EL SEGUNDO, CA, February 1998 - International Rectifier (IR) announced today that all their commercial power semiconductor products will now be available from Avnet through Hamilton Hallmark.

"We are pleased to bring a major player like Hamilton Hallmark into our distribution network," said Jim Monteverde, vice president for distribution at IR. "We believe that their outstanding brand recognition and brand equity will reflect well on IR's marketing position as a leader in power conversion. In addition, Hamilton Hallmark's penetration into key markets will strengthen our relationships with existing customers, and their impressive customer list will provide us access to major accounts that we have not served in the past. In short, this agreement is a major step forward for IR in better serving our customers and growing our business."

Hamilton Hallmark was equally excited about the prospects for the relationship. "Hamilton Hallmark looks forward to entering a new relationship with IR," stated Charles Smith, president of Hamilton Hallmark. "IR's excellent market acceptance in power products will complement the Hamilton Hallmark line card in this important technology. Our customers have requested IR products and we will now be able to support our broad base of customers."

The agreement includes: the complete line of HEXFET^® power MOSFETs, WARP Speed^TM and other families of IGBTs, a complete range of input rectifiers, a comprehensive selection of Schottky diodes including the latest low voltage versions, all of IR's power ICs for lighting, motor control and power supply applications, and the complete range of IR microelectronic relays for industrial and telecommunications. All products will be available from stock and as part of Hamilton Hallmark's comprehensive value-added programs, including in-plant stores and terminals, and POURS^® automatic stocking and replenishment.

Hamilton Hallmark is an industry-leading, value-added distributor of semiconductors, connectors, passive components, computer peripherals and materials logistics services to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) throughout North America. Information about Hamilton Hallmark and its franchised suppliers is available on the world wide web at http://www.avnet.com. Hamilton Hallmark is a member of Avnet's OEM Marketing Group (OMG). Avnet OMG is an operating group of Avnet, Inc. (NYSE:AVT), a Fortune 500 company with annual sales exceeding $5.4 billion.

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