Top 10 Connector Manufacturers

By Ron Bishop | August 10, 2021

The 2020 top 10 connector manufacturers collectively achieved $38.1 billion in annual sales in 2020, which accounted for 60.8% of global connector demand and is up from 2019’s market share of 60.2%.

Every year, Bishop & Associates takes a comprehensive look at the connector industry in all its complexity, evaluating the activities of more than 750 connector suppliers over both the past year and past decade to gain a broad perspective on the industry and determine the top suppliers. In 2020, the top 10 suppliers collectively achieved annual connector sales of $38.120 billion, which accounts for 60.8% of world connector demand and is up from 2019’s market share of 60.2%.

The 2020 top 10 connector manufacturers as defined by global connector sales are TE Connectivity, Amphenol, Molex, Luxshare Precision, Aptiv, Foxconn (FIT), Yazaki, JAE, J.S.T., and Hirose. This is a slight change from 2019, when Rosenberger held the number 10 spot.

When comparing the growth of the top 10 over the last five years with that of the total connector industry, it is not surprising to see that the top 10 suppliers grew more than the overall market, achieving 4.8% growth versus 3.8% respectively. As Bishop has indicated in the past, much of this can be attributed to acquisitions made by the top 10 suppliers over the last decade. And it doesn’t appear to be ending; in July 2021, TE announced that it would acquire ERNI Electronics GmbH, #46 in the 2020 top 100, and Amphenol announced its acquisition of Positronic Industries, #79 in the 2020 top 100, in February 2021. Two other top 100 companies that have merged in 2021 are Aces Electronics, #49, and Genesis Technology, #92.

The following table showcases the top 10 suppliers’ market share since 1980.

2020 Top 10 Connector Manufacturers by Product Category

The largest product category for the 2020 top 10 connector manufacturers was PCB connectors. Aggregate PCB connector shipments by the top 10 companies accounted for over 65% of total PCB connector sales.

The second largest product category for the 2020 top 10 connector manufacturers was application-specific connectors. This category of connectors, which includes several connector types used in automotive applications, also accounted for over 65% of total combined sales of total application-specific connectors.

2020 Top 10 Connector Manufacturers by End-Use Equipment Sector

With connectors used in just about every conceivable end-use equipment market, usage is spread a little more evenly across the market sectors within the top 10. In 2020, automotive and telecom/datacom each accounted for close to 80% of the connector usage among the top 10.

What makes the top 10 stand out even more, though, is that these companies accounted for over 50% of five other end-use equipment sectors. Only in the instrumentation, industrial, and military/aerospace categories, where connectors must generally meet specific environmental and physical requirements, did the top 10 not account for over 50% of connector sales.

Identifying the best connector companies in a highly competitive, rapidly evolving marketplace is not easy. This selection of insights from Bishop & Associates’ new “Top 100 Connector Manufacturers” report provides a starting point for evaluating potential supply chain partners.

Top 100 Connector Manufacturers

For an in-depth look, Bishop & Associates’ 10-chapter research report is a complete analysis of the world’s top 100 electronic connector manufacturers. The report provides detailed statistics that benchmark the leading connector manufacturers by total sales, sales by end-use equipment market and product category, and many other key industry metrics. The report also goes even further to examine suppliers at every tier, including small specialists and strong regional suppliers, and provides all of the key data needed to analyze each of the top 100 worldwide electronic connector suppliers. Click here for more information.

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Ron Bishop

President at Bishop & Associates Inc.

Ronald E. Bishop founded Bishop & Associates Inc., a market research firm that specializes in the world electronic connector industry, in 1985. The firm publishes “The Bishop Report,” a monthly research newsletter and connectorsupplier.com, a twice-monthly electronic publication. A staff of 20 researchers produces reports centered on geographic regions, end-use equipment markets, connector products, and interconnect technologies. The firm also provides executive placement services, conducts multi-client studies and customer surveys, and assists in merger-and-acquisition activity. The US headquarters is located in St. Charles, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. The firm also has offices in Brussels, Belgium; Sidney, Australia; and Hong Kong.