Avnet has completed the acquisition of Bell Micro for roughly $631 million. The acquisition is the largest in Avnet’s history on a revenue basis, and will strengthen Avnet’s position in three target markets: Americas and Europe, and Latin America, according to Avnet Chairman and CEO Roy Vallee. Here are some quick details about the Avnet-Bell Micro combination, and Vallee’s global ambitions.

Bell Micro is a value-added distributor specializing in storage and computing technology. With roughly 1,900 employees, Bell Micro had sales of approximately $3.0 billion in calendar year 2009. Avnet’s ability to acquire a $3 billion company for only $631 million shows just how difficult it is for distributors to command high valuations amid heightened competition.

For calendar year 2009, Bell Micro’s revenues came from North America (42%), Europe, the Middle East and Africa (41%) and Latin America (17%), Avnet says.

Avnet’s Vallee seems to be focusing heavily on acquisitions across the globe. Indeed, Avnet in May 2010 acquired Tallard Technologies, a value-added distributor headquartered in Miami, Fla., and focused on Latin America. And in April 2010, Avnet used an acquisition to expand its reach into the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Avnet in late 2009 also scored a long-anticipated relationship with Cisco Systems, though many distributors are now jumping on Cisco’s Unified Computing System (UCS) bandwagon — proving that differentiation in the distribution market remains difficult.

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