Recently Avnet Embedded conducted our first customer survey. We appreciate the time you took to provide a response and for the comments you’ve shared. As you would imagine there are some things you feel we do very well and others you feel we can improve upon. In either case, we take your feedback to heart and more importantly, are developing action plans with your inputs in mind. I will share some of the key takeaways from what we heard and provide you with details about what we are working on.
Among the key priorities you would like to see Avnet Embedded make progress on are order fulfillment and inventory availability. We recognize that when we converged three distinct systems and processes into one it negatively impacted our ability to meet all of our commitments and in some cases, our ability to communicate to you in a timely manner. These are areas measured in great detail and your response regarding our performance, post-merger, validated the empirical data we track. I am encouraged by the progress we are currently making in terms of metrics on fulfillment and availability. Our on-time delivery has shown a continuous level of improvement and new enhancements to our system are enabling us to free up more inventory in order to meet your production requirements. To streamline the communication process, we are completing beta testing on upgrades we’ve made to our customer portal site. These new features will allow you to access the most current information about your backlog and shipments, online and in a secure manner. One other area you felt was a priority for us was our quote process. We are making significant upgrades in this area, all designed to process your quotes quickly and with complete information. Look for more announcements regarding our investments in the quoting process during the next few months.
I am extremely proud to say that the area you rated us very high in is our people. Our Account Managers, Sales and Marketing Representatives and Technical Support staff work hard to service your requirements and stay on top of the latest technologies and trends. I reviewed all of the comments submitted and appreciate the recognition given to specific individuals and the examples of their actions in support of your success. Never ones to rest on their laurels, our teams continue to invest in themselves through our rigorous market experts training program. These trainings are detailed and provide a deep dive into the inner workings of the technologies we support, how they are optimized across a variety of applications and the latest innovations designed to improve performance and total cost of ownership. I welcome you to ask your Avnet Embedded representative about this training program and am confident you will be pleased with what you find.
2011 has been a year of steady progress for Avnet Embedded. We have ventured through a major integration of companies and cultures to become stronger and provide higher value. The process has not been without its challenges and we appreciate your loyalty. Now that the integration is well in the past, we are continuing to improve our operations and our offerings. We have many exciting programs planned for 2012 including expansion into new markets and enhancements to our product and services portfolio. The best is yet to come from Avnet Embedded and we appreciate the opportunity to deliver tangible value to you each and every day.
Best wishes to you for a prosperous New Year.
Chuck Kostalnick
Senior Vice President
Avnet Embedded
