Monday, March 14, 2011 – THIEF RIVER FALLS, Minnesota, USA – Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry’s broadest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, today announced its role as a founding member of the China Electronics Distributor Alliance (CEDA).

CEDA was established in order to promote franchised distributors’ value-added services, to strengthen cooperation between suppliers and distributors of electronic components, and to encourage technological innovations with the support of government incentive policies. CEDA is supported by the Chinese government and related industry associations, as well as corporate distributors of electronics that conduct business with Chinese companies.

“China has played a major role in the electronic component industry and Digi-Key is experiencing exponential sales growth in China,” said Mark Larson, president and COO of Digi-Key Corporation. “It is appropriate that we join this alliance which facilitates the relationships between American companies and Chinese companies to develop a clear-cut understanding of distribution guidelines and to develop the marketing research that will benefit companies throughout the entire global industry.”

The establishment of CEDA was recently celebrated at a luncheon in Shenzhen, China. There the founding companies were thanked for their contributions to CEDA. Digi-Key Corporation, along with Arrow, Avnet, WPG, Future Electronics, Mouser, element 14, RS Components, Richardson Electronics, Comtech, SZCEAC, Techtronics, Asiacom, Honestar, Shanghai Linpo, Morusun, Letdo Electronics, Jiangsu Sunlord, CE-Power, Zetron, Alignment, and Interine were recognized as founding members.

Digi-Key Corporation focuses on providing customers with superior service, which includes product selection and availability, on-time delivery, and responsiveness. Using leading-edge processes and state-of-the-art technologies, Digi-Key serves a global customer base from its 600,000 square foot facility in Thief River Falls, Minnesota, USA.

About Digi-Key Corporation

As one of the world’s fastest growing distributors of electronic components, Digi-Key Corporation has earned its reputation as an industry leader through its total commitment to service and performance. Digi-Key is a full-service provider of both prototype/design and production quantities of electronic components, offering more than 1.8 million products from over 470 quality name-brand manufacturers. A testament to Digi-Key’s unparalleled commitment to service, North American design engineers have ranked Digi-Key #1 for Overall Performance for 19 consecutive years (EE|Times Distribution Study/October 2010). With global sales for 2010 surpassing $1.5 billion, Digi-Key’s single location in North America is one of its greatest assets. Additional information and access to Digi-Key’s broad product offering is available at www.digikey.com.