Digi-Key Pledge For Independent Manufacturers’ Rep Council Helps Smooth Transition to New Organizational Structure
Atlanta, GA – Digi-Key has announced that it is providing $15K in financial support to assist in the recent launch of the Independent Manufacturers’ Representative Council within ECIA. Dave Doherty, President & COO of Digi-Key Electronics commented, “Manufacturer Reps are an important member of our industry’s supply chain and we continue to view them as a strategic partner in our pursuit to serve our mutual end customers. We are proud to continue our legacy of offering financial contributions towards their worthy initiatives in supporting the authorized supply chain.”
“On behalf of the Manufacturers’ Rep Council I want to thank Digi-Key for this generous pledge,” said Alan Ahern, President of Crowley Associates, and newly elected Chairman of ECIA’s Independent Manufacturers’ Rep Council. “This financial commitment from Digi-Key on the distribution side coupled with the reorganization helps give the rep community a stronger voice in the Association. The Rep council has aggressive initiatives and this pledge will help make them a reality benefiting the industry while strengthening the Association to become an even more vital advocate of the authorized channel.”
The Electronic Component Industry Association (ECIA) recently announced a structural reorganization reflecting input from a series of interviews and an extensive member survey. ECIA’s primary mission, to promote and improve the business environment for the authorized sale of electronic components by manufacturers, their reps and distributors, hasn’t changed. But the new structure creates forums for each of the Association’s constituents to both discuss the unique challenges they face as well as develop potential solutions to common industry issues. The outputs from these forums enhance the broader discussions through working groups like the Global Industry Practices Committee (GIPC) wherein ECIA brings industry leading companies together to address the opportunities and challenges within the authorized channel.
Bill Bradford, CEO of ECIA explained, “As a result of our bylaw changes, ECIA will both represent a collective voice of the electronic components industry and provide a forum in the form of three distinct councils to discuss topics more exclusively in the domain of manufacturers, distributors or independent manufacturer reps. We are thrilled that Digi-Key has stepped up as the first entity to support the rep council.”
Implemented at the fall Board of Directors meeting held in Monterey, California, the new structure comprises a streamlined Board of nine Directors and three Councils made up of component manufacturers, distributors and manufacturers’ representatives, respectively. These three Councils report directly to the Board of Directors. The Distributor, Manufacturer and Manufacturer Representative Councils are each made up of 12 executives from member companies with responsibility for suggesting Association priorities, while setting and overseeing their Council’s specific agenda and initiatives.
Each council has elected representatives to the ECIA board of directors, which now consists of four from the Distributor Council, four from the Manufacturer Council and one from the Manufacturer Representative Council. The new Board and Councils will meet in person twice a year, with an opportunity for the Councils to meet individually and in a joint council session wherein common issues can be aired and discussed.
