Arrow Participates in Year 2000 High Tech Consortium.

MELVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 7, 1999--

By the end of July 1999, Arrow Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: ARW) will have completed the comprehensive Year 2000 readiness activities of its business-critical systems worldwide. These efforts will have included an independent third-party audit of the company's business-critical systems infrastructure. Additionally, Arrow has undergone a formal assessment of its operational readiness by the "High Technology Consortium (HTC)--Year 2000 and Beyond."

The HTC, whose members include Arrow, Cisco, Dell, HP, Motorola, Solectron, Sun Microsystems and other industry leaders, is a vehicle for companies to work together to assess common problems and create practical solutions for Year 2000 risk.

"We feel it is important for us to explore all avenues that will help in our Year 2000 readiness activities," said Stephen P. Kaufman, Arrow Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "By sharing information with each other, the companies participating in the HTC can avoid duplicate efforts and capitalize on the solutions or ideas that work well for others," he added. "More over, the HTC assessment provides further evidence that Arrow is well prepared for dealing with the Year 2000 issue."

Arrow formally began working on the Year 2000 issue in 1996, when it formed a dedicated team to address this challenge. The company's Board of Directors and corporate management team actively endorse the project and receive periodic updates on its progress. "Almost every Arrow employee has been involved in our Year 2000 project, from dedicated resources addressing mainframe code issues, to local project managers coordinating efforts, to individual employees who must consider how this issue might affect their daily jobs," said Nigel Bond, Arrow's Executive Director of Millennium, who oversees the company's Year 2000 readiness activities worldwide.

In addition to reducing the impact of Year 2000 disruptions on high tech companies, the mission of the HTC is to share information and practices concerning the Year 2000 readiness of suppliers and service providers; to develop standardize tools and methods for assessment; to cooperatively address common Year 2000 challenges such as the supply chain network and global infrastructure; and to provide a forum for sharing concerns and potential solutions.

The assessment of Year 2000 readiness is conducted using the HTC-Assessment Methodology(tm). This tool, developed by the organization's members, is rapidly becoming a standardized global methodology for assessing Year 2000 readiness. It also saves time and resources by reducing the need to respond to varying types of surveys for readiness assessments. More information on the HTC and its activities can be obtained from the HTC web site at www.hightech2000.com.

Arrow Electronics is the world's largest distributor of electronic components and computer products to industrial and commercial customers with 1998 sales of $8.3 billion. Headquartered in Melville, New York, Arrow serves as a supply channel partner for more than 600 suppliers and 175,000 original equipment manufacturers and commercial customers through more than 200 sales facilities and 26 distribution centers in 35 countries. Detailed information about Arrow's operations can be found at www.arrow.com.