Arrow Electric history

Entering the 1970's with $9 million of annual distribution sales, Arrow ranked no.

1971: Arrow becomes the tenth largest electronic parts distributor in the United States.

In 1974, Arrow also became the first distributor of electronic parts to introduce an online computerized inventory system to speed up delivery.

Arrow was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in 1979.

In 1982, sales held steady at about $550 million and Arrow lost $1.19 a share.

In 1984, Fortune declared that "Kaufman's arrival marks the moment at which Arrow's cruelly unconventional problem came to an end."

1985: Arrow buys 40 percent of Spoerle Electronic, Germany's largest electronic parts distributor.

Arrow resumed its growth strategy in 1988 by acquiring Kierulff Electronics, then the fourth largest electronics distributor in the United States, for $125 million.

In 1993, Arrow became the first electronics distributor to claim a global reach when it acquired Components Agents Ltd., the largest multinational Pacific Rim distributor with operations in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, China, and South Korea.

1994: Arrow buys Field Oy of Finland, TH:s Group of Norway, Exatec A/S of Denmark, and two Australian distributors.

By 1996, Arrow was the world's largest distributor measured by sales.

In 1997, Arrow bought the electronic components distribution business of U.K.-based Premier Farnell PLC. It also purchased Conson, Inc., a distributor of mass storage products, and 51 percent of Support Net, Inc., one of IBM's largest distributors of midrange servers and networking products.

1999: Arrow buys Richey Electronics and the distribution group of Bell Industries in the United States.