ARROW NEWS

Beyond Components

Chris McAneny, Arrow’s marketing director, argues that distributors must embrace hardware and software platforms as well as on-board and off-board components if they are to meet the needs of European application developers.

Factors ranging from low cost overseas competition to fewer students choosing engineering disciplines at University mean that European OEMs face significant challenges in both finding and funding in-house electronic engineering resources. Because of this, in recent years we have seen a growing trend for OEMs to turn to the distribution channel for support in everything from basic component identification and selection to comprehensive design-in and prototyping.

For companies looking to develop applications from the ground up, this trend will continue and, as a result, distributors must continue to make significant investment in the resources and the infrastructure that can deliver the appropriate technical services to these customers when and where they need them. However, with many companies looking to reduce the development overhead still further in terms of both time and cost, there is now a very real opportunity for distributors to take things to a new level. This new level means not only providing and supporting discrete on-board and off-board components, but delivering and supporting platforms and subsystems that go beyond the device to simplify and speed the application development process.

Platforms and Subsystems

While there may be no formal definition in the context of distribution, we can define platforms and subsystems as ‘system level’ technologies or modules – technologies that help to reduce engineering, prototyping and testing requirements by providing an off-the-shelf or configurable ‘plug-and-play’ solution to one or more of the functional blocks comprising the overall application design.

So, using this definition, what technologies are we actually talking about? Certainly products such as LCD segment and TFT displays (including associated touchscreen solutions) fit within the definition, as do critical subassemblies such as AC/DC and DC/DC power supplies and converters. Wireless technologies such as Bluetooth, Zigbee and GSM modules, in addition to portable and fixed memory storage products are also good examples of platform rather than component level technologies. In essence, therefore, we can view platforms and subsystems as those technologies that allow the designer to rapidly implement and configure certain aspects of their design, thus freeing them to concentrate valuable engineering resources on aspects of the application that will deliver all-important competitive advantage.

The Embedded World

Taking our definition of platforms and subsystems to the logical conclusion means that distributors must also embrace the concept of embedded design by offering embedded hardware and operating system platforms.

Arrow’s own hardware offering, for example, covers industrial PCs and embedded computer systems from manufacturers such as Advantech and Kontron. These provide a variety of CPU options and form factors including single board computers (‘biscuit’ SBCs) designed to provide compact computing performance in the form factor of a 3.5" or 5.25" hard drive and x86 computing platforms that are compatible with industry-standard ISA or PCI-based card slots. Computer on Module (COM) and System on Module (SOM) solutions that are compatible with COM Express, PCI, ATCA, CompactPCI, ePCI-X and VME board level applications, as well as PC/104 CPU and peripheral modules that provide for simple and rapid feature expansion, are also important. In addition, products such as Kontron’s multimedia flat panel converter and controller boards simplify the implementation of Human Machine Interface (HMI) designs based embedded PC applications.

Of course, when it comes to embedded applications, hardware is only one part of the story - true application specific functionality comes from the deployment of the appropriate operating system software and intellectual property on top of the chosen hardware and OS. It is for this reason that Arrow UK recently signed a distribution agreement with Microsoft, which has further strengthened the company’s ability to provide embedded and subsystem solutions to customers.

Under the terms of the new agreement, Arrow is offering customers in the UK and Ireland the full range of Windows® Embedded software including Windows Embedded CE 6.0 and Windows XP Embedded (Windows XPe), which is effectively a ‘componentised’ form of Windows XP Professional. Arrow is also providing a range of toolkits that accelerate product development, Platform Builder for Windows CE and Target Designer for Windows XP Embedded. In addition, the agreement with Microsoft also covers the embedded, restricted versions of Windows XP Pro and Windows Vista.

Arrow Embedded Solutions - Putting it All Together


Platforms and Subsystems

The figure summarises the range of technologies and suppliers that Arrow has brought together under the umbrella of its own platform and subsystems strategy. Many of these are detailed in a recently launched subsystem catalogue. As the diagram shows, as well as the products already described, this particular platform approach also encompasses key silicon devices such as processors and memory and accessories such as antennae and cables.

Distributors that augment their existing component product and support capabilities with platform and subsystem solutions will not only be able to meet the changing needs of their existing customer base, but are also likely to find new customers that, previously, they would not have been able to supply. What’s more, there is an argument that distributors that adopt such an approach can better protect their local markets, because customers who purchase at the system level are less likely to migrate application integration and customisation offshore.

While it may be undefined, as yet, it seems clear that the market for distributors able to deliver everything from on-board and off-board components to complex embedded systems is likely to be significant. In order to address this market successfully, such distributors must ensure that they have the right mix of suppliers and complementary hardware and software technologies on the linecard and are able to provide customers with the necessary support to deploy these technologies quickly and cost effectively.