TAIYO YUDEN Names Digi-Key Its "2007 Distributor of the Year"

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TAIYO YUDEN (U.S.A.) INC., recently named Digi-Key Corporation—one of the world’s fastest-growing distributors of electronic components—as its “Distributor of the Year” in recognition of Digi-Key’s outstanding Year on Year growth of TAIYO YUDEN product sales in calendar year 2007. With its global distribution agreement now in year three, TAIYO YUDEN is pleased to report that Digi-Key’s sales of the company’s extensive line of passive components were up 70% compared to calendar year 2006.

“Such a dramatic sales increase of TAIYO YUDEN products shows that Digi-Key is one of the world’s premier electronics distributors and that our confidence and trust in them is well-placed,” said Hisashi Oi, President & CEO at TAIYO YUDEN (U.S.A.) Inc. “Every day, more design engineers around the world are using Digi-Key, which means even more design-wins and increased sales for TAIYO YUDEN’s top-performing passive components including multi-layer ceramic capacitors, inductors and ferrite beads. We look forward to successful outcomes again this year, and for many years to come with our good partner Digi-Key.”

“TAIYO YUDEN’s quality products and Digi-Key’s excellent customer service and logistics have proven themselves to be an unbeatable combination,” said Mark Larson, president of Digi-Key. “This combination plus the TAIYO YUDEN / Digi-Key winning-team approach has worked well in meeting the global market’s diverse, rapid-turnaround electronic component needs.”

Supported by Digi-Key’s global print and online catalogs, cutting-edge customer service and global logistics system, the sale of TAIYO YUDEN capacitors, inductors and other passive components will in most cases offer same-day turnaround of prototype quantities to help accelerate development cycles and shorten time to market of new OEM products.

About TAIYO YUDEN:

Now in its 58th year, Tokyo-based TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD. is a worldwide manufacturer of surface-mount and leaded passive components, Bluetooth modules, CCFT inverters and recordable digital media. With approximately 50% of the worldwide market in high-frequency multilayer chip inductors used in cell phones, the company reports annual sales of US$2.06B. Worldwide, TAIYO YUDEN employs more than twenty thousand people. The company’s North American affiliate, TAIYO YUDEN (U.S.A.) INC., operates sales and engineering offices in Chicago, IL, Raleigh, NC, Irving, TX, and in California at San Jose and San Diego. For further information, visit the company’s website at: www.t-yuden.com.

About Digi-Key:

Founded in 1972, Minnesota-based Digi-Key is a full-service provider of both prototype/design and production quantities of electronic components. Ranked first in Overall Performance for 17 consecutive years by the nation’s 200+ distributors (EE Times Distribution Study, August 2008), Digi-Key offers more than one million products from over 400 quality name-brand manufacturers. For further information, visit: www.digikey.com.

Digi-Key Corporation
Steven G. Tsukichi
Vice President, Strategic Operations
Chief Marketing Officer
218-681-8000, Ext 1001
steve.tsukichi@digikey.com
or
TAIYO YUDEN (U.S.A.) INC.
Yaeko Minamikawa, Marketing Analyst
847-925-0888
Fax: 847-925-0899
sales@t-yuden.com
www.t-yuden.com
or
WelComm, Inc.
Mike Gerow, PR Director
858-279-2100
Fax: 858-279-5400
mike@welcomm.com