Featured Articles
  • Three Companies, One Mission: Reduce Plastics in Electronic Connectors

    The search for a regenerative bioplastic is on! Connector companies partner with a biomaterial specialist to find a viable alternative to petroleum-based plastics for the electronics industry and beyond. Connector manufacturers Harwin and Nicomatic have teamed up with biomaterial innovation specialist The New Materialist to develop bio-based alternatives to petrochemical plastics. Their mission, the NivoraRead More

  • XPO, Addressing the I/O Panel Bottleneck

    Introduced at OFC 2026, the new XPO pluggable modules provide a solution to the challenges of signal density, thermal management, field serviceability, and power efficiency. Continuing advances in artificial intelligence face multiple constraints including power consumption, access to memory, thermal management, and limitations of copper connectivity. Solving these challenges could still result in hobbled systemsRead More

Technology

5G Brings Future Transportation Scenarios Closer to Reality

High-speed 5G communications are key to widespread adoption of autonomous ridesharing. High-speed connectors, fiber cabling, and the Internet of Things will all play a role. By Neil Shurtz Today, there’s widespread investment in the idea that someday private car ownership will be a thing of the past. Instead, cars will be self-driving and owned byRead More

Connectors for Military Applications Speed Navy Communications

Updating shipboard communication systems with fiber optics and high-speed technologies requires a bevy of high-performance, specialized connectors for military applications. Advanced communications technologies are a critical focus for naval system developers. As new equipment takes to the seas, connector makers are being asked to provide high-speed components that are simple and easy to use and meetRead More

Strong Connector Sales in 2018 and a Possible Forecast for 2019

Bishop & Associates visited with connector company CEOs at electronica 2018. Sales this year have been largely very good, but the connector industry forecast for 2019 remains unclear. Most connector manufacturers at the electronica 2018 trade fair, which took place November 13–16 in Munich, were able to look back upon a very successful 2018, asRead More

Polyamide Cable Protection Systems Provide High-Reliability Solutions for MIL-C-5015 Connectors

Specialized conduit systems designed to adapt to MIL-C-5015 style connectors are available in several different highly engineered formulas to suit a variety of rugged military, aerospace, and industrial application demands. By George Sims, Director of Marketing, AerosUSA High-quality cable protection solutions are now available for MIL-C-5015 and UNEF-threaded connectors. These connectors traditionally come with backshellsRead More

Designers Innovate in Response to Global Interest in e-Bikes

The phrase “to soft pedal” may have to be reviewed as e-bikes experience encouraging growth. Connector developers are helping e-bike designers make these next-gen two-wheelers lightweight, rugged, and reliable. By Caroline Hayes e-bike In 2015, singer Katie Meluha told us that there were nine million bicycles in Beijing, which equated to one bicycle for everyRead More

Meet Joe Nelligan, Molex’s New CEO

This fall, Martin P. Slark, the company’s longtime CEO, passed the torch to Joe Nelligan. We talked to Joe about his long career with Molex and found out what he has in mind for the future. College interns may dream about becoming the company’s CEO someday, but for most of them, it’s just a dream.Read More

Record Crowds and Future Tech Dominate electronica 2018  

Connector companies are growing to meet unprecedented demand for electronics across markets and around the world. electronica 2018 The population of Germany expanded by 80,000 people the week of November 12, as electronics industry professionals from around the world gathered in Munich for electronica 2018. This record crowd — a 10% increase in attendance overRead More

Transportation Connectors Go the Extra Mile

A roundtable discussion with ITT Cannon, TE Connectivity, and AVX Interconnect about connectors and cabling in cross-market, automotive, off-highway and agricultural vehicle, rail, and commercial aviation markets. We talk to three of the connector companies that are innovating components for the transportation market. They share insights on what’s coming next for this exciting and rapidlyRead More

Leaded Copper Alloys Get A New Lease on Life

An extension of the EU exemption known as 6(c) brought relief to the connector industry. Back in 2015, there was a great gnashing of teeth over concern that the European Union would no longer allow the use of lead in certain types of copper contacts. Contacts that are made on precision-screw machines rely on aRead More

Modern Connector Density Eased by Retro Manufacturing Process

Solid machined contact manufacturing, which has been in use for more than 70 years, is now being rediscovered for its power density advantages. By Natesh Kannan Gopalakrishnan, Product Manager, Positronic Sometimes, the solution to a new problem is found in time-tested methods, hidden in plain sight. We’re seeing that today in the supply of electricalRead More

The Top Three Trends in the Electronic Components Segment of the Transportation Market

New automotive technologies are changing the ways that cars are wired. Here’s a look at some of the systems that are rising in importance as automation, electrification, and connectivity take the wheel. By Gabe Osorio, Regional Sales Engineer, Transportation Business Unit, TTI Inc. Rugged, Modular Connector Systems A major emerging technology in the electronic componentsRead More

Automated Vehicles Drive Change in Warehouse Work

Efforts to improve automotive safety are trickling down to the smallest vehicles, including those that never hit the roads. Automated Vehicles The quest to develop safer cars is also influencing the design of smaller vehicles, benefitting manufacturing companies, warehouses, and the people who work in them. A new generation of autonomous guided vehicles (AGVs), alsoRead More

2026 World Connector Market Handbook 2025-2031F
x