The Source ESB staff and Penton Media’s research department launched our Top Distributors survey in February, contacting more than 1200 North American electronics distributor locations via e-mail. Throughout February and March, the staff narrowed the online submission forms to 100, ranking each company based on total sales volume and ensuring that each had a major presence in the North American electronic components distribution market. From there, the list was narrowed to 40 top firms.
Each company in the list is ranked according to its total sales volume, and all figures are reported in U.S. dollars. We used self-reported data from each company and verified the information against annual reports and earnings statements, where possible, as well as in follow-up interviews with some of the companies at the top of the list. Yet there’s more than meets the eye with the top 10 companies on our list.
Figures for Avnet Inc., ranked at number one, represent global sales for calendar year 2010. This includes the sale of computer products. Broken down, 57% of Avnet’s business is in component sales, and 43% is in computer products. Avnet’s total sales figure also includes the company’s acquisition of Bell Micro, which was completed in July 2010.
Figures for Avnet Inc., ranked at number one, represent global sales for calendar year 2010. This includes the sale of computer products. Avnet’s total sales figure also includes the company’s acquisition of Bell Micro, which was completed in July 2010. Active and interconnect/passive/electromechanical (I/P/E) percentages noted in our list are based on Avnet’s fiscal-year sales ended June 2010 in the Americas only.
The story is similar with Arrow Electronics, landing at number two. Figures here represent Arrow’s global sales for 2010, including the sale of computer products. Broken down, 70% of Arrow’s business is in component sales, and 30% is in computing solutions. (Active and I/P/E percentages noted in our list are based on total global components sales only.) In the Americas, component sales totaled $5.1 billion in 2010, according to Arrow. Figures here do not include Arrow’s acquisition of Nu Horizons, number eight on our list, which was completed in January.
Sales listed for privately held Future Electronics, number three, are based on Source ESB estimates. Figures for Electrocomponents plc/Allied Electronics, number four, represent a company-provided estimate for global sales. Sales for Allied, the company’s North American business, were $400 million in 2010.
Sales for number five, Premier Farnell/Newark, represent global sales for British distribution giant Premier Farnell in fiscal year 2011, ended January 31, 2011. Newark is the company’s North American business. Its sales for the same period were $594.9 million. Figures for number six, Digi-Key Corp., represent global sales of electronic components.
Sales listed for TTI Inc., number seven, represent global sales for 2010. TTI’s North American sales totaled $815 million in 2010. Figures for DAC/Heilind, number nine, represent North American sales. International business represents a very small but growing portion of sales, according to company spokesman Paul Burkholder. And for Mouser, number 10, figures here represent global sales. Broken down, Mouser had North American sales of $336 million in 2010.
We welcome your input as we develop our report for 2012. Please send comments or questions to [email protected].