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Farnell element14 is a high service distributor of technology products and solutions for electronic system design, maintenance and repair. Operating in 28 countries across Europe, with two regional distribution hubs in Belgium and the UK, it employs over 1200 people. It is the European trading brand of global electronics distributor Premier Farnell plc, which is a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index listed on the London Stock Exchange. ==History== The company was founded by Alan Farnell and Arthur Woffenden in 1939 in Leeds under the name of A.C. Farnell Limited. It was first listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1966. The company was located next to the Wetherby railway station: as it grew it moved into larger offices on the town's Sandbeck Industrial Estate, and then in 1995, into offices in Armley. Originally selling radio parts it later broadened its product range to focus on the wholesale market. In 1996, it went on to buy the Premier Industrial Corporation, a leading United States distributor, and in doing so changed its name to Premier Farnell. Premier Farnell underwent rapid strategic transformation starting in the mid-2000s, from what was essentially a catalogues and trade counter business into a major e-commerce operation operating globally. The then CEO, Harriet Green, presided over these changes from 2006, culminating in her being awarded the OBE in 2010 for services to the electronics industry, before moving on to Thomas Cook Group on 30 July 2012.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Thomas Cook's Harriet Green: 'My challenge in life is achieving balance' )〕 These changes emphasised a focus on the high-margin electronic design engineering sector, while maintaining a strong core business in engineering maintenance, repair and operations. Ensuring that the company was well prepared for the introduction of the EU’s Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive 2002/95/EC (RoHS) on 1 July 2006 saw Premier Farnell reap increased sales of 13.7% across Europe.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Premier Farnell sees a boost from RoHS business )〕 Premier Farnell introduced the element14 brand name in 2010, replacing the legacy brands of Premier Electronics, Farnell and Farnell-Newark with Farnell element14 and Newark element14. The name was taken from silicon, the 14th element in the Periodic Table, which is widely used in electronic components such as integrated circuits and discrete semiconductors. Green also championed diversity, setting targets to make sure that every recruitment shortlist for the middle and senior management posts had a mix of people to ensure "the best chance of getting the best person to do the job in question".〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=Thomas Cook's Harriet Green: 'My challenge in life is achieving balance' )〕 The company has continued to innovate under Green’s successor, Laurence Bain, who has introduced a major upgrade to the website’s core functionality, coded New Web Platform, which has been several years in development and is purported to greatly improve the customer’s user experience. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Farnell element14」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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