October 2026 Connector Industry News

Upcoming industry events, as well as recent award, partnership, promotion, personnel, facility, distribution, standards, association, and certification news from across the connector industry.

October 2026 Connector Industry News

October 2026 Connector Industry News > Event News

IWCS celebrates its 75th anniversary with this year’s IWCS Cable & Connectivity Industry Forum, November 1-4,  in Orlando, Florida. This annual event includes a technical symposium featuring previously unpublished technical papers, plenary session with a keynote speaker, supplier exhibition, panel discussions, executive session, professional development courses, and more. The keynote speaker will be Matthew Griffin, an ward-winning futurist and expert in disruption and innovation, geopolitics, leadership, and technology.

October 2026 Connector Industry News > Award News

Sager Electronics has been named one of OTTO Controls’ Platinum Distributors for 2025, the tenth consecutive year OTTO Controls has recognized Sager for its performance, including seven times attaining Platinum status. Sager has also been named OTTO Controls’ Overall Top Performer for 2025.

The Würth Elektronik lab at its Quality Design Center Asia in Shenzhen has been awarded the world’s first TDAP Stage 2 certificate for the product “choke for suppressing electromagnetic interference” by VDE Prüf- und Zertifizierungsinstitut GmbH. This entitles Würth Elektronik to conduct tests in its own lab at its Chinese site under the supervision of VDE experts. The test results are recognized by VDE and, if successful, can lead to VDE certification. The VDE Institute’s TDAP (Test Data Acceptance Program) accelerates the certification process and reduces time to market. Specifically, the certification of the laboratory in Shenzhen means that Würth Elektronik is permitted to conduct acceptance testing of its common-mode chokes in accordance with IEC 60938. Assessment of the lab at the recently expanded Quality Design Center (QDC) Asia was accompanied by intensive technical discussions. The successful certification was followed by a presentation ceremony in Offenbach, where Yangyang Chen, Head of Würth Elektronik’s facility in Shenzhen, received the certificate.

October 2026 Connector Industry News > Acquisitions & Personnel News

FDH Electronics acquired Peerless Electronics Inc., a franchised distributor of electromechanical components. Established in 1945, Peerless has a long history of supplying switches, circuit breakers, sensors, and relays to more than 3,000 aerospace, defense and industrial customers. The organization stocks approximately 35,000 SKUs and represents over 50 manufacturers. Beyond component distribution, Peerless operates an authorized Value-Added Assembly Center out of its Hauppauge, New York, facility. The company offers more than 50 customized services, including custom switch panels, custom circuit breaker panels, and military-qualified packaging. Peerless holds AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 certifications and meets CMMC Level 2 compliance requirements, supporting its work in highly regulated markets. William Gallucci, President of Peerless, will remain with the company in a senior leadership role.

Harwin announced the acquisition of KEC, an EMC interconnect backshell specialist. KEC has a reputation for creating exceptionally rugged interconnect technologies for the aerospace, defense, and high-end industrial sectors. Like Harwin, it is UK-headquartered and has a long-standing commitment to quality: certified to ISO9001 and EN9100, with this commitment backed by decades of stable management and continuous innovation. The company’s products sit alongside Harwin’s HRi connectors in a huge number of systems: with circular and D-type EMC backshells, glands, and panel fittings, as well as bespoke solutions that conform to the most exacting standards.

Dr. Isaac M. Daniel, civil and mechanical engineer, educator, and researcher, died on September 3, 2026, at 92. Daniel leaves an engineering legacy through his achievements in experimental mechanics and advanced composite materials that fundamentally shape how modern industries understand material fracture, damage, and structural life prediction. Daniel studied civil engineering and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees and a Ph.D. from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He remained at IIT after completing his doctorate, including work with its research programs and the Mechanics of Materials Laboratory. In 1982, he joined Northwestern University, where he became the Walter P. Murphy Professor and a professor of mechanical, civil, and environmental engineering, and an internationally recognized authority on experimental mechanics and composite materials. Through decades of leadership as a professor at Northwestern, and his creation of the “Northwestern Theory” failure model, his work continues to inspire and guide generations of aerospace, civil, and mechanical engineers in designing safer, more resilient advanced structures. In 2023 he published Seven Miracles: Surviving the Holocaust in Greece, a personal account of his and his family’s survival during Nazi occupation.

October 2026 Connector Industry News > Facility News

Weidmuller USA announced that kitted options of the CUBESERIES Industrial Relay line are now assembled in the USA at the company’s recently opened Richmond production facility. This offers a more resilient, responsive supply chain, faster fulfillment, and a larger portfolio of products to North American customers. The move reflects Weidmuller’s continued investment in U.S.-based manufacturing and supply chain responsiveness. By assembling kits in Richmond, Weidmuller can provide shorter delivery times, increased supply continuity, and local support for customers building control panels, industrial machinery, and automation systems across North America. Watch: CUBESERIES relay modules and assembly of the relay kits.

October 2026 Connector Industry News > Partnership and Distribution News

Sager Electronics has been certified by TDK-Lambda as a Value-Add Reseller (VAR) for the MU Series of configurable power supplies. The certification authorizes Sager to assemble and test application-specific MU Series configurations at its Lewisville, Texas, facility, making Sager the only distributor in the United States with the capability to assemble the final modular MU Series product. The designation follows an extensive qualification process in which Sager demonstrated its ability to meet TDK-Lambda’s stringent assembly, testing, and quality requirements.

October 2026 Connector Industry News > New Technical Resources

Mouser’s new eBook in collaboration with Qorvo, High-Performance RF Solutions for Agile New Markets, explores next-generation RF wireless designs for drones, satellite communications, and industrial IoT. The book addresses time-to-market pressures, coexistence issues, power-efficiency demands, and system complexity by leveraging wideband components and proven off-the-shelf solutions to enable more agile RF development.

Harwin announced a new online interactive Connector Selector tool that simplifies interconnect specification. The connector selector tool will be available via Harwin’s website complementing the company’s existing technical support and digital resources. These include a virtual showroom, cable configurator, availability checker, and downloadable CAD models from Supplyframe and TraceParts. Rather than relying on series names or part numbers, engineers and buyers can use the tool’s visual, guided interface to quickly find the right connector configuration, without navigating long lists, multiple tabs, or complex instructions. Searches can be refined by requirements including the number of contacts, current/power per contact, contact pitch, connector type and configuration, the mounting and termination style, operating environment, and mechanical requirements. Through this, the features can be rapidly changed, guiding customers to the most relevant configuration and part number for their needs. Datasheets, drawings, 3D models, and product specifications are generated with real-time renderings of CAD models created to download.

Mouser supports design engineers with its online alternative energy resource center by providing technical content and practical insights for developing cleaner, more efficient, sustainable, and decentralized energy systems. This resource center supports advances in renewable generation, energy harvesting, and smart grids, connecting emerging energy concepts with the components and design approaches needed to implement them. Renewable energy is evolving from an emerging technology area to a core consideration in component and system design. Mouser’s resource center provides engineers with insights into the electronics and infrastructure needed to make energy reliable, sustainable, and scalable.

DigiKey launched Season 6 of Factory Tomorrow, a video series highlighting how manufacturers and technology suppliers are building the foundation for the next generation of industrial production. From AI-enabled data centers powering Industry 4.0 to the networks that move power and data across the factory floor, this three-episode season of Factory Tomorrow explores how industry leaders like Phoenix Contact and Belden are helping manufacturers build more connected, intelligent factories.

October 2026 Connector Industry News > Association, Standards, & Certifications News

Single Pair Ethernet System Alliance and SPE Industrial Partner Network have merged to create a new unified entity, Single Pair Ethernet Association (SPE Association), representing members from more than 130 leading manufacturing and technology companies worldwide. With this decision, approved unanimously by the leadership of both networks, the two previously independent organizations are consolidating their expertise, activities, and memberships. SPE Association integrates existing members of the two founding networks, ensuring that their established knowledge base and extensive experience will fully contribute to the work of the new association. Under the SPE Association identity, members will build momentum and accelerate the development, standardization, and global market adoption and implementation of SPE technology for industrial communication, automation, and IIoT. SPE technology streamlines Ethernet connectivity by transmitting data at high speed and longer distances through a single twisted pair of wires instead of the traditional two or four pairs. SPE can be used in a wide variety of industrial environments, especially in applications where minimizing weight, space, or cost is essential. The newly formed SPE Association aims to strengthen visibility regarding the significant advantages of SPE-enabled industrial automation and to support a robust industry, user, and research forum, allowing a close alignment of technical content, market activities, and international initiatives.

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