New electronics trade association to complement existing bodies

According to chairman Adam Fletcher, pictured, the organisation is looking to 'promote positive collaboration throughout the electronic components supply network to benefits members and the economy'. However, Fletcher emphasised that ECSN will complement, rather than comp compete with, existing trade associations. "Intellect, for example, is a lobbying organisation and we'll be providing information to it. But we don't want to compete with Intellect." ECSN has evolved from Afdec – the Association of Franchised Distributors of Electronic Components. "Afdec is in its 40th year," said Fletcher – also Afdec chairman. "There are a lot of positives and the organisation has seen collaboration between its members; even those which are competitors. We have built a lot of trust and we don't want to lose that." However, Afdec will not disappear; it will represent the distribution sector as one of the ECSN's five supply based groups. The others will cover academic and materials research; component manufacturing; customers; and end of life/reuse. These will be supported by groups addressing operations and compliance; environmental legislation; and financial control, sales and marketing. "Our objective," Fletcher continued, "is to extend the reach of the association over the next five years by addressing the needs of our members and by building on the solid foundations created by Afdec." Although launching now, ECSN will not be fully formed until the beginning of 2010.