AsiaNet 47203

SINGAPORE, Nov. 9, 2011 (ANTARA/PRNewswire-Asia-AsiaNet) --

New office will bring enhanced services to customers in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region

RS Components (http://www.rs-components.com/index.html )(RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the world's leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products, has announced the opening of its new office in the International Business Park in Singapore.

(Photo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2011/11/08/20111108130915152646.html )
(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2011/05/04/20110504368830.jpg )

The new 20,000 sq feet office represents part of the company's increased investment in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region. In addition to the continued investment in personnel and infrastructure, RS Components has implemented a new call centre, which will provide its customers with faster, more integrated communication channels.

The expansion of the company's Singapore operations is the latest in a series of initiatives with the aim of delivering enhanced services to customers in Asia Pacific. These include increasing the local product range in the region, a revamped website, and a new world class logistics facility in China.

The Singapore office is an important regional hub because of its strategic geographic location, advanced logistics and IT infrastructure, and skilled talent pool. It also plays a key role in managing and supporting the operations in Asia Pacific. Regional functions such as eCommerce, marketing, product marketing, and supply chain management are being strengthened to meet the demands of the fast growing business.

The company's business expansion is being driven by a diverse set of customers from many industries, including electronics design, manufacturing, oil and gas, transportation and renewable energy.

"Apart from a strong manufacturing base, we believe that Asia will be leading the next wave of global innovation within the next few years," said Richard Huxley, Regional General Manager, Asia Pacific, RS Components. "R&D spending in Asia is growing at a fast rate, accounting for 35.3 percent of the global spending on R&D. (Note 1) The Singapore Government has also recently announced that it would invest S$16.1 billion to support research, innovation and enterprise activities over the next 5 years. (Note 2) Our continued expansion and investments in the region are poised to leverage on these opportunities and enable us to maintain our position as the preferred long term partner for engineers across all industries within Asia Pacific."

About RS Components

RS Components and Allied Electronics are the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc, the world's leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products. Through operations in 32 countries and 17 warehouses, the Group serves 1.6 million customers worldwide and 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. The Group ships more than 46,000 parcels on the same day the orders are received.

Electrocomponents is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year to 31 March 2011 had revenues of GBP1.18bn.

For more information, please visit the website at www.rs-components.com.

Note 1: 2011 Global R&D Funding Forecast: Stability Returns to R&D Funding
Note 2: National Research Foundation: Speech by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, at TECHVENTURE 2011, 13 October 2011

Further information is available via these links:

RS Components on Linkedin
http://www.linkedin.com/company/rs-components

Electrocomponents
www.electrocomponents.com

RS Components
www.rs-components.com

Contacts:

RS Components
Tan Soo Chun
PR Manager - Asia Pacific
Tel: +65-6391-5745
Email: soochun.tan@rs-components.com

SOURCE: RS Components

Editor: PR Wire
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