I've noticed that CPC has the URL http:://cpc.farnell.com so I'm assuming it's a partner company of Farnell? Also I've stumbled across http://onecall.farnell.com/ - what do all these companies have in common/what's the difference?
Thanks
I've noticed that CPC has the URL http:://cpc.farnell.com so I'm assuming it's a partner company of Farnell? Also I've stumbled across http://onecall.farnell.com/ - what do all these companies have in common/what's the difference?
Thanks
It's quite common, each one is a subsidiary of the larger company, they will all supply slightly different ranges.
It's a much easier way to organise a larger distribution company, as you can separate out the products between different work forces
For example, they may separate things by type of product, material, or other factors.
Such as, where i work, we source steel fasteners from one, stainless steel from another, socket fasteners from another and other things from another, but every one of the companies is part of one group and is situated in the same area.
Last edited by TAKTAK; 21-08-2009 at 11:34 PM.
watercooled (21-08-2009)
Yeah that makes sense. Thanks![]()
A few years ago Farnell went on a bit of a spending spree, RS was getting bigger and they thought that buying up other distributors would give them access to more products and appeal to a wider range of companies. It seems to have worked for them.
Premier Farnell. Parent Company.
Farnell. Business use.
Newark. American subsidiary, gave Farnell a good sized chunk into a new market(for them) Also gave them access to brands that they hadn't stocked before. Just be careful when using the Farnell website, a big chunk of Newark components can be bought, but you'll pay £15.95 postage. Sometimes well worth doing. They also duplicate the same components in searches, with the Newark price being much cheaper, just be warned, you will have to pay tax if you go this route.
CPC. Aimed at the home hobbyist, like Maplin but with better buying power.
Onecall. First time i had heard of this. Seems to be for University's and the education market.
But Premier Farnell don't seem to be doing this. They have massive amounts of components that are duplicated over the full family. They seem to be aiming a division by market, but with a single front end/buying system.
bsodmike (22-08-2009),watercooled (22-08-2009)
Well they are doing it, just not fully, due to the nature of cross compliance within different industries specifications, so they have separated out their catalogue in terms of different sectors, but they have still separated out their catalogue, a vast majority is not duplicated, it is only the standard items that are.
watercooled (22-08-2009)
Can you still buy from Farnell for non-business? They seem to stock a wider range of components.
yeah you should be able to. my dad is a profecional electronic engeneer and he is constantly ordering stuff from there. and its constantly arriveing the next day on time.
but when hes at home for his home projects he set up a account and can do no prob.
just if they as for a company or a business, make one up and stick that in, it doesnt matter to them as long as you order stuff
watercooled (22-08-2009)
I've ordered off Farnell countless times, minimum order of £20 ex VAT but free next day delivery.
watercooled (22-08-2009)
I'm another fan of Farnell. Hmm, I said 'fan', but why! The service is great, and they have never missed a promised delivery. Of the many thousands of £ I've spent with them I even got my most recent oscilloscope from them. They carry a lot of the more specialised bits that Maplin tend not to.
The other company I've used for many of my Uni and commercial projects is Rapid. I only go to them if Farnell does not happen to stock something similar (which is of course, quite rare) or if it boils down to a matter of convenience. I remember seeing the charges for the Newark supply and always stayed away, as you can (in most cases) find an alternative product that does *not* come from that distributor.
A friend of mine did tell me once though, if you have a trade account that you can get a discount on orders. The website has/had some order codes a while back but they were for 'big orders', and the discounts were rather minimal (<15%). Also, if you are in Leeds, you can arrange to collect any orders at the counter in person; this might be true for other locations too.
watercooled (22-08-2009)
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