Avnet Electronics Marketing Asia Takes Most Preferred International Distributor Title in China

Avnet Electronics Marketing Asia Takes Most Preferred International Distributor Title in China

July 20, 2006

    SINGAPORE, July 20 /Xinhua-PRNewswire/ -- Avnet
Electronics Marketing Asia, an operating group of Avnet,
Inc. (NYSE: AVT), has been ranked as one of the top five
Most Preferred International Distributors in China in a
nation-wide survey conducted annually by Electronics Supply
& Manufacturing China Magazine.  Avnet has been selected
as most preferred distributor for every survey since 2002.
    
    The survey analysed the preferences and selection
processes of electronic product manufacturers, interviewing
a total of 810 purchasing executives throughout the country
who were jointly responsible for buying US$30.4 billion
worth of electronic components last year, 59 per cent of
which were purchased through distributors.

    "Avnet Electronic Marketing is grateful to receive
this prestigious recognition which echoes our commitment to
the China market and our focus on delivering 'support
across the board'.  This endorsement from survey
participants is solid proof that our focus on customer
service is correct," said Stephen Wong, president of
Avnet Electronics Marketing Asia.

    "We have served the China market for more than ten
years, our experienced local team has been focusing on
demand creation by exploring enormous opportunities
especially for new product lines in this emerging market. 
We are also driving for innovation in supply chain and
design chain to help our customers stay ahead of the
competition," he said.

    The survey revealed that when selecting franchised
distributors, manufacturers placed emphasis on pricing,
supply capacity, technical support, logistics services,
payment flexibility, product quality, company reputation
and their online trading capability. 

    Avnet Electronics Marketing was selected among 'The
Most Preferred International Distributors' on the basis of
its broad product line, strong global network and
value-added services to customers.  The organisation
received high marks for product quality reputation and
supply availability, while its technical support and
logistics services also scored above the industry standard.


    "Competitive pressures in China are continuing to
intensify and manufacturers are now demanding more support
from distributors to deal with shrinking product life
cycles.  Avnet has responded to these changing market
requirements by driving innovation in terms of the depth
and variety of our product offering.  We strive to build
operational efficiencies into customers' product
development and manufacturing process, with our end-to-end
supply chain services such as forecast pipelining and
Vendor-Managed Inventory (VMI) solution," said Raymond
Leung, regional president of Avnet China.

    Other advantages of Avnet Electronics Marketing
mentioned in the survey included:

     -- Strategic emphasis on inventory management and
forecast pipelining. 
        Avnet aggregates forecasts from OEMs (original
equipment 
        manufacturers) and their EMSI (electronic
manufacturing services 
        industry) partners, and filter them to pipeline
materials to the 
        right place at the right time
     -- VMI services based on powerful IT systems. Avnet
analyses customers' 
        inventory on a regular basis to assure availability
and automatic 
        replenishment of inventory
     -- Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS)
compliant solutions
     -- Rapid delivery of innovative applications to serve
lower 
        volume-level customers

    "One of the keys to success in China is gaining
competitive edge, we do that by driving innovation in
design chain.  It involves design support throughout the
life cycle, from part selection, design tradeoff/
feasibility analysis, bill-of-material (BOM) optimization
to total solution," said Victor Koh, regional
president of Avnet Memec China.

    About Avnet Electronics Marketing
    Avnet Electronics Marketing Asia is part of the largest
operating group of Phoenix-based Avnet, Inc. (NSYE: AVT), a
Fortune 500 company with fiscal 2005 sales exceeding USD13
billion.  Operating in approximately 70 countries, Avnet is
one of the world's largest technology marketing,
distribution and services companies.

    Avnet Electronics Marketing has a significant presence
in Asia-Pacific -- the fastest growing electronics market
in the world. Headquartered in Singapore, the company has
over 40 sales offices in 10 countries in Asia.  It
distributes semiconductors, interconnect, passive and
electromechanical components to serve a wide range of
customers including original equipment manufacturers
(OEMs), electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers,
and small-to-medium customers, providing support of
associated design-chain and supply-chain services. 

    With 20 branch offices in all major locations including
3 design centers (Hong Kong, Shanghai and Shengzhen) and 4
distribution centers (Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Shanghai and
Tianjin), Avnet Electronics Marketing is truly the leading
distributor equipped with global resources and local
presence in China. The company's web site is located at
www.em.avnet.com .

    Note to editors: this release can also be found on the
EBA Web site at www.eba.com.hk .  For enquiries on releases
by email, please call Rosa Lee at (852) 2537 8022 or send a
message to [e-mail].

    For further information please contact:

     Jaime Chan 
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail] 

     Wendy Allen/ Brian Peterson (Euan Barty Associates)
     Tel:   [phone]
     Email: [e-mail]/[e-mail]

SOURCE  Avnet Electronics Marketing Asia