Premier Farnell plc today announced that it has signed a global distribution deal with Wamco Lighting, the global leader in lighting components and materials technologies for light management.

Wamco offers advanced light sciences, NVIS materials, optical filters, and lighting solutions and components. The company has solutions for the military, defense, aerospace, and transportation industries, which will now enable Premier Farnell to offer a broad selection of products to its worldwide customer base. Customers will also have access to a broad range of Wamco Lighting’s full line of LED lamps (MR, PAR, Luninars), Miniature/Subminiature LED Replacement lamps, Fluorescent (T5) lamps, and Panel Mount indicators (incandescent, Neon, and LED) across all of Premier Farnell’s operating businesses of Farnell element14 (Europe), Newark element14 (USA) and element14 (Asia-Pacific).

“Our partnership with Wamco Lighting reflects our commitment to offering the latest innovations in the lighting and illumination space,” said Mike Buffham, Director of Product and EDE at Premier Farnell. “With this new agreement our global customers will benefit from a breadth of “Green” Solutions with access to related discussions, product-related technical information and collaboration with like-minded peers around optoelectronics at the online element14 community.”

With more than 40 years of expertise and experience in design and manufacturing in the lighting industry, Wamco serves a demanding, best-in-class customer base world-wide. All Wamco products are manufactured to the highest standards and offer proven reliability.

“By offering Wamco’s breadth of LED lighting products, Premier Farnell is providing its customer base with high quality energy efficient lighting solutions in a rapidly changing lighting market.” said Paul Flynn, VP of Lighting, Wamco.

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In recognition of the outstanding contribution made by Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl) towards the growth of its PIC32 Microcontrollers in 2011, Microchip has presented the global multi-channel distributor with the Major Contribution to PIC32 Microcontrollers Sales Growth Award.

Sales of Microchip’s PIC32 microcontrollers and associated development tools have grown consistently quarter on quarter since introduction in Q4 2008, but growth in 2011 was stronger than previous years. Premier Farnell’s contribution has been instrumental towards the success of the Microchip’s 32-bit product family on a global basis.
Premier Farnell offers a market leading range in Microchip’s MCU portfolio along with accompanying supporting development kits and software. Through Premier Farnell’s global distribution network, over 5,000 stocked products from Microchip can be ordered in bulk and are available for next-day delivery, supported by discussion forums and technical documents available via Microchip’s dedicated page on the element14 community. Local language websites and regional offices ensure that Premier Farnell’s customers across the world receive excellent sales and technical support on all its product lines.

“Not only is this a testament to the excellent work done by our global go to market teams but also a recognition of our key strategic relationship with such a leading supplier,” said Marianne Culver, Global Head of Product Marketing and Supply Chain at Premier Farnell. “We will continue to enhance the Premier Farnell value proposition by continually developing and growing our already extensive Microchip product portfolio to meet the evolving requirements of our customers worldwide.”

“Our PIC32 microcontrollers are enjoying strong sales growth with many designs reaching volume production. Microchip are delighted to recognise the major contribution Premier Farnell have made to the success of these best in class 32-bit microcontrollers,” said Mike McGlade, Sales Channel Manager, Microchip.

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Premier Farnell plc working in conjunction with the United Bank of Carbon (UBoC), has embarked on a unique and exciting initiative to provide solar powered LED lighting to remote villages and communities in Tanzania. The aim of the programme is ultimately for individual communities to purchase and assemble simple kits of parts to provide an environmentally friendly, cost saving alternative to the liquid fuel based forms of lighting they currently use. The project is in collaboration with Fauna and Flora International and local partner the Tongwe Trust.

At present Premier Farnell is evaluating the supply chain and preparing to ship the first sample kits to a nominated Tanzanian engineering company. It will assess and establish the training that will be required in order for selected residents of remote communities to gain the skills needed to build the kits into finished, working units. Once this stage has been completed, Premier Farnell intends to start shipping large numbers of the kits to Tanzania.

Premier Farnell’s in-house technical team has designed the units that have been optimised for ease of assembly, using own brand parts along with components from some of its leading suppliers. The first kit to be shipped to Tanzania utilises XP Power LED drivers and a range of own-brand Multicomp parts including LED modules, solar panels, batteries, rocker switches and connectors.
UBoC is a collaboration between established, responsible businesses and leading environmental academics and non-governmental organisations who together aim to reduce climate change by protecting the world’s rainforests and their people.

“This is an ambitious and important project that Premier Farnell is ideally positioned to support and drive,” said Charles Denham, Sustainability Manager, Premier Farnell. “Solar powered lighting is the ideal solution for remote village communities and can save them significant cost versus other forms of lighting that use fuels that must be purchased and transported over long distances. The project brings together our technical expertise, product range, drive for innovation and approach to sustainability in a way that delivers benefits to all involved. By helping communities become more self-sufficient and encouraging the use of sustainable sources of energy, there are better prospects for their long-term viability and migration to cities will be reduced.”

“Premier Farnell is bringing vital sustainable technology to 40,000 people looking after 10 million of the planet’s tropical trees,” said Jonathan Wild, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of UBoC. “Quite a project, especially in a remote corner of Tanzania with no roads, no cars, no power lines, no telephones, and hopelessly under-equipped dispensaries and schools. Premier Farnell is clearly demonstrating the social leadership, without which there can be no real business leadership. It is a privilege to be working with such exemplars.”

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Premier Farnell plc has today announced the steps it is taking to be prepared for the final regulations of the U.S. Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform Act: Section 1502 on conflict minerals when they are published later this year.

Under the Act, which was finalised in July 2010, U.S. publicly traded companies whose products contain metals derived from minerals defined as conflict minerals are required to report annually to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

The new reporting requirements are based on concerns that revenues obtained from the mining and transport of these minerals are financing the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and surrounding countries, and the resulting humanitarian crisis. While the Act defined basic reporting requirements for conflict minerals, it also requires the SEC to make detailed regulations to implement the legislation and these have not yet been finalised. Premier Farnell expect the SEC to publish the regulations later in 2012 and that these will address a number of significant issues. A number of the metals covered by the legislation can be found in electronic components and products, and dealing with the law will be a major concern for the electronics industry.

Although reporting requirements only apply to publicly traded companies required to report to the SEC, it is expected that these requirements will be rapidly passed through the entire electronics industry supply chain. Premier Farnell is therefore undertaking all necessary precautions in order to be prepared for when the final regulations are published, and is actively involved in trade group task forces in preparing best practice reporting guidelines for industry.

“Our role in assisting our customers is to provide the best and most up-to-date information that is available to us from our suppliers,” said Steven Webb, Company Secretary, Premier Farnell. “As a distributor of products manufactured by others, Premier Farnell does not currently have direct access to information regarding where its suppliers (product manufacturers) procured their raw materials. However, we intend to work with our suppliers to obtain all available information as soon as the SEC rules are clear. We have considerable experience in collecting similar data such as that required under the European RoHS and REACH legislation and we plan to use similar, well developed processes to collect conflict mineral information.”

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Premier Farnell has announced the launch of element14 TV, a dedicated channel on its global online community that offers instant access to an expansive range of information-rich videos in one, easy-to-search destination.

The move is part of its commitment to provide electronics engineers and technology enthusiasts with an all-encompassing resource for product design and development.

element14, which has already had more than 2 million visits in 2011, has become the go-to resource for engineers, and its new television channel further augments the information, technology, products and design tools available to the community.

element14 TV joins an ever-growing list of resources available on the community, including the Knode on element14, an intelligent online search and knowledge tool that helps engineers research, select and buy the right solutions for their designs, CadSoft’s award winning Eagle PCB design software, leading technology companies through partnerships with top suppliers, an Expert Learning Centre, comprehensive legislation resources, and valuable insight from renowned professionals.

“element14 was the first exclusive community designed specifically for engineers and the launch of element14 TV is an exciting addition to the services we provide, allowing engineers across the globe to share and collaborate with video. We have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of time spent on the community, underscoring the value-add of the content, tools and resources available in one place,” said Dianne Kibbey, Global Head of Community for element14. “Not surprisingly, the video content available on the community is one of the leading resources accessed by engineers – just look at ‘The Ben Heck Show’ with more than three million views since it launched.”

element14 TV will initially focus on allowing community members to easily view videos-on-demand that educate, motivate, connect and entertain. Organized by categories and prioritized by community ratings, the channel offers content that spans the breadth of electronics content and how-tos, including the popular “The Ben Heck Show” series, Arduino tutorials, expert tutorials, user-generated videos, such as “A Day in the Life of an Engineer,” informational supplier videos, and the latest in technology and product overviews.

The launch of element14 TV makes it easier than ever to access video-centric design tools, resources and content in one place. element14 TV – a ‘YouTube for engineers’ – will also host all videos-on-demand after the Innovation Series, a two-day online summit, that is available for an entirely new generation of electronic design professionals who will develop new products and technologies that we’ve yet to even dream of.” To see the latest videos from Ben Heck to tutorials and expert videos go to www.element14.com/tv. To view the full introductory video on the element14 community site please visit http://www.element14.com/community/docs/DOC-41054.

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Programming on element14 TV will be expanded on an ongoing basis, giving the community access to the latest content, cutting-edge technology, and even access to exclusive content from industry thought leaders and visionaries. In addition, element14 TV will be guided in large part by feedback and input provided by the community through ratings, comments, submissions and more, to ensure content meets the latest design needs and discussion interests.

Visit element14 for more information and for timely and relevant technology news and information from independent engineering experts and respected industry news sources.

, Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), today announced the immediate availability of over 45,000 CAD model files for use by its electronics design customers. The models support products from many of the world’s leading electronic component and semiconductor suppliers, and used alongside PCB design tools, help designers to quickly and accurately realise their printed circuit board (PCB) design. This development follows on from recent announcements showing Premier Farnell’s continued investment in providing comprehensive solutions for engineering design from product specification through prototype.

The CAD models are available globally from Premier Farnell’s element14, Newark and Farnell brands and can be downloaded by design engineers free of charge. Designers can use the CAD model symbols and footprints in the EAGLE PCB design software to create board-level schematics and PCB physical design layouts.

EAGLE PCB design software provides a cost-effective, feature-rich development environment. With the recently announced availability of EAGLE v6.0, free technical support and an extensive library of User Language Programs (ULPs), the availability of over 45,000 3D & CAD models further extends the utility of this popular PCB design solution.

Premier Farnell also offers the Ultra Librarian CAD model authoring software which allows PCB designers to quickly create custom models that are unique to their design in a powerful and easy to use environment.

In addition to the design software, CAD models and components needed to create the design, Premier Farnell also has expanded its solutions portfolio to include a seamless connection to prototype delivery. The Knode on element14 directly connects users to PCB Services partners who provide quick-turn bareboard printed circuit boards in Europe via Eurocircuits, and both bareboard PCBs and PCB assembly in the Americas through Pentalogix and Screaming Circuits.

“Providing online access to this rich library of CAD models is just one part of our strategy to support design engineers in every step of the design flow,” said David Shen, Group SVP and Global Head of Technical Marketing at Premier Farnell. “On its own it already provides incredible value to PCB design engineers with this easy to use resource, but the real value comes from the seamless integration with PCB design software, CAD model authoring software and quick-turn PCB prototyping services. This joined-up solution and global reach drives massive design flow efficiencies for our customers.”

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Premier Farnell plc is to become a globally franchised distributor for Infineon Technologies AG, enabling engineers worldwide to take advantage of Infineon’s advanced, high-quality semiconductor solutions and Premier Farnell’s broad range of high-value customer services and supporting technologies.

The agreement allows Premier Farnell to strengthen its already extensive product offering to its vast global customer base, delivering the benefits of direct engagement with Infineon and access to their new leading-edge products as soon as they are introduced. Infineon’s semiconductors and system solutions embody the company’s expertise in technologies such as analogue and mixed signal, RF, power and embedded control.

“We are delighted to be working directly with Infineon, a universally respected and market-leading semiconductor manufacturer,” said Marianne Culver, Global Head of Supplier and Product Management at Premier Farnell. “Delivering the Infineon portfolio to our customers throughout the world will enable us to extend our technology leadership in key market segments such as automotive, security and identification, alternative energy and transportation and mobility.”

“Establishing this relationship with a global high service distribution partner is an important move forward for both our companies,” said Mr. Robert Leindl; CVP Distribution and EMS, Infineon. “As a multi-channel distributor with a strong focus on ecommerce, Premier Farnell delivers the benefits of a highly effective global marketing and support network, which will help us strengthen our position as the manufacturer of choice for technology innovators everywhere.”

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element14 has been ranked number one in the Heardable Online Brand Benchmark Report: 30 Leading Brands in the Electronics Industry”. Newark, Premier Farnell’s business operation in the United States, Canada and Mexico, came second in the report, which is published by Heardable, a real-time contextual brand analytics platform.

Both brands came out top in social media and website performance, with the top five Best Practices highlighted as:

• Strong social media presence, participation, followers and advocates
• Search engine optimised websites
• Usable websites (easy to engage, share, interact, contact and transact)
• Regular monitoring and optimisation using web analytics software and testing tools
• Optimising websites for mobile smartphone browsing

The report also highlights that element14 is ranked in the top one per cent of all brands analysed by Heardable worldwide, is number one out of 9,059 competitors in the NAICS, Engineering Services category and third of 3,188 brands based in the UK.

“We have put a lot of effort into ensuring we have the right online approach to being able to provide a comprehensive and fast service for the engineers of today. We understand that engineers work at a very fast pace to stay ahead in the electronics industry and we want to provide them with the right tools and products to get the job done,” said Kevin Yapp, Chief Marketing Officer at Premier Farnell. “This is truly a great accolade for all online operations of Premier Farnell, as this report has a clear scoring methodology, documenting dozens of online marketing best practices, and further, providing ranking analysis on how each organisation is performing against its industry peers and I would like to thank all our teams who have contributed towards achieving this position in the industry.”

John Sharp, director of Heardable, Inc, said in the report: element14 has obviously put in a lot of effort into website optimisation and social media marketing over the past year, and that effort is now being rewarded. You need to get a lot of things right to win the top spot in a competitive sector like electronics. The element14 brand management team deserves high marks.

element14 is the trusted source for end-to-end engineering solutions. Bringing together fast delivery of the latest products, services and solutions, all connected to an innovative engineering community where members can access peers and experts, a wide range of independent technical information and helpful tools.

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Premier Farnell plc announces a global franchise distribution agreement with Fox Electronics, a leading specialist in the design and supply of frequency controllers.

Customers of Premier Farnell’s operating businesses of Farnell, Newark/element14 and element14 will now have global access to Fox Electronics’ full line of crystals, oscillators, TCXOs, VCXOs and Fox’s XpressO Crystal Oscillator, which has been classed as a breakthrough in configurable Frequency Control Solutions. XpressO utilises a family of proprietary ASICs, designed and developed with a key focus on noise reduction technologies. XpressOs XOs & VCXOs come in various packages and voltages and are configurable with custom frequencies from 0.75MHz to 1350 MHz with extremely low jitter.

In this agreement, Fox electronics will extend their marketing support to all global operations of Premier Farnell, and collaborate on new product information via element14, Premier Farnell’s innovative information portal and online community for electronic design engineers to globally collaborate, share and access new information to support them in their design work.

Through Premier Farnell’s global distribution network and element14, Fox’s new products can be ordered in bulk and are available for next-day delivery supported by local language websites and regional offices to ensure excellent sales and technical support for customers on all its product lines.

“Our partnership with Fox Electronics shows our commitment to offering the latest innovations in the crystals and oscillators space, “said Marianne Culver, Global Head of Supplier Management and Supply Chain at Premier Farnell. This is another example of how we support our customers by creating market first, powerful and strategic relationships.”

“Fox Electronics is very excited to expand our relationship with Premier Farnell. With Fox’s innovative products and Premier Farnell’s high service business model from conceptual design to production together we are going reach out to our customer base in a more effective way,” said E.L. Fox, President Fox Electronics.

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Premier Farnell plc has announced release plans for EAGLE Version 6.0 including details of the many new features being developed for this release and deliver a major step forward in the PCB designer productivity and efficiency. All users purchasing the current version of EAGLE will receive a free upgrade to the version 6.0 release.

CadSoft’s EAGLE V6.0 PCB design software will deliver innovations and improvements over previous versions that will allow design engineers significant flexibility and efficiency. The EAGLE V6.0 release features a redesigned XML database structure – the first to use ASCII text as format, which allows quick and easy design changes, importing of design information as well as translation from other design formats.

“The best-selling CAD tool (EAGLE) for PCB design just got better, and we will deliver the latest EAGLE V6 free to new and upgrading customers after release,” said Thomas Liratsch, CadSoft’s General Manager. “EAGLE V6.0 is agile and intuitive, so design engineers can easily design, replicate, move, transpose, and even copy/paste schematics – saving them time and effort. Simply put, the new release of EAGLE takes designer friendliness and freedom to a whole new experience.”

EAGLE V6.0 includes a variety of user-friendly and productivity-enhancing features, such as:
XML database structure – Read, edit and parse the data outside of the EAGLE tool
Design reuse – Ability to merge board/schematic pairs using COPY/ PASTE function with full consistency. This supports easy design, for example, of multi-channel devices.
Routing capability improvements
Optimised work-flow with an Undo/Redo log to control each step going back or forward
Flawless conversions between millimetres and inches with increased internal resolution
Library editor optimisations
Ability to connect a pin to multiple pads allows designers to handle components’ internal connected pins. Compared to previous versions schematic symbols look nicer and you save time in defining them.
Designers can also draw arbitrary pad shapes easily without any problems with Design Rules Check for such objects.
EAGLE V6.0 also supports an unlimited number of technologies and package variants – eliminating the need to split a library into two parts.
File description functionality – You can now individualise your schematics, sheets, boards and symbols with descriptions, so you don’t have to open the file in an editor window to see its contents.
Customers who buy or upgrade from a former version to EAGLE V5 from 01 September 2011 can upgrade their software edition and modules for free to EAGLE Version 6.0. For more information please visit www.cadsoft.de/conditions_buy_now

CadSoft’s EAGLE PCB design software is also available from element14, Premier Farnell’s innovative community for design engineers, bringing Web 2.0 to engineers, along with over 10,000 technical documents and software tools. All versions of EAGLE contain DesignLink, an automated connection between EAGLE and the extensive components database from Premier Farnell. A free trial version is available on www.element14.com/eagle.

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