Headed up by Martin Brooks, Avnet Embedded now has over 100 employees and has extended its activities to cover the whole of Europe.

Having local labs to assist in customers` integration and to produce product demos and design references is now a necessity in this fast moving and growing market space.

"Our new structure delivers a larger pool of technical specialists, an expanded line card, and enhanced system integration expertise. Supported by local product laboratories for our customers across Europe, Avnet Embedded is ideally positioned to help our customers choose the right solution for their specific needs. The additional benefit of Avnet’s world class logistics capabilities makes our value proposition extremely compelling," says Martin Brooks, VP Avnet Embedded. "By combining the strengths of both Avnet and Abacus Embedded we have created a new organisation which is a big step toward our goal of firmly establishing Avnet Embedded as Europe’s number one distributor of embedded solutions and services."

With the new structure, Avnet Embedded has broadened its franchise portfolio and its geographical coverage. Avnet Embedded specialises in the following key product groups:

- Embedded Operating Systems and Software
- Displays - LCD panels, digital signage solutions, monitors, terminals and panel PCs
- Wireless and Networking - GSM, 3G, GPS, Bluetooth, Zigbee, WiFi and many others
- Embedded Computing - All form factors from mini ITX to industrial Box PCs
- Industrial Printers - Simple mechanisms to ruggedised A4 industrial printers

Several of the former Abacus Embedded group companies will continue to do business under their current names while operating under the Avnet Embedded corporate umbrella. This is the case for Axess Technology in France; the wireless business of TDC in the UK; and Trident in the UK, Benelux and Nordic countries. The Abacus Embedded brand name will be changed to Avnet Embedded which principally affects the former Abacus Embedded product divisions in Germany and Italy.