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November 28, 2007 Volume 8, Issue 19

Avnet: learning at all levels

Steve Church

As seen in Chief Learning Officer -- Most organizational leaders have come to recognize learning as “strategic” (with undoubtedly varying definitions of what exactly that means), but rare is the executive who actually counts enterprise education as a central component of overall business success. Avnet Inc., a Fortune 500 company that distributes value-added high-tech products such as computer hardware, semiconductors and microwave components, is fortunate to have a leader with such a mindset.

“Our mission is to be the premier technology distributor globally,” said Roy Vallee, chairman and CEO. “To accomplish that, Avnet’s strategy focuses on three pillars for success: profitable growth, operational excellence and the development of our people.

“These three pillars are intertwined — we don’t believe you can have one without the other. Having a great team that is motivated and engaged to serve our customers will drive profitable growth, and a focus on operational excellence helps us ensure we have the best, most efficient processes to support our customers. All three pillars work together, and they are grounded in a foundation of our core values.”

A few years ago, Vallee selected Steve Church, senior vice president and chief human resources development officer, to hold up the people-development pillar of the company’s overall strategy. The selection was an interesting one, primarily because Church’s background was in business, not learning.
Full Story>>

2007 InfoWorld 100 awards

Bob Pischke

As seen in InfoWorld --
Avnet www.avnet.com
Mobile Productivity Enablement for Field Teams
Project Lead: Bob Pischke, Vice President
Project Description: Avnet launched a mobile initiative to provide field employees with direct access to corporate data in an effort to improve customer service. Integrating data from 20 systems, including mainframe apps such as ERP and CRM, as well as the company's security architecture, Avnet created a Java-based gateway app, tapping Vignette as a portal and Windows Mobile for its mobile devices. Secure access connects field staff to business process via a J2EE mobility server, which translates Raw XML from back-end systems into HTML, XML, or JSON as necessary.
Industry: Technology
Full Story >>

Avnet appoints HP premier enterprise business partner in singapore
As seen in Heise Resale, Germany -- Avnet Technology Solutions, an operating group of global technology distributor Avnet, Inc. has signed an agreement with Hewlett Packard (HP) to sell its enterprise products in Singapore.

As part of this agreement, Avnet Partner Solutions, a division of Avnet Technology Solutions, has been appointed HP’s Premier Enterprise Business Partner (PEBP). Avnet Partner Solutions will offer independent software vendors (ISVs), system integrators (SIs), and value-added resellers (VARs) in this region an expanded product portfolio for strengthened partner engagement.

The agreement between Avnet and HP was signed in Singapore by Mr. Rick Hamada, chief operating officer (COO) of Avnet Inc., and Mr. William Chu, vice president/general manager of Avnet Technology Solutions for ASEAN, on behalf of Avnet Partner Solutions, and Ms. Serena Yong, general manager of Personal Systems Group for HP Singapore.

HP and Avnet have worked together for nearly 30 years to create channel sale opportunities across markets globally and HP hopes that through this latest alliance, it will be able to tap into Avnet’s extensive value-added distribution network in this region.

With its worldwide reach, Avnet believes the expanded alliance with HP will position it as a leader in the market for delivering solutions that accelerate growth for partners. The product lines that will form a key part of this alliance are HP’s Business Critical Servers (BCS) and storage products.
Full Story >>

Overseas odyssey takes student to summer insternship in Germany

As seen in the ASU News -- If only Janene Paxton was back in elementary or high school. Oh, the paper she could write about what she did during her summer “vacation.”

The Arizona State University School of Global Management and Leadership senior might start her essay with, “On my
summer vacation, I traveled to Germany.” Or, maybe this: “On my summer vacation I worked for one of the world’s largest industrial distributors of electronic components.” Even this would be an accurate account of her summer activities: “On my summer vacation I played a lead role in the completion of several critical projects involving internal communication, crafting and refining presentations that needed to be done quickly and meticulously.”

What Paxton actually said recently about her summer internship with Avnet EM EMEA (Electronics Marketing, Europe-Middle East-Africa) was, “I learned to apply textbook and classroom knowledge in a real-world environment with a dedicated team of professionals.”

The Phoenix student worked with Avnet’s office outside Munich, serving as a communication assistant in the marketing communication department. She wrote and edited internal and external publications, created power point presentations for upper-level management, conducted promotional photo shoots, was a contributor at company and department conferences, and generally assisted wherever and whenever she could.

In return for her best efforts, Avnet provided Paxton with some life-long, real-world experiences in the areas of learning and personal growth.

“This was a great experience for me, and I know it will benefit my future greatly,” says Paxton, who found time to visit Switzerland, Italy and Spain when not assisting Avnet. “I wanted to experience other cultures and locales outside the United States to truly broaden my perspective of the world.

“Additionally, I wanted to experience a world-class functioning marketing team prior to my graduation and my first career position. Avnet EMEA in Germany met those requirements in an amazing way.”

The internship with Avnet also provided a bonus.
Full Story >>

Distribution’s balancing act

Harley Feldberg

As seen in EDN -- Harley Feldberg, president of Avnet Electronics Marketing (Avnet EM), discusses the Avnet Inc. operating group’s recent quarterly numbers, the distribution industry’s overall competitive landscape, and the global balancing act that the company uses to gain sales and market share in a challenging business environment in this one-on-one interview with Electronic News. What follows are excerpts of that conversation.

Electronic News: How does the competitive landscape for distribution look going into calendar year 2008?
Feldberg: What [Avnet and its closest competitor Arrow] said on our calls was that Asia is performing well. We are both seeing double-digit growth in that environment. We both spoke positively about how we are seeing good progress in turning that double-digit growth into the creation of a profitable Asia distribution business, which has been one of the lingering questions for our industry for the last couple of years. Everyone understands that the distribution market is shifting and that all of us are going to be getting a larger portion of our global revenues from Asia. What hasn’t been clear was whether that would be viewed as a negative to our overall profitability, because everyone knows margins and prices are much lower there. How do we see that going into the December quarter and into 2008? We personally think that the growth will continue. Typically September is the strongest quarter for everyone in the distribution business because so much of our role is providing components that ultimately make their way into digital consumer type end products that get sold off right now. So we tend to be the leading indicator to the holiday season. Based on the September that we both had, it looks like it should be a pretty good holiday season for electronics end products manufacturers. Now the risk is that all of those gadgets will end up sitting on shelves at Best Buy and the equivalents all around the world--then you could see a disappointing December. But based on what we know, we are very please with what’s happening in our Asia business and we think that will continue into 2008.
Full Story >>

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Archived Issues

BAMM Issue 5
September 20, 2007

Issue 18
September 14, 2007

Issue 17
August 22, 2007

[MORE]

Latest News Coverage

Avnet, Inc.

November 1, 2007
Avnet gets Environmental Certification

Electronics distributor Avnet says its environmental management system has been certified to the ISO 14001:2004 standard that specifies a process for controlling and improving a company's environmental performance.

Purchasing

November 3, 2007

The Second Decade of Offshore Outsourcing: Where We’re Headed

Execs now prefer to call it 'globalization.' Whatever the name, it's gaining steam and bringing new risks and requiring new strategies.

InformationWeek

November 5, 2007

Avnet Posts Positive Start to 2008

Distribution giant Avnet is confident its recent acquisitions will prove lucrative after seeing turnover increase 12 per cent for its first quarter 2008.

CRN UK

November 16, 2007

Avnet Snags Top Honor, Recognized for 4th Time

Avnet Inc. said Friday that its field team mobility initiative was recognized with a 2007 InfoWorld 100 Award.

The Arizona Republic

Avnet Electronics Marketing

November 1, 2007

Electronics Distributors Increase Optoelectronics Offerings

Electronics buyers can expect distributors to offer more optoelectronic products over the next five years as light emitting diodes (LEDs) and liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are used in more electronics equipment.

Purchasing

November 7, 2007

Avnet Electronics Marketing Wins Cisco Special Collaboration Award

Avnet Electronics Marketing, an operating group of Avnet, accepted the Special Collaboration Award from Cisco at the company's 16th Annual Supplier Appreciation Event in Santa Clara, California.

TMCnet

November 7, 2007

Avnet Finalizes Purchase Of Betronik GmbH - Quick Facts [AVT]

Avnet Inc. (AVT) announced that it has completed its acquisition of the Berlin, Germany-based passive components distributor Betronik GmbH. Betronik and its French subsidiary DEL S.A. will be combined with the Avnet Time organization in Germany and France, respectively. The newly formed business will operate within Avnet Electronics Marketing EMEA under the Avnet Time brand.

RTT News

November 12, 2007

Avnet Adds to Power Line Card

Avnet Electronics Marketing, an operating group of Avnet Inc., and Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson, have signed a global distribution agreement under which Avnet will distribute the full line of standard and modified standard AC/DC and DC/DC power supplies produced by the embedded power division, which includes the Astec and Artesyn branded products.

EDN

November 13, 2007

Avnet Electronics Marketing Releases New Virtex-5 Development Kit

Avnet Electronics Marketing Americas, a part of Avnet, Inc. has announced the release of the Xilinx Virtex-5 LXT/SXT Development Kit – a complete development platform for designing and verifying applications based on the Xilinx Virtex-5 LXT and SXT FPGA families.

SOCcentral

November 16, 2007

Avnet, Emerson Ink Global Distribution Deal

Avnet Electronics Marketing, an operating group of Avnet, Inc., and Emerson Network Power, a business of Emerson, have signed a global distribution agreement.

Electronics Supply & Manufacturing

October 23, 2007

Guten tag: Global Management student applies classroom lessons to internship in Deutschland

Avnet’s ‘world-class marketing team’ provides real-world experience

ASU

Avnet Technology Solutions

October 30, 2007

Secure Computing Cuts Distributors in Overhaul

Security vendor brings on Avnet and parts company with WhiteGold, Coretech and ServerBits

ARNnet, Australia

October 31, 2007

IBM Enlists VARs To Help Smaller Businesses Virtualize

IBM thinks more small businesses should consider server virtualization, and is making it easier for their solution providers to help them consider the options.

CRN

November 1, 2007

IBM Launches Server Consolidation Tool

IBM has just launched an analysis tool that it reckoned would help businesses find under-utilised x86 servers that could profitably be consolidated.

Techworld

November 2, 2007

Avnet Buys ChannelWorx

Acquisition will give Avnet a better Melbourne presence as well as grow its networking vendor base

ARNnet, Australia

November 2, 2007

Avnet Acquires Melbourne-Based ChannelWorx

Distributor bolsters its networking and security capabilities by acquiring 30-strong ChannelWorx.

CRN Australia

November 2, 2007

Avnet Acquires Australia-Based Networking and Security Distributor

Fitting in with the company’s growth plans through further merger and acquisition, Avnet Inc. has acquired ChannelWorx Pty Ltd, a Melbourne, Australia-based networking and security value-added distributor established in 1989.

EDN

November 5, 2007

IBM Simplifies Virtualization Adoption

Today, IBM announced the availability of a new analysis toolset to help IBM and its business partners identify opportunities for small businesses to consolidate and virtualize infrastructure resources to improve IT economics.

GRID Today

November 5, 2007

Avnet Mit Rekordumsatz

Der Distributor Avnet ist gut ins neue Fiskaljahr gestartet. Der Umsatz konnte im ersten Quartal im Vorjahresvergleich um 12,3 Prozent auf 4,1 Mrd. Dollar gesteigert werden. Der Nettogewinn lag bei 105,5 Mio. Dollar, gegenüber 64,1 Mio. im Jahr 2007.

IT Reseller Online, Switzerland

November 6, 2007

UPDATED: CRN Raises $70,000 for Cancer Council at Inaugural Channel Champion Awards
The first ever CRN Channel Champion awards went to Wayne Small at reseller Correct Solutions and Michael Costigan at distributor Avnet.

CRN

November 7, 2007

Avnet To Offer Oracle, Sun Bundles

Avnet announced on Wednesday that it has bundled solutions combining Sun Microsystems hardware and Oracle software for its solution provider customers looking to bring high-end technologies to midmarket and enterprise customers.

CRN

November 7, 2007

Avnet Expands Relationship with Sun

Avnet Inc. has deepened its relationship with Sun Microsystems and the value-added reseller (VAR) community, today announcing that its enterprise computing products distribution operating group Avnet Technology Solutions is expanding its work with Sun in North America.

EDN

November 8, 2007

Avnet Offering Sun/Oracle Technology Bundles

An expanded relationship between Avnet Technology Solutions and Sun Microsystems is bringing bundled solutions of Sun and Oracle technology to Avnet's reseller customers.

eChannelLine

November 8, 2007

Avnet Wächst Stark Dank Akquisitionen

Der US-amerikanische Distributionskonzern Avnet kann für das erste Quartal seines Geschäftsjahres 2008 Rekorderlöse melden. Besonders stark entwickelt sich das Geschäft in der EMEA-Region, wo sich das Unternehmen nach Übernahmen als führender paneuropäischer VAD positioniert sieht.

CRN Germany

November 11, 2007

Channel Champions 2008: Die Besten Distributoren Und Die Erfolgreichsten Reseller

Die Ende der vergangenen Woche gekürten Channel Champions im Bereich Hersteller haben wir Ihnen bereits genannt. Nun folgen die besten Distributoren und die erfolgreichsten Reseller.

ChannelPartner, Germany

November 11, 2007

Avnet Technology Solutions Bolsters Ties with Sun to Grow the Sun and Oracle Partner Community

Avnet Technology Solutions, a value-added distributor of enterprise computing products, embedded subsystems, software and services, and an operating group of Avnet, announced an expanded relationship with Sun Microsystems, Inc. in North America.

TMCnet

November 16, 2007

Celebrating CRN’s Night of Nights

The Channel Champion Awards was an evening to be remembered, with more than 350 people in attendance for the big night.

CRN Australia

November 16, 2007

Colubris Networks Expands Market Reach via Avnet Technology Solutions

Colubris Networks, a global provider of intelligent wireless LANs (WLANs) for enterprises and service providers, and Avnet Technology Solutions, a value-added distributor of enterprise computing products, embedded subsystems, software and services, announced a global distribution agreement for Avnet to offer Colubris' complete portfolio of enterprise-class wireless LAN (WLAN) solutions.

eChannelLine

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