Electro Rent Corporation has entered into North American distribution agreements with Agilent Technologies, Hioki and RAE Systems for a range of basic test and measurement products from these leading manufacturers and has created a Distribution Products Group to manage this new sales channel.

"New product distribution complements our T&M equipment rental, lease and used product business, and makes Electro Rent a more comprehensive supplier than ever before," said Senior Vice President Gary Phillips.

"We have steadily added value for our customers by broadening and deepening our T&M rental inventory, offering innovative leasing, purchase option and trade-in programs, and expanding our service capabilities geographically with new offices in China and Europe. New product distribution is the latest step toward our goal to be the vendor of choice for all of our customers' test and measurement equipment requirements.

"New product distribution has the potential to become an important source of growth for Electro Rent. We plan to support this initiative with campaigns to promote the sale of distribution products to our existing customers, and to develop new customers for Electro Rent's full range of services. We also will seek to distribute additional product lines as we gain a clearer picture of how best to meet customer demand," Phillips said.

Scott Wrinkle, a ten-year veteran in the T&M industry who joined Electro Rent in 2000, will manage the new Distribution Products Group.