RS Components and SMC Sign New Global Trading Agreement

SHANGHAI, Nov. 16, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the world’s leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products, has signed a new global trading agreement with SMC, the world leading experts in pneumatics. The agreement furthers the partnership initiated between the two companies in 2009 by incorporating several new territories including Spain, China, Australia and New Zealand alongside the UK, France, Germany and Italy. RS will have access to SMC’s complete pneumatic control equipment range.

The new global trading agreement is a prime example of how RS is working with its key strategic suppliers to meet its customers’ needs and anticipate their future requirements. The agreement will enable RS to provide a more comprehensive product range worldwide, a key element of its overall maintenance strategy, and to maintain its high standards of product availability for its customers. It will also enable RS to offer the best possible prices and service to its customers for the SMC product range, which includes actuators, connectors, and control valves and pressure regulators for pneumatics.

Kevin Thompson, General Manager Maintenance at Electrocomponents, commented:”This new agreement reinforces the importance of the partnership to both RS and SMC, not only in Europe but now globally. The combination of our high service worldwide distribution capability with SMC’s technological leadership will enable us to better serve our customers’ needs by giving them access to the latest pneumatic control technology. This strengthens our offer in the automation and control market, our primary technology focus for the maintenance sector.”

Steve Bangs, Managing Director of SMC Pneumatics (UK) Ltd, said:”We’re delighted to be furthering our successful relationship with RS. This agreement will give us even greater access to its worldwide distribution network, helping us to develop our customer base globally and increase the sales of our industry leading pneumatic control products.”