Out of its London base, Premier Farnell plc tapped into several new growth markets and businesses worldwide in 2007. Under the guidance of Harriet Green, an industry veteran who joined the company as CEO in 2006, the electronic, electrical, and industrial-and-MRO components distributor focused on "internationalizing" its operations. Key components of that plan included extending its reach in Asia, setting up more local-language Web sites in Eastern Europe and Asia, boosting Web traffic in North America, and making continued investments in the global electronics design engineering segment.
To further that plan and to focus on core operations, Premier Farnell last year sold its BuckHickman InOne industrial tools and supplies business to the BSS Group and established a full presence in China with the launch of its Premier Electronics business. This year, the pace continues: The company announced in January that it had acquired the assets of India-based Hynetic Electronics Private Ltd.
Premier Farnell has also reinforced its focus on the engineering design operation by establishing an annual $100,000 prize competition for design engineers. Dubbed Live Edge, the contest is aimed at helping engineers move outstanding designs from the drawing board swiftly to production. New Zealander John Noble, who designed a product that can help slash power consumption in ceiling fans by almost 70 percent, won the $50,000 first prize in the competition.
RSS
Digital
RSS| 
Digital| 
Mobile
