Premier Farnell (element 14) sold to Daetwyler Holding AG - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: m100
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 08:24:15 am
content: Daetwyler Holding AG (DAE.S) said on Tuesday it has agreed to buy Premier Farnell Plc (PFL.L) in an all-cash offer that valued the British electronic component distributor at just over 1 billion Swiss francs (732.12 million pounds).Altdorf, Switzerland-based Daetwyler, which distributes more than 500,000 electronics products under brands like Nedis, said the combination would create a group with total revenues of 2.5 billion francs.http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-datwyler-acquisition-idUKKCN0Z00HV

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 08:27:48 am
content: It seems like this forum needs a mergers and acquisitions section.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 08:34:07 am
content: That's no good. They already own ELFA distrelec.QuoteAll they could tell about farnell.

author: m100
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 09:02:35 am
content: Quote from: wraper on June 14, 2016, 08:34:07 amEven Wikipedia has morehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Premier_FarnellSadly their own history page has very few entries from the last centuryhttp://www.premierfarnell.com/our-company/history

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 09:17:01 am
content: Has the whole world forgotten all the instruments Farnell used to make? Oscilloscopes, multimeters, power supplies, waveform generators, etc.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 09:50:02 am
content: QuoteSince when did Farnell make the RPi?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 09:50:42 am
content: Quote from: coppice on June 14, 2016, 09:17:01 amIIRC they never made a thing, they just rebadged.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 09:52:22 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on June 14, 2016, 09:50:02 amMaybe someone didn't do their due diligence properly?

author: mettlerr
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 09:52:56 am
content: Interesting.... I worked for Daetwyler AG in Altdorf quite some time ago. They also own one of the biggest distributors of electronic parts in Switzerland: Distrelec.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 09:53:12 am
content: That includes Cadsoft Eagle PCB as well BTW.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 09:59:58 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on June 14, 2016, 09:50:02 amThey make some part of them. Embest in China. Though the right word would be manufacturer.Quote

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 10:04:30 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on June 14, 2016, 09:50:42 amMost people rebadge some things, and Farnell were probably no different. However, the Farnell Instruments I used in the 70s and 80s were their own products. They were a well regarded supplier of basic instruments back then. I just noticed that Wikipedia says they sold off their manufacturing operations in 1995, to concentrate on distribution.

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 10:21:05 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on June 14, 2016, 09:50:42 amWell, I had a big an heavy Farnell power supply, like 40V 50A and it was made in the 70's or 80'sThis was 100% Farnell made and not rebadged, it had Farnell name and logo on the PCB.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 10:28:24 am
content: Quote from: HighVoltage on June 14, 2016, 10:21:05 amWe had some Farnell supplies that were so damned heavy they had to sit under the bench. I seem to remember Farnell also made modular SMPSes, as drop in replacements for the ones from Advance (the only people to make robust reliable 240V SMPSes in the 70s), but they sucked.

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 10:30:51 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on June 14, 2016, 09:50:42 amDidn't they have a range of in house designed PSUs or were they all bought in too?

author: m100
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 10:48:58 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on June 14, 2016, 09:50:02 amFarnell do manufacture it (as do Electrocomponents / RS) and have done for averylong time now.Only the Pi Zero is a 'Raspberry Pi manufactured product' and even then it is contracted out hence the huge backlogsQuote from: coppice on June 14, 2016, 10:28:24 amFarnell did a linear PSU that could do 60V @ 50A , capable of rack mounting but were so heavy ours were on castors. Used to blow a few 13A fuses just getting the smoothing caps 'full'edit add link & weighthttp://www.advanceproductservices.co.uk/data/H.pdf79kg for the H60/50, the H30/100 is 86kg.The equipment design and manufacturing was still in Wetherby long after the move of the rest of the organisation to Leeds (with their new offices and distribution warehouse etc)

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 11:20:44 am
content: Quote from: wraper on June 14, 2016, 08:34:07 amAnd i thought RS was the official reseller

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 11:34:30 am
content: Quote from: CJay on June 14, 2016, 10:30:51 amMy main bench PSU has been a Farnell LS30-10 for about the last 30 years.

author: 3db
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 14, 2016, 12:00:18 pm
content: Farnell and RS are both the official distributors of the PI.That's been the case since the PI began.They may have financed the production of it,not sure.I think most PI's are made at a Sony facility in the UK.

author: daddario
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2016, 07:23:58 am
content: Interesting shift for the electronics component market, at least for Europe, as both Farnell and ELFA are now essentially the same company.Wonder, if the creation of the Liège location had something to do with it? Also an interesting timing for the acquisition, considering what's going on in Britain currently...

author: CJay
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2016, 03:23:35 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on June 14, 2016, 11:34:30 amMine being the L30BT and a Kikusui monster for the high current stuff.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 15, 2016, 07:48:50 pm
content: I just hope they don't cut back on the quick deliveries or start charging for orders below a certain value. Generally speaking Mouser is cheaper than Farnell and having a minimum order amount may tip my balance to order more from Mouser.

author: Zad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 16, 2016, 02:11:54 am
content: Farnell (FEC) is local to me in Leeds, so I'm sad to see a local business bought out. I suspect a lot of people in Leeds right now are wondering what the future holds for them - the first thing that usually happens in these instances is that they start closing places down and making redundancies. They have to make that money back!There is quite a lot more info here about the relationship between Farnell Electronic Components, Farnell Instruments and various other companies.http://www.advanceproductservices.co.uk/About-Us.htmlSomething that's worth knowing for the smirk factor along is that they own both Bonar and Wayne Kerr...Note that they upped sticks and moved to the other end of the country in 1994. Shortly followed in 1995 by disappearing up their own power port, name change blahblah. I can imagine how many engineers and technicians were willing to move hundreds of miles.

author: HwAoRrDk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 17, 2016, 10:59:40 pm
content: Quote from: Zad on June 16, 2016, 02:11:54 amA laughable thing about that is that the old Farnell facility in Harlow stagnated in a semi-abandoned state for a few years, then got totally demolished to make way for an enormous brand new distribution warehouse for Comet, who then promptly went bust a couple of years later! And that's now sitting empty and unoccupied too.

author: MT
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 18, 2016, 12:29:52 am
content: Quote from: wraper on June 14, 2016, 08:34:07 amYes and Elfa prices sky rocketed after the purchase!