electronica 2024: One World, Connected
At this year’s electronica trade show in Munich, connector companies from around the planet gathered to showcase new products, share ideas and expertise, and try to get a read on a future that is filled with wild cards.
Almost every two years for the last 60 years, the electronic components industry has gathered in Munich to showcase new products, share ideas and expertise, and try to get a read on what the future holds. Back in 1964, robotics, AI, and quantum computing were still largely in the realm of science fiction. At this year’s event, those future technologies were out in full force.
In 2020, the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19. In 2022, as the pandemic came under control the show returned, but visitor and exhibitor numbers were down. This year, however, traffic rebounded and more than 80,000 attendees walked the 18 exhibition halls, viewing 3,480 exhibitors from 57 countries. Conversation among attendees revealed that the stress of the pandemic continues to affect the industry, however.
Companies that depend on materials or manufacturing in China — which remains nearly all components companies, despite the expansion of manufacturing to Mexico, Eastern Europe, Singapore, Thailand, and other countries — faced huge disruptions during the pandemic, revealing the dangers of concentrating production in one region. This harsh wake-up call had far-reaching consequences for the entire global economy, and most countries are still struggling to recover from that black swan event. Germany’s famous electronics industry is operating under a continuing cloud of recession due to a slow post-pandemic recovery and ongoing war in Ukraine. The German government projects that 2025 will see growth of 1.1%. During electronica, the country’s coalition government collapsed, adding a backdrop of uncertainty. In China, the government has finally implemented stimulus measures expected to help with its own struggling recovery.
Meanwhile, in the U.S., the recovery has been much stronger, with a current economy that multiple economists call the envy of the world. From the end of 2019 to the end of 2023, U.S. GDP grew by 8.2% — nearly twice as fast as Canada’s, three times as fast as the European Union’s, and more than eight times as fast as the United Kingdom’s. The week before electronica, Donald Trump won the presidency, which adds new uncertainly to the global picture. Will a presidency guided by tech leader Elon Musk be good for the industry or will the threat of new tariffs add weight to future business? We will soon find out.
Other chatter at the show surrounded company news. Molex made waves with its acquisition of AirBorn, announced during the show. Omnetics celebrated a new distribution partnership with DigiKey. JAE signed a partnership agreement with WAKA Manufacturing to produce connectors, particular high-frequency coaxial products. And everyone had new products on display. Here’s what we saw.
Connectivity for a changing world
The show theme Leading the Way to an All-Electric Society dominated the floor at electronica 2024, held the same week that climate scientists at the UN Climate Summit COP29 released evidence that shows global warming and its impacts are unfolding faster than expected. One technology that could slow down the pace of warming is electric vehicles, and many companies showcased solutions for e-mobility.
Smiths Interconnect announced the new advanced Hypertac Green Connect socket for ultrafast EV charging. This game-changing interface delivers 90% more energy transfer with extremely low contact resistance and hyperboloid contact technology, making it possible for users to charge an EV more quickly and efficiently than ever, a transformative development for EV charging infrastructure.
Designed to IEC2196 and SAE J1772 standards, Smiths Interconnect’s new Hypertac Green Connect offers unprecedented energy transfer, durability, and long-term performance.
Another aspect of sustainability comes from materials innovation. Swiss company Lemco Precision — which opened a new manufacturing facility in California this year — showcased its new program for lead-free alloys, Swisscoat for selective gold plating, and solutions for miniaturization. Lemco serves critical industries including aerospace, medical, and telecom with high precision solutions for connector bodies, pins, and sockets.
Preci-Dip, another Swiss company that made the trek over the mountains to Bavaria, showed its precision contacts, including the new series of screw-machined contacts known as open bottom contacts. One of the main advantages of open bottom contacts is their independence from pin length; the pin can significantly extend beyond the other side of the contact. This design avoids the need for excessively long contacts to accommodate variations in pin length and reduces costs.
ept connectors featured the new automotive hybrid connector HYMC, developed in collaboration with Rosenberger for modern E/E architectures. The connector is a combination of high-speed data and classic signal and power connectivity in a single hybrid connector. Other ept products on display included high-speed and robust board-to-board connectors for high-performance computers.
HARTING’s booth exemplified technologies for an all-electric society, including solutions for EV charging infrastructure, green energy generation, transmission, and storage solutions, as well as innovative hydrogen fuel systems for ships. Other connectors on display showed the company’s miniaturization capabilities, which contribute to sustainability by using less materials.
Weidmüller showed its new durable, efficient, and easy to use charging box family AC SMART, designed for home and commercial use. This EV charging system was honored with the German Design Award Special in 2023. The company also showcased smart metering solutions and robotic technologies, including an arm with the SNAP IN connector that is capable of precision manufacturing tasks. See it in action:
The theme of Phoenix Contact’s booth, Empowering the All Electric Society, highlighted technologies for a livable future, including energy solutions. Phoenix also announced its new documentary, Growing Tomorrow, about the necessity and financial viability of hydroponics, aquaponics, and controlled environment agriculture (CEA).
JAE’s strength in the automotive sector has expanded into EV and connected automotive solutions as well as railway, antenna, and Industrial systems. Connectors for automotive battery management systems (BMS), ADAS, and even eVTOL (flying cars) look to a rapidly changing e-mobility sector.
RS has made an impact through its support of makers, inventors, and hobbyists, and this year the company sponsored, along with Fischer Connectors, a team of student inventors who designed this electric race car.
German innovation
Germany is an industrial innovation power center and electronica has always been a place to see the latest solutions for this sector. This year’s electronica included robots and robotic arms, as well as IoT solutions for every industry from many companies.
Lumberg’s display featured many powerful miniaturized products for use in high-end white goods, as well as products for automotive and industrial applications. The RAST high current 1.5 mm connector is the smallest in this versatile series and the new 4580 01 high-current contact, designed for both SMT (reflow) and THT soldering, caught the attention of visitors this year.
Rosenberger’s booth showcased IoT, smart home, e-mobility, and automotive, and smart building technologies. The company recently announced a partnership with ept connectors to develop hybrid connectors for automotive applications. The Hybrid Connector system now offered by Rosenberger and ept provides space savings, increased reliability in harsh environments, and cost reduction.
WAGO’s booth featured comprehensive solutions for solar and green energy, EV charging, and energy storage. The company is also deeply involved in the HVAC market, particularly with the transition to electrified heat sources like heat pumps, and building automation. WAGO connectors are also in lighting controls, security systems, and other smart, connected building technologies. Featured products included PCB connectors, terminal strips, the picoMAX pluggable connection system, and terminal blocks with the Push-in CAGE CLAMP technology. WAGO’s famous little orange levers, which were out in full force at the booth.
Würth Elektronik featured many new products, including a Single-Pair Ethernet Power over Data Line (PoDL) reference design and demo board, high-current contacts for automotive applications and REDCUBE for direct current motors, new COAX connectors, and custom solutions for connector selection, including demonstrations of the REDEXPERT digital design platform. Würth Elektronik also released two new reference guides, “ABC of Shielding” and “DC/DC Converter Handbook,” and an expanded and revised version of the book “Trilogy of Connectors” (the original was co-written by the late Dr. Bob Mroczkowski, a Connector Supplier contributor).
METZ CONNECT showcased smart city infrastructure solutions including the MCO IP69K for harsh environment applications and easy to install patch panels. METZ has released a new reference guide for copper cabling solutions. The new OpDAT FAST hybrid single and multimode connector also made an impressive debut this year.
Stocko Contact also showcased energy saving solutions and EV tech in conjunction with parent company Wieland. New products on display included the S-TECX 1.5 space-saving connector system and the S-LINK 1.27 small PCB connector system for lighting systems. The company is expanding into automotive technologies, although its expertise in white goods and industrial connectivity also made an impact.
binder is famous for its innovative precision circular connectors, and this year’s booth displayed several new additions, including the debut of completely redesigned M16 moulded connectors. These connectors feature triangular keying for easy handling and extremely robust housings to make them perform admirably in harsh environment Industrial applications as well as demanding laboratory conditions. Also shown: New angled M5 panel mount connectors for use in space-constrained applications.
Connected solutions
Demonstrations of integrated systems were in every aisle, showing the potential efficiencies that can be created by connecting individual applications to larger systems, infrastructure, and industry.
Adam Tech’s display included products for automation, smart home and building infrastructure, power and energy storage connector solutions, and connectors for automotive and medical technologies. The focus on power extended to new AC-DC and DC-DC converters and other whole system components, although the company also displayed new versions of classic connectors from its push-pull and FAKRA lines.
Pictured left to right: Magen Rigdon Pirpich, Global Distribution & Supplier Management of Adam Tech, Marc Pelletier, Vice President of Global Sales of Adam Tech, and Christopher Brana, Marketing and Product Management of Adam Tech
EDAC’s display put the spotlight on its precision, high-reliability interconnects for critical applications, including medical and communications technologies. EDAC recently acquired Northern Technologies Group, a company that specializes in high performance shielding products for the data communications industry.
Amphenol LTW’s General Manager Luc Kan
Amphenol LTW is focused on ruggedized solutions for harsh environment industries including industrial, energy, automotive, transportation, and others that require connectivity with durability and waterproofing. This company is an innovator with hundreds of patents and the booth including a full range of interconnects plus innovative software solutions.
Smaller, faster, lighter
Size matters more than ever, and this year’s show provided many opportunities to lean in to see the smallest generation (so far) of miniaturized connectivity solutions. French company Axon’ Cable wowed with its watchmaking components, as well as nano and mini cable and connector products for implantable medical devices and other high-precision designs.
Watch components from Axon’ Cable
Harwin showed its very small board-to-board and high-reliability interconnect technologies for demanding applications, alongside advanced board-level shielding and accessories that simplify assembly and manufacturing. The company revealed new product designs, including the latest HRi technologies, including a crimped version of the popular Kona female contact that provides stronger, more reliable connections and minimizes the risk of errors during soldering. Also shown were seven new Datamate M80 Mix-Tek high-reliability miniature connectors that offer assemblies with or without contacts.
Advanced Interconnections Corp. (AIC) launched a new family of board-to-board connectors at electronica featuring pitch sizes from 0.50 mm to 1.00 mm; multi-pitch and custom pitch designs are also available. Developing fine-pitch, high-speed connectors that can withstand harsh environmental conditions is an extreme challenge, especially considering how small and fragile such compact contacts are intrinsically.
ATTEND featured a selection of custom connectors as well as its micro and nano sim card connectors, miniaturized solutions for medical and automotive technologies, and introduced a new line of USB4 Gen 3 Type-C receptacle connectors. Manufactured with advanced insert molding technology to prevent pin deformation and ensure exceptional signal integrity, these connectors support 40 Gb/s data transfer.
Greenconn’s booth featured interactive games, dynamic product demonstrations, and opportunities for discussions. The company, which recently announced a new manufacturing facility in Vietnam, also demonstrated new flexible connectors that don’t lose the connection even under shock and vibration. These offer designers new flexibility without losing stability or product integrity. Other displays showed board-to-board/wire-to-board products and customized connector solutions, including automotive, high-speed, floating, RAST, I/O, terminal blocks.
Tiny connectors begin with tiny contacts. Mill-Max displayed a wide range of precision miniaturized connector parts, cable assemblies, and receptacles, including magnetized connectors. New products included high-current contacts, Organic Fiber Plug receptacles, and spring-loaded connectors with plunger tip options. The Maxnetic magnetic connector lineup offers new versatility for charging systems, wearables, robotics, and other systems that benefit from the self-mating and easy disconnect function of magnetic connectors.
ITT Cannon showed SWaP-friendly solutions for soldier-worn tech, including new C5 Warrior connectors, a small form factor, ultra-high-density solution engineered for drones, military ground systems, and modern soldier systems. Bigger connectors were also on display; new Trident High-Speed (THS) connectors provide high-speed data capability and combine USB-C, RF, SPE, 1 Gigabit, or 10 Gigabit Ethernet with Trident signal and power contacts. The full hybrid solution is for data intensive applications such as autonomous agricultural vehicles. Another new release, the CA High-Voltage connectors with the new Hyper-Volt contact system, delivers up to 1000V in an innovative interlock contact system prevents mating and unmating under load and provides a safe and quick voltage upgrade for heavy and off-road vehicles, military ground vehicles, and harsh environment industrial applications.
That’s just a sample of the new products shared at this year’s enormous show. Another place to get a snapshot view of the latest innovation was at distributor booths. Distributors see the big picture, which includes connectors for every application, market, and specification. The TTI family — that’s TTI, Sager, and Mouser — showed the full range of connector innovation with products for every market. Another super group, Bel, Cinch, and Stewart Connector, focused on high-speed, optical, energy, and quantum computing — the next frontier. We’ll learn more about the connectors that enable these technologies at electronica 2026.
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