Smith Opens New Global Services Hub in Houston

The new location will add 30,000 square feet of space for the company’s Intelligent ITAD™ services

Houston, TX (June 16, 2022) – Smith, a leading global distributor of electronic components and provider of custom supply chain services, today announces the opening of the company’s new global services hub in Houston, Texas. This 30,000-square-foot expansion will complement Smith’s flagship distribution center at its global headquarters, providing a flexible space that can augment Smith’s existing supply chain service offerings.

“Smith has seen exponential growth over the last few years, and our global operational footprint has grown in tandem,” said Kirk Wehby, Chief Operating Officer at Smith. “This additional space in Houston will allow us to continue our trajectory onward and upward so that we can better serve our growing customer base here and worldwide.”

The new facility will house Smith’s U.S.-based IT asset disposition (ITAD) services, which previously operated out of the company’s Houston distribution center. The expansion will allow Smith’s Intelligent ITAD™ program to increase its process-line-area capacity by 20 percent and the process lines’ roller-line capacity by 33 percent. Equipment upgrades include ten newly purchased high-capacity drive-erasure machines, with ten more machines to be added later this year, effectively doubling the validation-line capacity.

“Sustainability is a key organizational tenet for many of our partners, which has driven them to look for environmentally friendly solutions for their retired IT assets,” said Kirk. “The secondary market for components is also helping to ease the burden of the ongoing shortages and will continue to grow as technology becomes further integrated into our everyday lives.”

The global services hub incorporates added security measures to safeguard Smith’s and its customers’ inventories. The company installed remote-operated entry gates to control delivery access and has round-the-clock security monitoring and personnel on site. The facility also includes 26-foot-high security fencing around all inventory.

Mirroring Smith’s other operational hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam, the new warehouse features strict environmental-control capabilities, including temperature and humidity monitoring and ESD-safe operational areas. The facility is recognized under the company’s certifications to ISO 9001, ISO 14001, ISO 45001, ANSI/ESD S20.20, R2, CTPAT®, and TAPA and adheres to all standards and requirements of these accreditations.

“As in all areas of our business, Smith follows and exceeds every industry best practice for security and environmental controls,” said Kirk. “Our customers rely on us to safeguard their components, and our sophisticated control systems allow us to protect products and keep them in optimal conditions from the moment they enter our facilities until they arrive at our customers’ locations around the world.”

In the next phase of Smith’s expansion in Houston, the company plans to build out its in-house testing laboratories at its flagship operational hub. The project will increase the square footage in the functionality and authenticity test labs by 45 percent and 150 percent, respectively. Additional testing equipment will be purchased and installed in both labs in the coming months.

“Since our founding, Smith has constantly evolved and innovated to meet the needs of our global partners,” said Kirk. “As the semiconductor industry continues on this path of explosive growth, we are primed and ready to provide the top-tier service and products that our customers expect of us, and we are excited to develop and strengthen both new and existing business opportunities.”

About Smith

Founded in 1984, Smith sources, manages, and distributes the electronic components that go into everything from mobile phones and computers to appliances and directional drilling systems. In 17 cities around the world, Smith’s legion of employees communicates in 50 languages and dialects and buys and sells components 24 hours per day, generating global annual sales in excess of $3.4 billion in 2021. Smith is always moving: helping manufacturers navigate market shifts; customizing supply chain solutions; testing components using cutting-edge technology. The support of Smith’s flexible Intelligent Distribution^TM model optimizes customers’ supply chains from beginning to end, including offering customized options for IT asset disposition that deliver maximum ROI, sustainability, and security. Smith’s testing and logistics hubs in Houston, Hong Kong, and Amsterdam cover critical areas like quality management, counterfeit prevention, and environmental safety. Smith’s operations, purchasing, and sales worldwide are seamlessly integrated with the company’s global IT infrastructure, offering real-time, global inventory and logistics visibility. Smith is the leading independent distributor of electronic components and ranks number seven among all global distributors. For more information, please visit www.smithweb.com or reach out to a Smith representative any time of day at +1 713.430.3000.

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For more information, contact:

Rich Witmer
Smith, Senior Director of Marketing
+1 713.430.2141