SINGAPORE, Aug. 2, 2011 (ANTARA/PRNewswire-Asia-AsiaNet) --
Phenomenal growth in DesignSpark online design community to 50,000 members and over 100,000 downloads of free DesignSpark PCB tool
RS Components(RS) the world's leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products and the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), has celebrated the first anniversary of its online DesignSpark electronics design community and resource centre, and its free DesignSpark PCB design software tool.
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Since its launch in July 2010, DesignSpark has become the fastest growing online community for electronics engineers, with more than 50,000 members now registered. Recent user testing confirmed the demand among design engineers for trusted and reliable online resources that bring together design information, user generated reviews and free-of-charge tools to accelerate the design process.
The free, fully featured DesignSpark PCB tool, which has been the key driver for visitors to the online community, has logged in excess of 100,000 downloads since its introduction one year ago. Providing access to a full suite of video tutorials, examples and a parts library, the professional tool is valued highly by engineers who are converting from other industry products to DesignSpark PCB.
Version 1 of DesignSpark PCB won the New Product Introduction of the Year award from Printed Circuit Design & Fab (PCD&F) magazine and in March 2011, RS released version 2 of the PCB tool with additional 3D view capability. These new features, along with other updates, were implemented as a direct result of feedback on the DesignSpark community from users of the tool.
Glenn Jarrett, Head of Electronics Marketing at RS Components commented, "One year on, the unprecedented growth achieved for the adoption of DesignSpark and DesignSpark PCB shows indisputable evidence that design engineers want access to free downloadable tools, the ability to read reviews and blogs, and to communicate with their peers, manufacturers and industry experts. A recent survey conducted among 1,000 DesignSpark members across the globe revealed that engineers are not only using the community to download information but are actively engaged in sharing knowledge and creating new content."
Further information about DesignSpark and DesignSpark PCB is available at www.designspark.com.
ABOUT RS COMPONENTS
RS Components is the world's leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products serving 1.6 million customers worldwide. Through operations in 32 countries and 17 warehouses, the Group distributes 550,000 products ranging from semiconductors and optoelectronics to power tools and protective clothing. The product and service portfolio supports the entire product lifecycle from R&D through pre-production to maintenance and repair, shipping more than 46,000 parcels on the same day the orders are received.RS Components and Allied Electronics are the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc. The Group is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year to 31 March 2011 had revenues of 1.18bn Pounds. For more information, please visit the website at www.rs-components.com.
Further information is available via these links:
Twitter: @RSElectronics; @alliedelec; @designsparkRS
Tweet: RS Components
Hashtags: #ecommerce #electronics
RS Components on Linkedin
http://www.linkedin.com/company/rs-components
Relevant Links:
Electrocomponents plc
www.electrocomponents.com
RS Components
www.rs-components.com
DesignSpark
http://www.designspark.com
Media Contacts:
RS Components
Petrina Seah
External Communications Manager - Asia Pacific
Tel: +65-6391-5719
Email: Petrina.Seah@rs-components.com
SOURCE: RS Components
Editor: PR Wire
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