Emerson Thailand Overcomes Crisis with Help from RS Components

Engineer Somchai Muninta taps RS Components vast inventory and speed in delivery to help company prevail the 2011 floods in Thailand

BANGKOK, June 11, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- RS Components( http://www.rs-components.com/index.html ) (RS), the trading brand ofElectrocomponents plc( http://www.electrocomponents.com ) (LSE : ECM), the world's leading high service distributor of electronics and maintenance products, continues to be a vital support for Emerson Thailand's smooth operations in Thailand, in times of rain or shine.

(Logo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2011/05/04/20110504368830.jpg )

Recalling the monsoon season in Thailand two years ago, when severe flooding adversely affected the region, causing damage to the Emerson Thailand engineering development centre, which Khun Somchai Muninta works for. Emerson Thailand, a manufacturing and technology company, offers a wide range of process control systems, associated Instruments, end control devices and support services in the industrial markets globally. The rising waters caused a production halt in the EMS provider in Ayutthaya, Thailand by late October of 2011.

Khun Somchai is a test development engineer at Emerson Thailand Supplier Engineering Centre.

After weeks of torrential rain, all of the company's production, which involved Printed Circuit Boards (PCB) worth tens of millions of Baht, were immersed under two meters of flood waters. Emerson Thailand was forced into a three-month production halt, and operations had to be relocated. With essential circuit boards and other components soaked and damaged in water, the company needed to put its emergency contingency plan into action.

"The floods were some of the worst that my country had to suffer in decades and it was also a disaster for Emerson Thailand. For a process operations company like us, we are constantly under pressure to manage costs, maintain our on-time delivery and high quality products. Essential components are a critical part of this process and any shortfall in our inventory upsets the entire eco-system. It was necessary for us to prepare in times of emergency, and thankfully we could rely on RS Components when the floods hit," said Khun Somchai.

RS Components' relationship with Emerson dates back almost forty years. In Thailand, the majority of the company's components and parts are purchased through the RS Components website. In this time of need, Emerson Thailand was able to tap on RS Components' extensive array of components and tools available online and in stock. Khun Somchai saved vast amounts of time by ordering from one place rather than several different sources. Aided by RS Components' local language support, orders were processed seamlessly without any language barriers.

(Photo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2013/05/31/201305311623408867.html )

"We purchase mainly electronic parts such as transistors and resistors from RS Components for the development of our prototype robot models. In our business, component shortages often occur and it is crucial for us to get the parts within the shortest time. We depend on RS Components to ensure our orders arrive on time, and to date, we have never been disappointed," Khun Somchai added.

Relying on RS Components to help his company recover from a national disaster was the right decision to make and Khun Somchai decided to share his personal experience in the RS Components "Share Your Story Competition."

His real life account of how RS Components helped turn around a difficult situation resonated well with the judges and won him the top prize of a trip for two to London to tour the RS Components Global Logistics Centre in Nuneaton as well as tickets to the 2013 FA Cup Final to watch Manchester City Football Club and Wigan Athletic Football Club go head-to-head.

"Without RS Components' great service, I don't think our company would have recovered quickly enough, especially when the floods caused so much damage. In fact, we actually managed to achieve a 15 per cent growth in revenue in that same year!" he confided.

The "Share Your Story" competition was held in conjunction with RS Components' 75th anniversary in 2012. It aims to acknowledge customers' support and loyalty to RS Components, as well as their reliance on the company for its comprehensive range of quality products, prompt technical support, excellent online services and delivery efficiency.

(Photo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2013/05/31/20130531162521566293.html )

"RS Components believes in building long-term relationships with our customers and this customer recognition evidently exemplifies RS Components' commitment to the Asia Pacific market. We are very pleased to have played such an important role in helping our customers overcome their challenges, and even more so when the severe floods caused serious hardship for the manufacturing industry," said Pauline Swarbrick, Head of Sales, Southeast Asia, RS Components.

To view Khun Somchai Muninta's full story, please visit the "Share Your Story" competition( http://thailand.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=promotions/75anniversary&file=story ) website. To view all customers' testimonials, please visit: RS Components 75th Anniversary( http://thailand.rs-online.com/web/generalDisplay.html?id=promotions/75anniversary&file=story ).

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. With operations in 32 countries, we offer more than 550,000 products through the internet, catalogues and at trade counters to over one million customers, shipping around 44,000 parcels a day. Our products, sourced from 2,500 leading suppliers, include electronics, automation and control, test and measurement, electrical and mechanical components. Electrocomponents is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year ended 31 March 2013 had revenues of GBP1.24bn. For more information, please visit the website atwww.rs-components.com.

RS Components

Tan Soo Chun

Public Relations Manager - Asia Pacific

soochun.tan@rs-components.com

+65–6391–5745

The Hoffman Agency

Rasheed Abu Bakar

Senior Account Executive

rscsg@hoffman.com

+65–6361–0250

Further information is available via these links:

Twitter: @RSElectronics; @alliedelec; @designsparkRS

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

Relevant Links:

Electrocomponents plc

www.electrocomponents.com

RS Components

www.rs-components.com

DesignSpark

www.designspark.com

SOURCE RS Components