Avnet Opens Integration Center In China

Based in Tianjin, China, the 7,300 square-foot center is expected to ship about 150,000 units in its first year, according to Tempe, Ariz.-based Avnet. The center will provide system and server integration, operating system and software application installation, engineering, testing, and customized packaging and labeling services.

The Tianjin integration center is Avnet's fourth. The distributor has U.S. integration centers in Tempe and in Boston plus a European center in Belgium.

Avnet said the Tianjin center will support its current North American customers with China operations, covering industries such as medical, hospitality and gaming. Sophie Li will be general manager of the center.

"The need to support our customers with services that span multiple regions has grown in the last several years as businesses find themselves operating in a more global environment," Avnet COO Rick Hamada said in a statement.

Demand also is increasing in China for local integration services, according to Hamada. "Together, these factors convinced us that the time is right to open an integration center that will help a variety of customers deliver solutions to the Chinese market," he said. "This is an exciting step in our path toward having a greater presence in the region as we continue to build our capabilities in Asia."