Avnet, Inc. Recognized on 2012 InformationWeek 500 as a Top 100 Technology Innovator

Avnet 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--Global technology distributor Avnet, Inc. (NYSE: AVT) today announced that it was named to the Top 100 of this year’s 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 company’s 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. “Avnet’s 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.”

Avnet’s 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 Avnet’s 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 Avnet’s 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, Avnet’s 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 year’s innovations were particularly impressive,” said InformationWeek Editor-In-Chief Rob Preston. “What the editors looked for are unconventional approaches—new 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 America’s 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/