Archives

State of The Industry Business in general for the Connector Industry as we close out the 1st quarter of 2017 is very good and the outlook for the future is bullish with the continued expansion of electronic devices into all aspects of modern life from cars that drive themselves to the Internet of Things (IoT) connecting many devices/appliances in our homes to our hand-held devices so you can control almost all the functions in your home, from lights to HVAC to security systems from any location to the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT) where companies are connecting their manufacturing equipment to central locations to better control costs, product quality and equipment maintenance. Fortunately for the Connector Industry all of these applications require connectors and cables to enable them. All and all the future for the Electronic Connector Industry seems very bright indeed.   Mergers and Acquistions & Other News HARTING, Elgin, IL, a Technology Group, family owned and based in Germany of connectivity solutions that focuses on multiple levels, from the machine to the device and into the communication infrastructure, has expanded their global partnership with Arrow Electronics, Centennial, CO, a global provider of products, services, and solutions to industrial and commercial users of electronic components and enterprise computing solutions. A correlating agreement was signed between Arrow Electronics and HARTING at the fair trade “electronica” in Munich. Arrow Electronics has..

State of The Industry Business for the electronic Connector Industry remains strong as we close out the first half of the year and the future seems very bright indeed, with many new applications, some that require new manufacturing methods coming up practically every day from stretchable electronics for a wide range of patient monitoring systems in the medical industry which require more malleable connectors that can bend and stretch, to the newest robotic surgical systems. The medical electronics industry is growing in leaps and bounds. The Automotive Industry also continues to add more and more electronic systems to even the lowest cost vehicles for safety systems, Bluetooth connectivity, engine control and monitoring systems, to the newest, vision and wireless communication systems that allow cars to drive themselves. All of these trends are continuing to drive the connector content of autos higher and higher. Even in the commercial building and manufacturing / automation sectors there are many new applications such as PoE (Power over Ethernet) distributive networks that deliver power and signal over standard low-voltage cabling to everything from lighting, HVAC controls, cameras and other network sensors and devices. PoE is a synergistic asset for enabling IoT (Internet of Things) which will continue to expand what you can control remotely from almost anywhere on the planet. The good news for the connector industry is that all these new technologies / applications..

State of The Industry Business for the electronic connector industry has been very strong so far for 2017 with sales for the industry projected to grow by some 7 to 8% over 2016 sales of 54 billion. Interestingly the top ten connector manufactures in the world accounted for almost 60% of global connector sales last year, with US based companies claiming the top 4 positions with some 22 billion in sales or about 41% of the worlds connector sales. Asian based companies comprised the other 6 of the top ten spots on the list 4 from Japan one from China and one from Taiwan. The demand for new connectors will continue to grow as electronics find their way into all kinds of new applications from refrigerators to coffee pots. All and all demand for all kinds of new connectors should keep the electronic connector industry going strong well into the future. Mergers & Acquisitions & Other News Hellermann Tyton in Milwaukee, WI is a global leader in cable management and protection products, identification systems and network connectivity solutions, has signed an agreement with TTI, Inc. in Fort Worth, TX a Berkshire Hathaway company, an authorized specialty distributor of interconnect, passive and electromechanical (iP&E) components and the distributer of choice for industrial and consumer electronics manufacturing worldwide. The new alliance comprises a wide range of Hellerman Tyton’s innovative, commercial-grade cable ties..

State of The Industry As the first quarter comes to a close business for the electronic connector industry is booming right now, pretty much across the whole industry. The automotive sector is without a doubt one of the busiest right now with things like blue tooth networks, satellite navigation systems, infotainment systems and lane departure warning systems, all becoming standard equipment along with complex engine management systems, ABS braking systems and airbag safety systems that are already standard equipment on most cars. That does not include the drive towards self-driving cars which need a whole network of sensors and computers. The good news is that all of this technology is driving the connector content in new cars thru the roof. These systems all need much more robust, reliable, standardized, and affordable interconnects and cabling. This trend of more electronic content in today’s cars is actually changing the basic electrical systems in automobiles. intelligent bus systems are replacing simple cable connections; intelligent distribution boxes are replacing simple ignitions and fuse boxes. As the electronics content in the average car become more and more sophisticated, the number and variety of connector types being designed into vehicles is growing rapidly: sealed, unsealed, RF, I/O rectangular, and high-voltage/high- current connectors all have a place in today’s automotive designs. This trend will keep the Automotive segment of the electronic connector industry growing for years to..

State of The Industry 2018 has been a very good year for the electronic connector industry with every sector reporting strong sales and growth. This strength is driven by trends for applications in the medical, automotive and communications industry. The most notable increase is in communications, where they are continuing to make their networks faster and more dependable for everything from simple phone calls and texting to applications that demand more band width and faster speeds. In 2019, we will see the roll out of the next level of wireless communications systems as we go from 4G to faster more robust 5G networks. This will redefine what you can do with and expect from your smart phone or other wireless devices. We will see support for all types of hi data usage applications like streaming of videos, transfer of large amounts of data for a wide range of applications, powering the internet, connecting everything from your home security system, HVAC systems, refrigerators, hot water heaters, lights and much more remotely. Commercial applications are driven with the theme of complete autonomy and efficiency to include vending machines that remotely re-order product, perform self-diagnostics for maintenance and repair to autonomous cars that will require fast dependable networks, so they can inter-face safely with other connected vehicles and traffic control devices, as well as the sophisticated sensors and on board computers needed to..

 State of The Industry 2018 was a very good year for the Electronic Connector Industry with all the segments of the industry reporting strong growth. As we begin the new year 2019 business seems to have slowed somewhat. What is important is the new design and development activity is very  high, so I think this slight slowing of sales is just a pause in what should continue to be another very good year for the Electronic Connector Industry. The current trade negotiations with China may also be an indicator in playing a part in the slight slowdown. The long term technology trends that are driving the industry’s growth right now are strong and will ultimately keep the industry growing for a long time to come, after all the connector industry is a major enabler to the electronics revolution we have been experiencing over the last 40 years.  Going forward the industry is changing and growing as the larger connector companies add all types of capabilities to their line of products and services, no longer content with just making connectors and doing some value added work putting a cable assembly together.  They have been adding additional enabling products and technologies such as Flex circuits, Sensors, and Electronic Module assembly to better continue to grow and support the ever evolving electronics industry. The key industries and technology that continue to be the..

State of The Industry Business for the electronic connector industry remains steady although conditions for many segments are a little bit soft which in some cases can be attributed to the ongoing trade negotiations between China and the USA. These negotiations are causing enough uncertainty for companies to be somewhat conservative going forward. The impact of these negotiations appear for now at least to be temporary in nature as the future for the electronic connector industry is still quite bright. Demand for new connectors and cables to support the roll out of 5g networks, which are going to finally enable the full promise of the internet of everything to be realized. Supporting everything from self-driving cars to vending machines that reorder automatically, autonomous farming equipment, delivery trucks and even mining equipment that will allow operators to control their equipment from remote locations, to streaming movies on your hand held device, 5G networks when fully implemented will completely change the things we can do with our wireless devices and continue to fuel growth going forward and this is just in the communications segment of the industry. Likewise, new technology in the medical segment of the industry in everything from new electronic diagnostic equipment to centralized patient record keeping systems in hospitals, to remotely monitoring of patients conditions over the internet. So despite overall business conditions being a little soft at this..

  State of The Industry As 2020 begins we find that business for the electronic connector industry has strengthened since the last quarter of 2019 and is in good shape with most sectors projecting strong growth, for 2020 as the overall industry is projected to grow by 5%. The Automotive Sector will continue to be a major driver of that growth, as the ever increasing electronic content in new cars and trucks continues with not only the last gadgets for both drivers and passengers, such as connecting every car to the internet for so drivers and passengers will have access to the internet for streaming of video content and allowing for remote locking and unlocking of your car, remote starting etc. As well as enabling cars to electronically report operating issues that can notify drivers to maintenance problems like low tire pressure, low oil pressure, high engine operating temperatures that need to be addressed before a problem occurs, but also safety items like lane departure warning systems, automatic braking systems to avoid frontal collisions, 360 degree vision systems, all needed to eventually have fully autonomous self-driving autos. One thing all these safety and convenience systems have in common is they heavily depend on a wide range of Sensors. These trends can be seen in the 2019 acquisitions of the larger connector manufactures that are driving to be more than just..

Hi Everyone,                                                                                                                                                                                     June 1, 2020 I just wanted to take a moment during these incredibly challenging times to reach out to all my friends in the connector industry. It has been a long three months since this whole mess started and I know it seems like everything is spinning out of control. Many of you are working, or a least trying to work, from home while others are unemployed and trying to find a new opportunity. The good news is that states are starting to open up again and we will get through this. The economy was vibrant and opportunities abounded in the electronics industry before the Coronavirus pandemic struck. Those trends like the drive to roll out 5G networks, to support everything from autonomous cars and automated farm equipment, to the next generation of smart phones and artificial intelligence are still in place. While companies have temporarily been restricted on how business is being conducted, they are still focused on the long-term need of making current products and developing new ones. There is a silver lining to all of this and I believe that we will see an..

State of The Industry 2020 was a challenging year for everyone. Companies had to learn to adapt to forced closures; employees working from home offices; delayed deliveries of raw materials and finished components. But as it turned out business for the electronic connector industry remained stable compared to 2019. One thing that the industry in general learned in 2020 was that it’s not a good idea to have so much of its manufacturing and intellectual property concentrated in China, a country that is complicated both economically and politically. Most companies underestimated the risks associated with Chinese government oversight, government-owned or controlled companies, and sharing intellectual property with Chinese partners. As a result, 2020 saw a move to bring some manufacturing out of China to other locations both back in the US and Europe as well as other locations in South East Asia. Automation is a key technology that will help to keep costs down as more and more manufacturing finds its way out of China. Automation is one of several intertwined technologies that is reshaping nearly every industry, including manufacturing, energy, agriculture, logistics, building management, infrastructure, and service none of which would be possible without the Internet of Things which will connect appliances, HVAC systems, lights and security system for homes and business, as well as autonomous vehicles. "Industry 4.0" which refers to the combination of several major innovations in..