Companies Team To Tackle Inventory Management

Compiled ByDeborah Austin Montreal-based Eicon Technology Corp., a C$163.5 million (US$107 million) provider of Internet access products, has teamed with Arrow Electronics Inc. to open a new Raw Material Center in Montreal. In the center, Arrow will provide a range of inventory services to ensure uninterrupted supply of electronic components to Eicon's contract manufacturing partners. With Eicon's growth, it had become clear that traditional materials-and vendor-management approaches would no longer satisfy its needs, says William Nash, vice president of manufacturing. The new model "will provide Eicon with the elements needed to reduce manufacturing cycle time, improve time to market, and allow faster responses to customer demands." Arrow, a US$9.3 billion distributor of electronic components and computer products, is headquartered in Melville, N.Y.