Future Electronics: Inventory, Expertise Make The Difference

Among the key trends shaping the electronic components industry today are inventory and expertise, says Lindsley Ruth, corporate vice president at Future Electronics.

“We’re now back in the cycle where inventory matters,” Ruth explains. “Last year that was certainly the case, and we’re seeing it again with the situation in Japan.”

This is causing customers to seek security of supply more than ever, he adds. Future addresses this issue by letting customers see the inventory that’s been purchased specifically for them in the distributor’s system.

“They can always see exactly what we have reserved for them,” says Ruth. “No one else can touch it. We’re willing to bond up to 35% of what the customer needs annually.”

In addition to inventory security concerns, customers are also increasingly looking for design assistance and solution-based selling, Ruth says.

“There is a greater expectation surrounding design from both customers and suppliers,” Ruth says. “Especially as we move to more application-specific solutions, we have to be more versed in the technology of our customers than ever before.

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About the Author

Victoria Fraza Kickham | Distribution Editor

Victoria Kickham is the distribution editor for Electronic Design magazine, SourceESB and GlobalPurchasing.com, where she covers issues related to the electronics supply chain. Victoria started out as a general assignment reporter for several Boston-area newspapers before joining Industrial Distribution magazine, where she spent 14 years covering industrial markets. She served as ID’s managing editor from 2000 to 2010. Victoria has a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of New Hampshire and a master’s degree in English from Northeastern University.