Premier Farnell and Micrium sign global distribution agreement enhancing element14’s ‘knode’ interactive design automation hub

14 July 2011 – London – In line with the Group’s focus on providing engineering design solutions, driving business to the web and growth in emerging markets, Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl) today announced a global distribution agreement with Micrium, a leading supplier of embedded RTOS solutions for the global engineering community.

Micrium is a global RTOS leader and a top choice for embedded design engineers building microprocessor, microcontroller, and DSP-based solutions. Micrium’s commercial RTOS components are increasingly the preferred solution when compared with both open source and competing alternatives. Applications include medical, military and aerospace, industrial, consumer, and telecom.

In this agreement, Micrium will extend their product and marketing support to Premier Farnell, and collaborate on new product information via the element14 knode, Premier Farnell’s revolutionary online design platform that is exclusively focused on the needs of electronic design engineers. The element14 knode provides one interface to a world of engineering design solutions. It supports the completedesign flow from concept to final production and is unique in enabling engineers to research, design, develop, and prototype manufacture in a single, intelligent environment.

The element14 knode is unique in providing a single on-line platform for performing all of these activities. Based on an engineer’s initial specification it automates the creation of explicit dependencies and inter-relationships with other system level components to quickly build a custom design flow – whether it be development kits, design tools, operating systems and stacks, intellectual property or services such as PCB design and manufacture. These have all been integrated into one convenient place: the element14 knode – KNOwledge forDesign Engineers.

“This global distribution agreement with Micrium is an integral part of our business strategy to enhance the Premier Farnell value proposition by continually developing and growing our already extensive line card of leading technology suppliers to satisfy the evolving requirements of our customers worldwide,” said David Shen, Group Senior Vice President and Global Head of EDE and Technical Marketing of Premier Farnell. “We are excited by this new distribution agreement with Micrium which will undoubtedly give us further opportunities to attract new design engineering customers worldwide.”

“We are delighted to be able to partner with Premier Farnell at such a significant stage and are proud to become a part of the world’s first revolutionary design automation platform – the element14 knode,” said Jean Labrosse, founder, CEO and President of Micrium. “We are impressed with what the new functionality has to offer and would like to see our collaboration assist with its further development.”

About Micrium

Micrium provides the highest quality embedded software components by way of cleanest source code, unsurpassed documentation, and customer support. Starting with Micrium’s flagship product, µC/OS through its complete line of software, Micrium shortens time to market throughout all product development cycles and builds products that address today’s increased design complexity.

For additional information, visit: www.Micrium.com.

About element14

Launched in June 2009, element14 is the first, innovative information portal and eCommunity specifically built for electronic design engineers. It provides product data, design tools and technology information, whilst incorporating Web 2.0 functionality to facilitate communication, interaction, collaboration and information sharing between colleagues around the world. Users can consult experts, discover trends, post blogs, articles and comments in this world-wide forum.

Since its launch element14 has surpassed all of the targets set, has garnered overwhelmingly positive feedback from customers and suppliers alike, and is now attracting more than 24,000 visitors a week with new user profiles created each day.

element14 is an innovative offering from Premier Farnell plc (LSE:pfl), FTSE 250, a leader in multi-channel distribution and specialty services for electronic design engineers throughout Europe, the Americas and Asia Pacific. It has a stocked range of 450,000+ products, and access to 4,000,000 more items from 3,500 top manufacturers. The company has group sales of £990.8m and over 4,100 employees globally.

For more information visit: www.element14.com.

About Premier Farnell

Premier Farnell plc is leading the way in the high service, multi-channel provision of essential products, information, software and technology solutions to electronic design engineers, maintenance and repair engineers and purchasing professionals globally. Its differentiated proposition includes 29 local language transactional websites, and the critically important element14 ecommunity for design engineers – an industry first (www.element14.com). With sales last year of £990.8m and underlying profits of £93.3m the Group distributes its comprehensive portfolio of products and services throughout Europe, North America and Asia Pacific, supported by a global supply chain of over 3,500 suppliers and an inventory profile developed to anticipate and meet its customers’ needs. Recently awarded Platinum status by the Business in the Community Corporate Responsibility Index the business takes its CSR commitments very seriously.

While global in scope, Premier Farnell recognises the individual needs of each market and has continued to internationalise its model accordingly, trading locally under different brand names. Its primary electronics businesses trade as Farnell in Europe, Newark in the US, Canada and Mexico and Farnell Newark in Brazil. Across Asia Pacific the business trades as element14.

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