Avnet (AVT) honored for its global shop floor control system that allows customers to seamlessly manage device programming worldwide and gain deeper visibility into the production process

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Global technology distributor Avnet , Inc. (NYSE: AVT) today announced that it was named to the Top 100 of this years InformationWeek 500 a list of the leading technology innovators in the U.S. Avnet was ranked No. 78 on the list because of its global shop floor control system, which plays a critical role in enabling the company to turn more than 300 million electronic components annually into customized devices for specific applications. The Avnet-developed global shop floor system was designed to help the companys electronic component customers manage the programming of their devices across multiple geographic regions, enhance their visibility into production status, and enable direct participation in quality management.

From an IT perspective, our approach has been to partner with the business to find innovative ways that technology can be applied to help customers and Avnet conduct business more efficiently, and grow in the markets we serve, said Steve Phillips , senior vice president and CIO, Avnet, Inc. Avnets global shop floor control system is a great example of how business and IT can collaborate to address the specific needs of our customers and help them better manage the complexities of global design. This InformationWeek honor recognizes Avnet for our commitment to technology innovation that furthers our business goals and those of our customers.

Avnets new global shop floor control system allows its electronic component customers to quickly and seamlessly transfer information related to the programming of devices to any of Avnets programming centers worldwide, which are located in Arizona, Brazil, California, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico, New Hampshire, Shanghai and Singapore. The system also provides electronic component customers and Avnets sales teams with greater visibility into each stage of the production process and order shipments, as well as granular audit trails with detailed quality control information. With the new system in place, Avnets customers can more easily keep pace with fluctuations in their forecasts and increase their quality assurance.

The InformationWeek 500 has recognized the most innovative users of business technology for 24 years, and this years innovations were particularly impressive, said InformationWeek Editor-In-Chief Rob Preston. What the editors looked for are unconventional approachesnew technologies, new models, new ways of grabbing business opportunities and solving complex business problems with IT.

InformationWeek identifies and honors the nation's most innovative users of information technology with its annual 500 listing, and also tracks the technology, strategies, investments and administrative practices of Americas best-known companies. The InformationWeek 500 rankings are unique among corporate rankings as they spotlight the power of innovation in IT, rather than simply identifying the biggest IT spenders.

Additional details on the InformationWeek 500 can be found online at www.informationweek.com/iw500/.

Read about Avnet's approach to IT on the Behind the Firewall blog: http://blogging.avnet.com/weblog/cioinsights/

Learn more about Avnet's perspective on the IT market through its Tech Trends video series: http://www.avnetondemand.com/

Follow Avnet on Twitter: @AvnetComms

Connect with Avnet on Facebook or LinkedIn: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Avnet/111721912175548 or http://www.linkedin.com/company/avnet

About InformationWeek Business Technology Network (http://www.informationweek.com)

The InformationWeek Business Technology Network provides IT executives with unique analysis and tools that parallel their work flowfrom defining and framing objectives through to the evaluation and recommendation of solutions. Anchored by InformationWeek, the multimedia powerhouse that looks across the enterprise, the network scales across the most critical technology categories with online properties such as DarkReading.com (security), NetworkComputing.com (networking and communications) and BYTE (consumer technology). The network also provides focused content for key IT targets, such as CIOs, developers and SMBs, via InformationWeek Global CIO, Dr. Dobb's and InformationWeek SMB, as well as vital vertical industries with InformationWeek Financial Services, Government and Healthcare sites. Content is at the nucleus of our information distribution strategyIT professionals turn to our experts and communities to stay informed, get advice and research technologies to make strategic business decisions.

About Avnet, Inc.

Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT), a Fortune 500 Company, is one of the largest distributors of electronic components, computer products and embedded technology serving customers globally. Avnet accelerates its partners' success by connecting the world's leading technology suppliers with a broad base of customers by providing cost-effective, value-added services and solutions. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2012, Avnet generated revenue of $25.7 billion. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.

Media Contact for Avnet
Brodeur Partners, for Avnet
Sonia Bovio, 480-308-0281
sbovio@brodeur.com
Media Contact for InformationWeek
Winnie Ng Schuchman, 631-406-6507
Vice President, Marketing
wng@techweb.com

Source: Avnet, Inc.

Copyright Business Wire 2012