Electrocomponents : New manufacturing hub in Japan complements UK production operation and expands capacity for famed Raspberry Pi microcomputer

Production of the Raspberry Pi extends to Japan to expand global capacity

Oxford, UK, 29 November 2016 - RS Components (RS), the trading brand of Electrocomponents plc (LSE:ECM), the global distributor for engineers, today announced in conjunction with the Raspberry Pi Foundation that its latest iteration Raspberry Pi 3 credit-card-sized single-board computer will be manufactured in Japan under a local contract manufacturing arrangement. This increase in global production of Raspberry Pi is to serve large and increasing demand for the popular platform in the Asia Pacific region.

'Existing models of the Raspberry Pi will continue to be manufactured in South Wales, UK, with the dual manufacturing locations in place to cater for future demand growth globally,' commented Rob Maycroft, Global Product Manager for Raspberry Pi at RS. 'Asia Pacific is a significant growth market for Raspberry Pi, and this new 'Made in Japan' element means that we are now geared up for this growth.'

All versions of the Raspberry Pi will be available to order at www.rs-online.com.

Driven by the powerful on-board 64-bit ARM Cortex-A53 quad-core processor, the first 'Made in Japan' model will be the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B, which has significantly upgraded processing capabilities and delivers 10x faster performance than the original Raspberry Pi.

The Raspberry Pi 3 is the latest iteration of the Raspberry Pi series, which has been a huge success since its introduction in 2012, with engineers and hobbyists alike. The 10 millionth Raspberry Pi was celebrated in September, demonstrating that an immensely versatile but low-cost computing platform has extraordinarily wide appeal and can provide a solution for a host of applications in education, industry, hobby electronics projects, and the maker movement. In fact, the range of applications seems unlimited.

Lindsley Ruth, Group Chief Executive at Electrocomponents, commented, 'We are privileged to be a part of the phenomenal achievement that is Raspberry Pi. It has been a huge hit in many industrial applications as well as in the education sector. RS is a key link in the supply chain of this remarkable success story, and that will continue to be the case as added production is implemented in Japan.

'At RS we are confident that this expansion of manufacturing into Japan will see the Raspberry Pi phenomenon continue to grow globally. As 'computing everywhere' increasingly becomes the 'new norm' there will undoubtedly be increased growth opportunities in industry, education, and the growing maker movement. As we see the proliferation of smart home, smart factory, smart grid and smart city applications, the Internet of Things (IoT) is set to be a huge growth driver for Raspberry Pi,' continued Ruth. 'Already the Raspberry Pi has become a laptop - the 'Pi-top', a build-your-own laptop, teaches the basics of computer architecture and enables students to access and modify the hardware capabilities of the laptop, not only the software.'

A range of Raspberry Pi Starter Kits is also available from RS at www.rs-online.com. The Starter Kit comes in three versions, including the 'official' high-quality kit and the lower-priced premium and value kits, meeting the needs of a range of customers and budgets. Time-saving and convenient, these Starter Kits allow users to begin their prototyping and development projects as soon as they have the board in their hands. Backed by RS's smooth ordering process, including optimally convenient online ordering through the RS website and by the company's promise of on-time delivery, the Starter Kits represent great added value.

The Raspberry Pi 3 Starter Kits are yet another example of how, backed by almost 20 years of experience in the Asia Pacific region, RS strives to offer brilliant customer experiences through innovative solutions, serving the needs for tomorrow's procurement, asset management and design projects.

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About RS Components
RS Components and Allied Electronics are the trading brands of Electrocomponents plc, the global distributor for engineers. With operations in 32 countries, we offer more than 500,000 products through the internet, catalogues and at trade counters to over one million customers, shipping more than 44,000 parcels a day. Our products, sourced from 2,500 leading suppliers, include electronic components, electrical, automation and control, and test and measurement equipment, and engineering tools and consumables.

Electrocomponents is listed on the London Stock Exchange and in the last financial year ended 31 March 2016 had revenues of £1.29bn.

For more information, please visit the website at www.rs-online.com.

Editorial Contact
Aakriti Kaushik
PR Manager - EMEA
RS Components
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www.electrocomponents.com
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