April 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.

April 2026 Connector Industry News

April 2026 Connector Industry News > Award News

Harwin announced its Distributor of the Year Awards, with DigiKey declared the Global Winner 2026. Harwin highlighted DigiKey’s exceptional performance to its business, helping to drive year-on-year growth across all territories. DigiKey also took home the Global e-Commerce Distributor trophy. Regional winners were Avnet, Distributor of the Year for Europe; iConnexion, Distributor of the Year for Asia; and Mouser, Distributor of the Year for the Americas. Additionally, the Manufacturer’s Representative of the Year, selected by Harwin’s U.S. team, went to JF Kilfoil. 5 Star Awards, awarded to individuals whose contributions go significantly above and beyond, were presented to Jeff Ziegler (JF Kilfoil) for his work in the Americas and Ray Zhang (iConnexion) in Asia. In Europe, two 5 Star Awards were presented: Daniel Ostermeir (TTI) and Carlos Sanchez (Avnet). See the full list of winners here.

April 2026 Connector Industry News > Personnel & Acquisitions News

Molex has completed the acquisition of Smiths Interconnect, a subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Smiths Group plc, marking a major milestone in Molex’s vision to enable technology that is transforming the future and improving people’s lives. Smiths Interconnect brings a diverse portfolio of complementary products and advantaged capabilities in ruggedized custom connectors, contacts, RF components, and optical transceivers for harsh environments. Smiths Interconnect also brings leading semiconductor test capabilities that complement Molex’s data communications and data center solutions to support growth in AI, along with a strong medical interconnect capability to support Medtech customers. As the largest acquisition in Molex’s history, the addition of Smiths Interconnect positions Molex to drive innovation across the high-reliability interconnect market, encompassing aerospace and defense, space exploration, industrial, medical, and semiconductor test industries. The combination of Smiths Interconnect’s capabilities with Molex’s global footprint, engineering strength, culture, and financial strength enables Molex to deliver increased value to customers around the world. This acquisition expands Molex’s global footprint to over 90 plants across 22 countries, and its global headcount to over 55,000 employees. This news builds upon the November 2024 acquisition of AirBorn by Molex, a foundational milestone in serving customers in the aerospace and defense market. 

Christian Gysin, Dipl. El. Ing. (FH), EMBA HSG, assumed his position as Chief Technology Officer at the HARTING Technology Group on March 1, 2026. Gysin began his professional career in 1990 at Endress + Hauser Flowtec AG and went on to hold various management positions at ABB in Dättwyl, Switzerland, and at Basler Zeitung Medien AG, Switzerland. In 2010, he assumed responsibility for the technical department at Multi-Contact AG (now Stäubli International AG) and, from 2016 onwards, led the company’s global engineering. From 2021 until his departure, Gysin served as CTO of the Electrical Connectors Division at Stäubli International AG.

April 2026 Connector Industry News > Facility News

Mikron’s new Fine Tune Hall assembly facility (FTH2) is now fully operational in Boudry. With an additional 3,600 m², it doubles the company’s assembly space alongside the existing hall (FTH1) and strengthens its ability to deliver increasingly ambitious automation projects. The new space provides Mikron teams with a modern, functional environment where performance meets innovation. Fully integrated into the development of the BoudryNext project and more than an expansion, FTH2 embodies Mikron’s commitment to raising the standard of automation and transforming every project into a lasting success.

April 2026 Connector Industry News > Partnership and Distribution News

Indium Corporation has executed a long-term offtake framework agreement with Flash Metals USA Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Metallium Limited (MTM), for the supply of critical metals recovered using Metallium’s Flash Joule Heating technology. This partnership furthers Indium Corporation’s position as a major provider and processor of essential metals that support a healthy domestic supply chain. Under the agreement, Indium Corporation will purchase metals recovered from secondary raw materials and electronic scrap through Flash Metals USA’s recycling operations, including gallium, germanium, copper, tin, gold, and indium. The agreement, with an initial term of 10 years with automatic five-year renewal options, establishes a robust and diversified supply chain for U.S.-based recovery of strategic metals. This sourcing and recycling agreement highlights Indium Corporation’s commitment to sustainability in the U.S. and around the world. The company operates its own metals and compounds reclaim and recycle program that provides specialized recycling services for the electronics, semiconductor, display, battery, and other specialty material industries.

April 2026 Connector Industry News > New Technical Resources

Mouser Electronics expanded its comprehensive Autonomous Vehicle (AV) resource center focused on the system architectures and design constraints shaping production-ready autonomy. The hub examines how sensing, in-vehicle networking, and vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communications feed real-time decision systems, and why safety, cybersecurity, and ethical edge cases increasingly define what “deployable” means in the field. Developed with input from Mouser’s technical team and manufacturer partners, the AV Resource Hub provides a curated library of articles, blogs, eBooks, and product information. Topics span perception and sensor fusion, deterministic networking, functional safety and cybersecurity, ethical decision logic, and regulatory considerations, framed through the lens of practical system integration.

Samtec Inc. offers in-house Upscreen Testing services to meet the highest levels of reliability assurance required for mission-critical applications. This new service is primarily designed for military and aerospace customers, and the testing is specifically designed for how customers use Samtec’s commercial off-the-shelf interconnect products. Each order includes a full test report. Upscreen testing at Samtec includes Lot Screen Testing (which incorporates electrical, mechanical, and manufacturing tests) and Qualification Conformance Testing (QCI; which includes lot screen testing as well as shock, vibration, and extended life evaluations). Samtec Upscreen testing incorporates elements of MIL-DTL-55302 as well as NASA’s EEE-INST-002 standards and EIA-364 test methods, depending on customer needs. Examples of test data captured during Samtec’s Upscreen Testing include insulation resistance (IR)/dielectric withstanding voltage (DWV), mating/unmating, and solderability, similar to MIL-DTL-55302 requirements. Specific test reference documents include: EIA-364-23 (Low Level Contact Resistance Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors and Sockets), EIA-364-13E (Mating and Unmating Force Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors and Sockets), EIA-364-20 (Withstanding Voltage Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors), EIA-364-21 (Insulation Resistance Test Procedure for Electrical Connectors), and JEDEC J-STD-002D, Method A (Solderability Test for Component Leads, Terminations, Lugs, Terminals, and Wires). Contact Samtec’s MAP team  to develop a testing approach tailored to specific application requirements.

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