[Editor's Note] Mouser Electronics is a leading New Product Introduction (NPI) distributor, offering the world's widest selection of semiconductors and electronic components. Mouser serves as an intermediary between electronics manufacturers and end-users through its online platform. Based on a strategy of stocking a wide range of components from a variety of manufacturers and offering a broad selection of new products, Mouser has experienced rapid growth in recent years. To support its customers more efficiently, Mouser is expanding its global warehouses and adding state-of-the-art automation facilities. We met with Mark Burr-Lonnon, Senior Vice President of Global Sales and Service, who visited Korea for KES 2023, to hear about Mouser's global performance and goals, as well as the future outlook for the semiconductor market.


■ Please introduce Mouser's strategy and goals.

Mouser Electronics is headquartered in Texas and serves approximately 800,000 customers worldwide. Its core customer base includes engineers and small to medium-sized businesses that purchase Mouser products in small quantities. Mouser also has customers in Korea, which is why it decided to visit. Mouser is experiencing continued growth, reaching $4 billion in sales this year compared to the previous year.

Mouser's distribution goal is to bring the latest products to market quickly. Working with approximately 1,200 global manufacturing partners, Mouser ensures the fastest updates to new products. Overall, approximately 25% of Mouser's inventory consists of new products.

Mouser primarily targets design engineers. Design engineers prefer Mouser Electronics because their goal is to quickly source new products and get them to market quickly. The same principle applies to manufacturers.

In addition, I believe it is extremely important to provide information about new products to buyers. Mouser provides engineers with a variety of resources to quickly access product information, industry technology trends, and more.

■ I'm curious about how Mouser weights its inventory.

Maintaining adequate inventory is crucial for Mouser, and it leverages extensive data to achieve this. Mouser's 800,000 customers conduct searches, watch videos, and navigate its website, accumulating data on their actions.

We integrate information about customer quote requests for specific parts with information obtained from manufacturers to gauge demand for each product. We maintain an appropriate level of inventory for product groups with high demand.

Based on this, Mouser holds approximately $2 billion in ready-to-ship inventory. While other distributors claim to hold significant inventory, we understand that some of that inventory is blocked and unsellable. Mouser's unique selling point, however, is that every product listed on its website is ready to ship.

■ Mouser said it is focusing particularly on marketing. What are the effects?

Mouser believes its marketing is so effective that it can be called a "marketing company that sells parts." Marketing is a difficult area for manufacturers, which is why many choose Mouser as a partner.

Mouser promotes new and old products differently depending on the type. Mouser is exploring ways to reach customers online without the need for separate salespeople or organizations.

Currently, Google is the most effective channel. While we utilize other external sources, such as Naver Blog, we also continue to actively engage in various activities, including publishing a magazine through the Mouser website. We also host webinars and participate in exhibitions to drive traffic, ensuring that customer actions on our website lead to purchases.

■ With an economic downturn expected, what is Mouser's outlook for the industry?

The past two years have been incredibly prosperous. As mentioned earlier, Mouser's sales have grown from $2 billion to $4 billion.

Sales have stagnated this year, slowing growth. However, looking at the overall situation, I believe the industry will recover in 2024. While supply chain disruptions may impact the industry, I believe it will soon recover.

The primary reason is Mouser's continued efforts to strengthen its efficient customer support. Mouser's Texas-based warehouse supplies parts worldwide. The warehouse is targeting a 57,000-square-foot expansion by the first quarter of 2024.

This will allow Mouser to hold $4 billion in inventory, doubling its current $2 billion. Mouser will continue to pursue a differentiated inventory strategy, as maintaining a large inventory base that can be supported through its online website is paramount.

The semiconductor market, in particular, is highly volatile and influenced by market conditions, but it is expected to enter a recovery phase next year. In addition, we believe that there is potential for further growth based on the large volume of inventory held by Mouser.

■ A word to the readers

Currently, Mouser ranks 11th globally as an electronic components distributor. Reaching this position without direct sales is a remarkable achievement. Mouser is confident that with continued efforts, it can further climb to the 6th to 10th position.

As mentioned earlier, Mouser is an authorized distributor working with 1,200 manufacturers worldwide. This ensures that we use 100% authentic, traceable products. We also offer exceptionally fast shipping to Korea, and we have significantly strengthened our local workforce to provide customer support.

Mouser customers will find technical support. Design engineers can utilize the various resources available on the website to obtain a wealth of information and make purchases. If you haven't used Mouser before, I encourage you to visit, and if you already use it, I encourage you to continue using it.