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Interview


America II sees growth in European markets


CIE editor, Amy Wallington, talks to Jed Pecchioli, chief operating officer at America II, about how the company is experiencing high growth in European markets and their plans for the future


segments such as automobile, medical, industrial, and telecoms.


Jed Pecchioli, chief operating officer, America II, said: “Our big advantage is that we work with customers closely to form a custom “Focused” solution that fits their specific needs.


Jed Pecchioli A


merica II, one of the world’s largest distributors of semiconductors and electronic components has


experienced aggressive growth in Europe a year since it officially communicated a shift in its distribution model.


Established in 1989, America II is a global distributor combining franchise and direct sourcing solutions, inventory management programs, as well as a host of other customised value-add services. With currently around 80+ franchise lines, America II supports tier one, two, three and four customers across multiple


10 November 2016


The company celebrated its 25th birthday in 2014 and, timed with this, it decided to evolve its offering, growing the number of franchise lines it offered and expanding its overall range of programmes and services. The driving factor behind America II’s decision to do this was its desire to better serve customers across all segments, including the medical and automotive industries, (where product lifecycles are generally longer). “As a global distributor we had a large number of direct manufacturer relationships even before we began this initiative,” added Pecchioli. “However, we’ve had a real focus on signing up additional franchise partners in the last one and half to two years. The main reason for doing this was to expand our footprint with our existing customer base and then expand our reach to new customers because of the lines we have. It has been a win-win for the manufacturers, for the customers and for us.”


The outcome of this shift was well-


received when it was communicated to European customers and partners last year. Since January 2016, America II’s franchise lines have doubled, with the


Components in Electronics www.cieonline.co.uk


addition of Antistat Inc., Cliff Electronics, IQD Frequency Products and others to its global line cards. The distributor’s focus on quality, coupled with its ‘customer-first’ approach, has seen it add multiple lines of each technology to ensure plenty of choice. Although America II’s diverse offering has also attracted more hi-tech customers, it continues to cater to its middle-tier customers – many of which have been neglected by larger distributors. The company’s strategy was to provide OEMs and EMSs of all sizes the attention they deserve from their distribution partner. Pecchioli said, “The tier one franchise distributors have large line cards; focusing their time and energy on the tier one manufacturers. So we have decided to partner up with the tier two and tier three manufacturers; forming a marriage of flexibility, commitment, and cost leverage.” This shift in strategies has led to


aggressive growth in European markets


over the past two years. Pecchioli says that they are going through a trend. “Years ago, we were dealing


disproportionately with business that was UK-based, because that’s where we had our main European office. But now the trend is starting to change. We have invested in Germany and that is growing well. The new strategy is helping us to pick up business globally including Eastern Europe, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Slovenia. These are all places we had historically done less business with, but we are now starting to see that business grow.” Electronica, held this month in Messe Munich, only boosted these European contacts and the company is now hiring some more experienced people to support it, bringing in new skillsets, mindsets, and different approaches to business and relationships with customers. There was a fear that the recent Brexit


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