Arrow Electronics knows its target market. The company is a leading global distributor of electronic components and computer products, alongside rival Avnet. It sells semiconductors, passive components, interconnect products, and computer peripherals to more than 100,000 equipment manufacturers and commercial customers. Arrow also provides value-added services, such as materials planning, design and engineering, inventory management, and contract manufacturing. It distributes products made by such manufacturers as  IBM, Panasonic, Microsoft, and Intel. The company operates from some 460 locations across the globe (serving more than 85 countries); half of its sales comes from the Americas.