Chip specialist Insight Electronics' latest foray on the Web entails teaming up with HelloBrain.com, an Internet-based company specializing in the management of intellectual capital exchange for technology solutions (see Sept. 11, page 160). By partnering with HelloBrain.com in a global and private exchange arena located on Insight's Web site, Insight can offer engineers a place to post their design project needs and get help from the company's field-application engineers (FAEs) and technical consultants around the world. The key word here is "collaboration."

The Hello.brain approach gives customers "access to solutions in this marketplace today where there is a very big shortage of engineers and engineering talent," said Greg Provenzano, president of Insight (San Diego).

In today's electronics industry, where time-to-market means everything and demand creation is the buzzword, distributors are looking for new ways to become a strategic link between customers and suppliers. And the Internet may provide it.

Using the online space, technical distributors can offer the same services they offer off-line, but faster. These include demand-creation services-the expertise of design engineers and FAEs as well as their suppliers' wares-to solve complex design problems. In return, customers get instant access to engineering expertise, reduce search time for products and technologies, and ultimately get to market sooner.

One of the biggest advantages for engineers in using these Internet-based technical exchanges is the ability to get help immediately, whether they are next door or in a different time zone.

The focus in the future for highly technical distributors will center around online design support, utilizing their global engineering communities to support customers 24/7 and create more demand for their suppliers' products. As a result, expect to see more technical distributors partnering with Internet-exchange companies as more of them crop up on the Web. You can already see the trend with recent announcements by two industry-led e-marketplaces, eHitex and e2open, that are chanting the same mantra: "collaboration, collaboration."