic distribution industry and sales expertise. In this role, Susanne will focus on enhancing customer relationships through continued staff training to provide the highest level of commercial and technical support to our customers.”

Ms. Ertl is also very passionate about the environment and a strong supporter of Farnell’s recycling scheme which is unique to the electronic component industry and a key component of Farnell’s commitment to improving sustainability globally. The recycling scheme is free for Farnell customers and has enabled more than 100 tonnes of trays and reels to be processed and re-used in an environmentally friendly way. Hundreds of customers in the DACH region are already taking advantage of this scheme and helping to reduce their impact on the environment.

Ms. Ertl will be based in Farnell’s head office in Munich, Germany.

Avnet, which includes Farnell, has made the difficult decision to withdraw from Embedded World 2020 in Nuremberg, Germany. We are disappointed to miss the opportunity to connect with our partners, customers and the media at such an important event in the electronics industry, but believe this to be the right decision at this time.

As a global company, we have been carefully monitoring the outbreak of the coronavirus. This decision is in line with other actions we have taken to protect the health and safety of our employees worldwide. We look forward to returning to Embedded World in 2021.

Farnell, the Development Distributor, will be presenting its wide range of solutions for intelligent Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) devices and systems at Embedded World 2020. Taking centre stage at the exhibition will be Farnell’s investment in next-generation technologies for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning, connectivity, sensing and power management.

Farnell is exhibiting in Hall 3A-221 as part of Avnet City alongside Avnet Abacus, Avnet Silica and EBV Elektronik. The 689m² Avnet stand integrates and builds on the expertise of the individual business units and provides a comprehensive product lifecycle ecosystem that can help embedded customers wherever they are in their product lifecycle – from concept and design, to prototyping and mass production, right through to end-of-life management.

Visitors to the stand will be able to explore first-hand how Farnell can help design engineers develop products and fast-track solutions that are ready for tomorrow, and future proofed for the years beyond. The Farnell “Development Kit Vending Machine” is back by popular demand, providing visitors with the chance to win one of 1,000 development kits and SBCs from leading suppliers including Nordic Semiconductor, NXP, Cypress, Microchip, Infineon, Raspberry Pi, Particle and Maxim. For a chance to win, visitors must pre-register for Embedded World with Farnell at embedded.farnell.com and bring their unique code to collect their prize at the Farnell stand. Farnell also offers free tickets for customers attending Embedded World, which can also be ordered at embedded.farnell.com.

Farnell will host a broad range of innovative demonstrations for intelligent IoT and IIoT devices and systems, featuring new and exclusive-to-Farnell products, including:

IoT and IIoT: Connectivity, Sensing and Power Management

• The Avnet Azure Sphere Starter Kit with Microsoft Azure hardware security and cloud solution for IoT applications.
• STMicroelectronics’ new multi-sensor predictive maintenance solution with IO-Link for Industrial IoT.
• Nordic Semiconductor’s low power BLE 5.0 to long-range LTE connectivity bridge solution for a wide range of IoT applications.

AI and Machine Learning

• New Arduino Portenta H7: powerful enough to run AI state machines and ready for industrial applications.
• Raspberry Pi 4: enabling AI in design applications from facial recognition to ‘virtual assistant’.
• BeagleBone AI: for machine vision applications such as quality management or security solutions.
• Avnet SmartEdge Industrial IoT Gateway: a complete smart fleet management system with IoTConnect cloud platform.

Rob Rospedzihowski, President, Sales, EMEA, Farnell says: “Embedded World is a key event in the global electronics calendar and we are looking forward to meeting with customers to discuss how working with Farnell can ensure their new products utilise the most advanced technologies to be ready for tomorrow. We have made significant investments in our inventory to give customers unrestricted access to our largest range of components and solutions for IoT. All products are available to ship the same day from our warehouses in the United Kingdom and mainland Europe.”

For visitors requiring specific advice, a team of professional Farnell technicians will be on hand to answer questions, advise on product solutions and explain why working with Farnell, as part of the Avnet ecosystem, can enhance the new product development process through the combination of technical support and fast delivery, significantly increasing speed to market in a highly competitive and rapidly evolving space.

To find out more about Farnell at Embedded World, schedule a meeting with a Farnell representative, or register for a free exhibition pass and prize code for the Farnell “Development Kit Vending Machine”, visit embedded.farnell.com.

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, has begun to ship 65,000 micro:bit to schools in Denmark as part of an order from Boarding on behalf of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation. The three-year ‘ultra:bit’ programme, will use the micro:bit in the classroom to help transform Danish Year 4 students from passive technology consumers to digital pioneers.

Jonathan Smith, Head of Education at Premier Farnell and Farnell element14 said: “Programmes like this are essential if we are to break the cycle of ‘ready-made’ technology and prepare a generation of students for a working economy that will value skills such as computational thinking, problem solving and creativity more than ever before. Working with devices such as the micro:bit, an activity we describe as physical computing allows students to venture into the real world with complex problem solving based around technology, and takes them from being mere consumers of technology to become creative thinkers capable of developing brand new dynamic solutions.”

Supplied with support from the Danish Industry Foundation, Industriens Fond, in collaboration with the country’s Centre for Learning Materials, CFU Denmark, the micro:bits will be used to develop the students’ understanding of technology and stimulate their digital creativity. With an overarching theme of ‘Children, Creativity and Technology’, the programme includes a broad variety of TV productions targeting children, as well as teacher training, classroom resources, a series of roadshows and even a children’s drama based around the micro:bit.

Rob Rospedzihowski, Vice President of Sales at Farnell element14, EMEA, said:” As the Development Distributor, Farnell element14 is committed to helping develop the next generation of engineers and devices such as the micro:bit enable us to do this right from the start. We are working with the Micro:bit Educational Foundation and organisations globally to get micro:bit into the hands of more and more students. To date we have helped deploy around 2 million devices in education, in over 55 countries worldwide including larger programmes in the United Kingdom, Iceland, Croatia, Canada and Singapore. We believe equipping students and teachers with the right tools will create new opportunities for a whole generation as they enter the workforce and programmes such as Ultra-bit in Denmark are leading the world in preparing students as the digital economy gather pace.”

The project is also supported by other organisations, including the British Broadcasting Corporation, the Micro:bit Foundation, IT and Learning Board, Engineer the Future, Coding Pirates, DigiPippi, BUPL and Danish School Students.

Find out more about the micro:bit on the element14 community: https://www.element14.com/community/community/stem-academy/microbit

Premier Farnell, the Development Distributor, has appointed Rob Rospedzihowski (pictured right) as Vice President for Sales, EMEA, reporting to Chris Breslin, President, Premier Farnell. Rospedzihowski is responsible for Farnell element14’s sales across EMEA and takes on the role with immediate effect.

Rospedzihowski has held the position of Regional Sales Director since 2015 to where he has led the company’s sales, marketing and ecommerce operations in Eastern Europe, Nordics and key International Market territories in Russia, Turkey and Israel.

Rospedzihowski has more than 30 years’ experience in sales and distribution and an impressive track record in leading sales strategies in the Americas, China and Europe. He re-joined Premier Farnell in 2015 from Thomas Cook where he was head of Merchandising, and previously held numerous senior management and leadership roles in the electronics industry with organisations including Premier Farnell, Arrow electronics, Future electronics and originally ITT/STC Electronic Services.

Chris Breslin, President, Premier Farnell said: “The strength of our senior team in Europe is evidenced by the performance that the business has delivered during the last 12 months. Rob has been instrumental in delivering that growth, delivering strong double-digit sales growth in Eastern Europe in the last year. He brings experience and a strong knowledge of the business to this new role, which I am confident will help Farnell element14 grow further in the year ahead. I am delighted to be able to promote Rob to this new role and welcome him to our Senior Leadership Team.”

Rospedzihowski is also Chairman of the Polish Worldwide Scouting Organisation with over 8,000 members in countries including Australia, Argentina, USA, Canada, UK, Ireland, France, Belgium and Nordics. His is married with four children.

Premier Farnell operates as Farnell element14 in EMEA, Newark element14 in North America and element14 in Asia Pacific.

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, is redirecting over 10 tonnes of waste from landfill each year through its recycling scheme. The scheme has recycled almost two million reels and over 200,000 waffle trays, amounting to 83 tonnes of avoided waste since launch in 2011.

Over 250 customers use Farnell element14’s recycling programme which allows them to send back empty reels and JEDEC waffle trays, free of charge, from anywhere in Europe. The recycling scheme is unique in the electronic component industry, saving customers money as well as reducing the amount of waste going into landfill and reducing their carbon footprint.

Once reels and waffle trays are collected, Farnell element14 works with UK-based not for profit Social Enterprise Co-operative, Enabled Works and Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) Humber to remove labels and prepare them for reuse, providing job opportunities for the disabled and prisoners.

The current business premises in Morley Leeds comprises of a suite of offices above a 12,600 square foot factory workspace area which ideally lends itself to three very different income streams.

Mathew Thorpe, Regional Sales Director – UK and Ireland, Farnell element14, says: “As a leading distributor in the electronics industry, Farnell element14 is committed to reducing the amount of waste that goes to landfill from its operations. Our free-of-charge recycling scheme, available to customers across Europe, is part of delivering against this commitment, saving money for customers and helping them achieve their own targets for reduced waste.”

Farnell element14’s recycling scheme won a Green Apple Award in 2013.

To find out more about the scheme and register please visit: http://uk.farnell.com/free-recycling-service

In addition to the extensive offering for automation, visitors to the Automaticon exhibition in Warsaw will have an opportunity to visit an additional stand from Farnell element14 featuring dedicated services for start-ups. New businesses will be able to see how Farnell element14 can support them all the way from Maker to Market, with relevant resources, services, products and trading terms. Visitors will also be able to win latest Development Kits and an all-inclusive trip to the Raspberry Pi Foundation in UK. On the stand, customers will be able to see the latest development kits and products from Arduino, BeagelBone, Microchip, Grid-Eye, CodeBug, Cypress, TI, Samsung, Infineon, and many more; as well as the latest release from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, the new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+.

This new Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+, addresses the needs of the growing professional design market using the board as an embedded device. New functionality, including dual band wireless with modular compliance, and Power over Ethernet (via a new PoE HAT) makes this a ideal board to build IoT applications; enabling customers to bring their products to market faster, and with fewer resources, than ever before.

Rob Rospedzihowski, Regional Sales Director Eastern Europe, Farnell element14, said:  “Eastern Europe is a key market for Farnell element14 and we are delighted to once again be exhibiting at these two prestigious events. We have experience working with customers throughout the product development process, supporting their NPI build needs and helping to fulfill the availability and quality of their product needs. As the Development Distributor, we also work with customers across Eastern Europe to help them bring their products to market. These exhibitions provide an opportunity for customers based in Czech and Poland to see the latest products from key suppliers, network with industry colleagues and find out more about the support that Farnell element14 can give as they design, prototype and manufacture their products.”

Visitors will find Farnell element14 at the following stands:

• Amper 2018: Hall F, Stand 2.02
• Automaticon 2018: Hall 3, Stand G12 and Hall 3, Stand K12

Find out more about Farnell element14 at Amper and Automaticon at http://amper-farnell.cz/ and pl.farnell.com/Automaticon18

Farnell element14, the Development Distributor, is celebrating 10 years of trading in Poland this month. Since launching a web presence in Poland in 2007, Farnell element14 has invested in the region, becoming known for its dedicated local language support and local presence combined with trust and honesty. Farnell element14 offers UPS supported 24-48 hour delivery, high quality products, educations support for the Raspberry Pi and access to global expertise in product design , prototyping and development, helping customers get their products to market.

In 2012, Farnell element14 opened an office in Krakow and now employs 57 people in the city, supporting customers across Eastern Europe. The initial Poland team of 10 in 2012 has grown to 30 today.

Poland was an obvious location from which Farnell element14 should enter the Eastern European market. Alongside opportunities presented by the size of the population and large levels of investment from multinational companies, Farnell element14’s launch team had experience of the market following periods at electronics businesses in the country and were keen build a high-service distribution business in the region that truly met the needs for our customers, learning from experience in other businesses.

Rob Rospedzihowski, Regional Sales Director – Eastern Europe, Nordics and International Markets at Farnell element14 says: “This has been an incredible first 10 years. In 2007, we launched a Polish website that received 30,000 visits in its first year and we have not stopped there. After further developing our online proposition including adding web functionalities such as e-quotes , an online catalogue and the introduction of transactions in Polish Zloty in 2010 our website now receives over 1 million customer visits a year. The business has gone from strength to strength, but it’s not only online. In 2008 we started working locally with leading suppliers and now regularly exhibit at key industry events in Poland, all supported from our customer Centre of Excellence in Krakow.”

Farnell continues to support customers in Poland by constantly investing in new product introductions and growing stock. Most recently Farnell element14 has introduced free delivery above 199pln and improved the online experience of the polish website pl.farnell.com

Rob adds: “When we launched the business in 2007, our aim was to become largest global high-service distributor in the region. Local knowledge and on the ground customer support, coupled with access to a global network has helped us to deliver against this goal and the business has grown eightfold over the 10 years. Now we are part of Avnet, we see even more opportunities for our customers and are working hard to deliver this.”

“I want us to be the largest distribution company in Poland. Having been born in England of Polish parents, I have a strong affinity to the country and confidence in the future. Our Polish base in Krakow has served us very well and we have developed a strong and experienced team. I am delighted the first employee hired back in 2007 is still with us now, helping us to deliver excellent customer service and provide young Polish people with great employment opportunities.”

To celebrate its 10 years in Poland, Farnell element14 are launching an online birthday campaign. Customers can visit pl.farnell.com to receive discount codes, and each day there will be a prize to win.

The stand will showcase Farnell element14’s industry-leading range of test and measurement products to support designers from bench to board. It will also be celebrating the 10 year anniversary of the Farnell element14 website in Poland and visitors will be able join in the celebrations with a piece of birthday cake.

Visitors to the stand G12 in Hall 3 will be able to see the latest products from TE Connectivity, Tektronix, CamdenBoss, Keysight, Walsin, Fluke and ADI including the recently launched Keysight InfiniiVision 1000 X oscilloscope range and the Tektronix TBS2000 oscilloscope.

Following the acquisition of Premier Farnell by Avnet in 2016, visitors will be able to hear more about how the combined organization is delivering an end-to-end solution for engineers, from early design requirements right through to high-volume production. Visitors will also be able to learn how Farnell element14 is enhancing its customer service proposition online and linked to schedule sharing and MRP management

Rob Rospedzihowski, Regional Sales Director Eastern Europe, Farnell element14, said:

“Eastern Europe is the third largest market for Farnell element14 and Poland is key to our success in Europe. As the Development Distributor, we have experience working with customers throughout the product development process, supporting their NPI build needs and helping to fulfill the availability and quality of their product needs. We work with customers from their earliest ideas all the way to production, supported by over 200 in-house design engineers, deep manufacturing experience, and a world class line card of test and maintenance products through our bench to board offering.”

Farnell element14 holds the industry’s broadest range of components, connectors, semi-conductors, passives, cable and wire, power, test and measurement equipment, tools and electromechanical products on the market, from more than 440 maintenance, repair and operations brands, with the majority available for same day despatch.

Find out more about Farnell element14 at Automaticon at http://www.automaticon-farnell.pl/