Houston—Jan. 26, 2012—Smith & Associates, an independent distributor of semiconductors and electronic components, continues its company growth and market expansion into 2012. The addition of three new global offices— in Singapore, Taipei, Taiwan and Denver—a 25 percent increase in workforce and the expansion of its service programs resulted in Smith’s global annual revenue reach of $513 million in 2011.
"We live in a world where supply chain management is more critical than ever for electronics manufacturers' success,” said Marc Barnhill, Chief Trading Officer at Smith & Associates. "With a diversified, well-tested and quality-assured supply chain, manufacturers can withstand today's increasingly common market uncertainties with confidence. Smith has the industry experience and knowledge to offer companies immediate solutions to their short- and long-term needs. Our clients know that they can count on us for tested and certified products when they need them."
In addition to increasing its workforce to 350 employees globally in the past year, Smith also expanded its flagship services, most recently with its PPV Plus+ program, which provides customers with resources to receive high-quality components at the best price.
Through the program, Smith's Purchase Price Variance (PPV) specialists identify savings and continuously monitor changes in component market price and demand. PPV Plus+ is integrated with PartMatch, Smith's PPV software which leverages its proprietary sales and trading software to provide the company with global access for identifying cost-savings opportunities on components such as HDDs, CPUs, panels, memory, ODDs and ICs.
"Smith is the dominant player in the electronic component shortage market,” said Bob Ackerley, Co-Founder and Director at Smith & Associates. “We will soon also be the dominant provider of PPV services to electronic device OEMS and CEMs. With our 28-year history in this market, we have developed a superior suite of software tools that allow us to quickly identify the best PPV opportunities in the market every day. And the customers that use us for this service will reap extensive cost savings.”
PPV Plus+ begins with cost savings but the program's focus goes well beyond price alone.
"PPV Plus+ captures the benefits of both Smith's solid foundation and our PPV services,” said Mike Pursley, Director of Asset Strategies at Smith & Associates. “We have the capabilities to fully support our PPV customers through the use of our global footprint, financial strength and quality assurance. Our resources and stability allow us to offer the flexible service that is required to manage an efficient and secure supply chain.”
Other services that Smith offers include its PartBank Vendor Managed Inventory (VMI) program for managing inventory; and CycleIT, an asset disposition program.
SmithSecure, the company’s framework of programs and processes was also expanded in 2011, continuing its support to ensure quality along the electronics supply chain. The company holds a CCAP-101 certification for authenticating electronic components.
Building upon the successes of 2011, Smith & Associates plans to further expand its service programs in 2012 to meet customer needs. Immediate goals include its work toward earning an AS9120 quality management certification for aerospace product suppliers and continuing the expansion of its global offices. Following the energy-efficient structural renovation of its Houston headquarters, the next phase of the company’s corporate sustainability campaign will be the "greenovation" of Smith's international offices.
For more information, visit www.smithweb.com.
