FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Asian operation furthers international expansion for America II

YOKOHAMA September 28, 2000 - Just days after breaking news of its expansion into Latin America, America II Electronics announces the opening of America II Asia in Japan.

As America II dé México sets out to do this month, America II Asia will begin servicing America II customers previously tended to by multilingual members of the distributor's North American team. David Westbrook, a veteran of electronics industry sales and management in Japan, will serve as managing director.

Already, Westbrook has assembled a staff of eight to drive America II Asia's initial purchasing, sales, and customer support efforts. Earlier this month, members of his team attended Singapore's GlobalTronics trade show for manufacturers, where they opened dialog with some of America II's existing Asian customer base and their colleagues. Westbrook reported, "We're working hard to establish America II Asia as a presence in this market. While pockets of the Asian marketplace are familiar with America II and what we have to offer, it's the biggest market in the world, and we want to be the leader."

So just how will America II ensure success for its first physical foray into the Asian market? President Jim Magee believes it will come by way of "demonstrating a deep commitment to the region - by virtue of being there and practicing the values that America II stands for in its established markets." He explains, "For America II, the plan for successfully expanding into a new market always begins with us proving ourselves - not only as a partner in sourcing, but also as a solutions provider. Already, America II Asia is coming through for customers under spot market conditions and helping them manage their excess inventories. For now, the bulk of fulfillment for these customers will be handled through the distribution center at our Florida headquarters, but stocking is definitely part of our plan for Asia," he adds.

America II Asia is the third step in America II Electronics' international expansion plan, which began with the establishment of America II Europe (Stevenage, UK) in January of this year. After opening for business in a market previously unacquainted with its brand of electronic component distribution, America II Europe shows strong evidence of having successfully "settled in" - opening a major share of multinational OEM accounts over the past four months.

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