Panasonic Industrial Europe honoured Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente GmbH with the award "Winner Distributor Sales Campaign 2008". In doing so, the manufacturer honoured the highest percentage growth rate in the segment of alkaline batteries during the last year. The pan-European partnership between the two companies has been in place since 2005 and includes the entire battery product range.

Rutronik received the award "Winner Distributor Sales Campaign 2008" for continuously strong growth in Panasonic products during the last year. The increase in turnover results in the main from on-site customer support by FAEs and product managers as well as business development, which the distributor ensures with 81 sales branch offices in 27 European countries. This way, Rutronik was able to generate half of its turnover from design-in projects. High-quality and innovative products from panasonic target mainly the industrial market. Rutronik distributes the entire product range, which comprises alkaline, lithium, lead, nickel-metal hydride and lithium-ion batteries.

"Due to its product innovations, wide market acceptance and high-quality products, Panasonic is an important partner to us", states Jörg Ciper, Marketing Director Electromechanical Components at Rutronik. "The award from one of the world's largest battery manufacturers shows once again that our strategy to focus increasingly on design-in was successful. This means that going forward into this year, we will continue to pursue our focus on design-in projects and, together with our manufacturer, enhance our presence with customers."

About Rutronik (www.rutronik.com):
Rutronik Elektronische Bauelemente GmbH is one of Europe's leading broadline distributors for semiconductors, passive and electromechanical components in addition to wireless products, displays as well as embedded boards. To round off the product portfolio Rutronik also offers
storage technologies from its subsidiary company Discomp.
The markets that the company primarily targets include the automotive, telecommunications,
consumer goods and industrial electronics industries. Wide-ranging services, competent transfers of expertise in the areas of product development and design, as well as logistics and supply chain management solutions round off its customer and future-orientated range of goods and
services. The company, established by Helmut Rudel in Ispringen/Germany in 1973, employs about 1,150 staff throughout Europe and achieved sales of EUR 600 million in fiscal year 2008.