TE Connectivity Joins Avnet Express' Drive for Innovation Program

PHOENIX and SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 13, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Avnet Express and UBM Electronics, a UBM company and the daily source of essential business and technical information for the electronics industry's decision makers, today announced that TE Connectivity (NYSE: TEL), formerly Tyco Electronics, has joined the Drive for Innovation, a multi-faceted campaign celebrating innovation in electronics engineering as a supplier sponsor. The Drive for Innovation is sponsored by Avnet Express, the e-Commerce engine for Avnet Electronics Marketing, an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT).  

To view the multimedia content associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/players/English/51004-drive-for-innovation

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110913/MM66768 )

Throughout the year-long Drive for Innovation road trip Brian Fuller, editorial director, UBM Electronics' EE Times, is driving a fire-engine-red General Motors' Chevrolet Volt to innovation hubs across America, interviewing engineers, entrepreneurs and innovators in electronics.  

TE Connectivity's participation in the Drive for Innovation program highlights the importance of interconnect, passive and electromechanical (IP&E) vendors as valued suppliers that the automotive industry uses to support its system-design success. To learn more about the Drive for Innovation's stop at TE Connectivity and the HVA 280 three-position connector, click here.

"As a source for innovative technologies for the automotive industry, TE Connectivity is excited about supporting the Drive for Innovation program.  Providing transportation solutions such as electronic components that power electric vehicles is a core part of TE's business – as well as application tooling and custom engineered solutions for the automotive, aerospace, defense and marine industries," said Canda Carr, Director, Global Distribution Sales and Strategy, TE Connectivity.

TE Connectivity designs and manufactures over 500,000 products that connect and protect the flow of power and data inside products — from consumer electronics, energy and healthcare to automotive, aerospace and communication networks — enabling smarter, faster, better technologies to connect products to possibilities.

Beth Ely, senior vice president of Avnet Express, added, "Avnet's longstanding relationship with TE Connectivity, and our mutual respect for -- and pursuit of -- innovation, made this coupling a no-brainer. With TE on board, the Drive for Innovation program will expose more engineers, students, purchasing professionals and hobbyists to Avnet's extensive line of leading-edge IP&E technologies."

As the e-Commerce engine for Avnet Electronics Marketing, Avnet Express gives design engineers and purchasing professionals access to the world's largest catalog of electronic component products, which tops five million parts. Avnet Express offers parametric searching capabilities and the ability to upload a bill of materials (BOM) for easier sourcing of products and a consistent global platform of localized content. The site can be accessed in nine languages and 13 currencies.

Check www.driveforinnovation.com for upcoming locations and sign up to follow the stories and request the Volt to pull into your town or city for a visit.  Upcoming stops on the "Drive for Innovation" Road Trip include:

• Pennsylvania
• Massachusetts
• New Hampshire
• Vermont
• and more

To learn more about Avnet Express, visit avnetexpress.com.  To follow the "Drive for Innovation" and the Chevy Volt as it travels across the United States, visit www.driveforinnovation.com.  Follow the "Drive for Innovation" on Facebook and Twitter.

About Avnet Electronics Marketing

Avnet Electronics Marketing is an operating group of Phoenix-based Avnet, Inc. that serves electronic original equipment manufacturers (EOEMs) and electronic manufacturing services (EMS) providers in more than 70 countries, distributing electronic components from leading manufacturers and providing associated design-chain and supply-chain services. The group's website is located at www.em.avnet.com.

About Avnet, Inc.

Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT), a Fortune 500 company, is one of the largest distributors of electronic components, computer products and embedded technology serving customers in more than 70 countries worldwide. Avnet accelerates its partners' success by connecting the world's leading technology suppliers with a broad base of more than 100,000 customers by providing cost-effective, value-added services and solutions. For the fiscal year ended July 2, 2011, Avnet generated revenue of $26.5 billion. For more information, visit www.avnet.com.

About UBM Electronics  

UBM Electronics is the global leader in media and marketing solutions for the electronics industry.   UBM Electronics delivers results for the key influencers and decision makers involved in the design, development and commercialization of technology through its market leading brands, peer communities and professional education services.   More than 2.2 million engineering professionals engage with UBM Electronics brands which include EE Times, EDN, EDN China, EDN Asia, EDN Japan, Design News and Test & Measurement World, TechOnline, Designlines and Embedded.com across the globe to accelerate technology sales. The international electronics community gathers at UBM Electronics market leading events such as the Embedded Systems Conferences, DesignCon and ARM Technology Conference to share, learn, discuss, and advance the critical issues and challenges facing the electronics industry. Additionally, UBM Electronics provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation marketing, integrated media, custom solutions and research.  UBM Electronics is part of UBM (UBM.L) a global provider of media and information services for professional B2B communities and markets.

TE Connectivity and the TE connectivity (logo) are trademarks.

For more information on UBM Electronics please contact:
Felicia Hamerman, Vice President, Marketing
T: 516.562.5652, E: felicia.hamerman@ubm.com

For more information on Avnet Express please contact:
Bethany Helvie, Senior Marketing Communications Specialist, Avnet Electronics Marketing
T:  480.643.7183, E: bethany.helvie@avnet.com

For more information on TE Connectivity, please contact:
Michael Woren, Regional Sales Manager
T: 717.986.7557, E: michael.woren@te.com

SOURCE UBM Electronics