Press Releases
RS Components and SMC sign new global trading agreement
New Zealand, 16 November 2011 :
RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the world’s leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products, has signed a new global trading agreement with SMC, the world leading experts in pneumatics. The agreement furthers the partnership initiated between the two companies in 2009 by incorporating several new territories including Spain, China, Australia and New Zealand alongside the UK, France, Germany and Italy. RS will have access to SMC’s complete pneumatic control equipment range.
The new global trading agreement is a prime example of how RS is working with its key strategic suppliers to meet its customers’ needs and anticipate their future requirements. The agreement will enable RS to provide a more comprehensive product range worldwide, a key element of its overall maintenance strategy, and to maintain its high standards of product availability for its customers. It will also enable RS to offer the best possible prices and service to its customers for the SMC product range, which includes actuators, connectors, and control valves and pressure regulators for pneumatics.
Kevin Thompson, General Manager Maintenance at Electrocomponents, commented: “This new agreement reinforces the importance of the partnership to both RS and SMC, not only in Europe but now globally. The combination of our high service worldwide distribution capability with SMC’s technological leadership will enable us to better serve our customers’ needs by giving them access to the latest pneumatic control technology. This strengthens our offer in the automation and control market, our primary technology focus for the maintenance sector.”
Steve Bangs, Managing Director of SMC Pneumatics (UK) Ltd, said: “We’re delighted to be furthering our successful relationship with RS. This agreement will give us even greater access to its worldwide distribution network, helping us to develop our customer base globally and increase the sales of our industry leading pneumatic control products.”
About RS Components
RS Components and Allied Electronics are the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc, the world’s leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products. Through operations in 32 countries and 17 warehouses, the Group serves 1.6 million customers worldwide and distributes 550,000 products ranging from semiconductors and optoelectronics to power tools and protective clothing. The product and service portfolio supports the entire product lifecycle from R&D through pre-production to maintenance and repair. The Group ships more than 46,000 parcels on the same day the orders are received.
Electrocomponents is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year to 31 March 2011 had revenues of £1.18bn.
For more information, please visit the website at www.rs-components.com.
About SMC
Since its establishment in 1959, SMC has become the global leader in pneumatic technology, providing industry with technology and products to support automation based on the guiding principle of "contributing to automation labour savings in industry."
SMC offers technology accumulated through the years, engineers that bring it to life in new products, production capacity which can deliver a vast variety of products in a short time, and an extensive sales network throughout the world.
With its goal of ever more advanced automation, and using its many achievements as a base, SMC is developing high quality, highly reliable products to contribute to automation in industry, as well as in familiar areas of everyday life.
