February 2023 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.
February 2023 Connector Industry News
February 2023 Connector Industry News > Award News
HARTING was honored with the “Best of Industry Award” for Han-Modular Domino Modules by Maschinen Markt (Vogel Communications Group). Online voting by about 20,000 readers took place over five months. This year, for the first time, the award was presented in cooperation with other Vogel Communication Group brands (PROCESS, LABORPRAXIS, and DeviceMed). “We are very proud of this award and would like to thank the readers who cast their votes for us. This award shows that we are right on track with our customers and partners with the advantages of the Domino modules. Saving installation space and weight, as well as the associated lower costs and the conservation of resources, concern us all in this day and age,” said Norbert Gemmeke, managing director of the global business unit electric. Gemmeke and Heiko Meier, product manager for the Han-Modular Domino Modules, accepted the award.
Indium Corporation has earned the CIRCUITS ASSEMBLY New Product Introduction (NPI) Award for its flux-cored wire, CW-818. The award was presented during a ceremony at IPC APEX Expo on January 24 in San Diego. The NPI Awards recognize the leading new products for electronics assembly during the past 12 months. Honorees are selected by an independent panel of practicing engineers. “As a materials supplier, our belief that materials science can change the world is present in every one of our products,” said Robert McKerrow, senior product specialist for Indium Corporation’s Wave Soldering and Flux-Cored Wire products. Designed to meet the requirements of manual and robotic soldering processes, Indium Corporation’s halide-free CW-818 combines superior soldering speed and spread with improved overall cleanliness (including clear/light-colored residue, charring resistance, and spatter control technology) to deliver a flux-cored wire with enhanced soldering capabilities, even at higher soldering iron tip temperatures. CW-818 excels in manual and robotic soldering applications where the J-STD-004C high-reliability category is desired or required, or applications where extra wetting power is needed to achieve a higher throughput.
February 2023 Connector Industry News > Partnership, Personnel, & Acquisitions News
The Lucerne-based SCHURTER Group, owned by the Schurter family since its founding, announced a change in the company’s ownership structure. Capvis, a well-known Swiss investor company based in Baar (canton of Zug), is acquiring a majority interest in SCHURTER Holding AG. The transaction is expected to be completed in spring 2023 following the necessary (European) regulatory approval process. “Capvis offers the ideal basis for keeping SCHURTER on its growth path. Capvis is known for advancing the development of successful, internationally active companies together with the management team,” said Thomas Schurter, chairman of the board of directors. Capvis specializes in holding majority interests in leading SMEs in Switzerland, Germany, Austria, and Italy. It predominantly invests capital provided by institutional investors such as pension funds, asset managers, and family offices. The international trade press has repeatedly named Capvis the top private equity company in Switzerland. The Schurter family will remain an important shareholder in the group, which will continue to be managed by the existing management team led by CEO Ralph Müller. In line with the Capvis strategy, he will also be taking a stake in the company. SCHURTER, a producer of components for the clean and safe supply of power, input systems, and sophisticated integrated electronic solutions, has 20 subsidiaries in 17 countries. It generated revenues of around CHF 330 million in the 2022 financial year.
The Phoenix Contact Group has acquired Canadian company iS5 Communications Inc., based in Mississauga, Ontario. The provider of industrial network products specializes in services and solutions for critical infrastructure networks. Cybersecurity and data analysis play a strategically vital role in this field. iS5 Communications was established in 2012 and currently employs more than 40 people who specialize in bringing IIoT and IT together and who have significant engineering expertise. Phoenix Contact invested in the company in 2018 through its venture capital company, Phoenix Contact Innovation Ventures, as part of its round of financing at the time. Building on this, product development and joint sales activities have already been initiated through the participation of Phoenix Contact USA Inc.
Indium Corporation has formed a strategic partnership with two materials distributors in Europe to better serve the company’s customers in Sweden, Denmark, and Finland. ABIC Kemi AB will serve Indium Corporation’s solder paste, wire, flux, and engineered solder materials markets in Sweden and Denmark; Lindberg & Lund OY AB will serve these markets in Finland. ABIC is part of the Lindberg & Lund group, which operates in Norway, Finland, Denmark, and Sweden, and consists of Lindberg & Lund AS, Lindberg & Lund OY AB, and ABIC Kemi AB. ABIC Kemi AB and the Lindberg & Lund group are in turn part of Biesterfeld Spezialchemie GmbH, a leading distributor of special chemical products for technical applications. ABIC Kemi AB is a distributor and supplies materials for joining and sealing, composite structures, models, prototypes and tools, electric power and electronics, lubricants, and oils. The Lindberg & Lund Group imports, manufactures, and distributes lubricants, construction adhesives, solvents, composite materials, castings, and auxiliaries to the industry.
Infinite Electronics Inc. has acquired Bulgin Ltd, a UK-based developer and manufacturer of connectors and related components for harsh-environment applications. Bulgin was previously owned by Equistone Partners Europe. Bulgin has a century of experience designing, developing, and manufacturing IP66, IP67, IP68, and IP69K harsh environment connectivity solutions for end-users across a wide range of industries. Bulgin’s business focuses on bespoke services and custom capabilities with quick prototyping and a Rapid Response Team (RRT) to address customers’ urgent needs. Since Equistone’s acquisition of the business in 2019, Bulgin has grown significantly, opening a new site in Tunis, Tunisia, and new headquarters in Cambridge, U.K. Today, Bulgin has more than 600 distributor locations spanning 60 countries and six continents. It employs 680 people globally, including its U.K. headquarters, operations in Tunisia, and Santa Fe Springs, California, as well as a presence in the Asia-Pacific region.
Phoenix Contact announced the promotion of Davis Mathews and Heath Scoggin as the new leadership team for Phoenix Contact Development and Manufacturing Inc. Mathews and Scoggin will lead the Industry Management and Automation (IMA) and Industrial Components and Electronics (ICE) business areas, respectively. In addition, Mathews will lead the company’s overall development efforts, and Scoggin will lead the company’s overall manufacturing efforts. The promotions follow the retirement of David Skelton, who served as vice president of the Development and Manufacturing company since it was founded in 2005.
Allied Electronics & Automation, the main trading brand of RS Group plc in the Americas, has rebranded as RS. This rebranding will elicit new opportunities to help industrial customers overcome challenges and further enhance the company’s user-friendly, technology-enabled customer experience in the region. Rebranding Allied as RS is RS Group’s latest effort to consolidate the products, services, and experience of its trusted global brands under a single, unified RS brand identity. This will provide exciting new opportunities to improve efficiencies, generate sustainable value, and increase scalability for stakeholders worldwide. Customers in the Americas, extending from small single-site businesses to global multi-site companies, will continue to enjoy access to more than 750,000 stocked industrial and electronic products and a wide portfolio of service solutions for design, procurement, inventory, and maintenance. “Allied earned a reputation as a leading distributor of industrial products and services in North America and was recognized for being reliable and committed to solving our customers’ problems. RS is founded on these same core values, so aligning under the banner of RS extends our ability to deliver value for our customers,” said Jessie Dearien, RS Vice President of Marketing, Americas. “Being part of the global RS team will enable us to leverage our expertise and experience across the Group. Our aim is to think bigger, make the impossible possible, become the first choice for our stakeholders, and make amazing happen for a better world.”
With the acquisition of Hummock Industries, Wieland has acquired Heyco Metals, a leader in light and medium gauge copper, copper alloy, and stainless steel strip processing, and National Bronze, a manufacturer and distributor of bronze-based bearing products. Hummock Industries is a family-owned holding company focused on long-term investments in North American-based manufacturing companies. These complementary operations will further strengthen Wieland’s market position with expanded product offerings, manufacturing capabilities, and distribution networks in North America. Heyco Metals, founded in 1969, operates a re-roll mill in Reading, Pennsylvania, and delivers premium quality products to customers in the automotive, electronics, industrial, and medical markets. Founded in 1911 and headquartered in Roseville, Michigan, National Bronze is a well-known U.S. manufacturer and distributor of bronze bushings, bearings, and other industrial components for customers in a large range of industries. In addition, it operates a metal service center with bar stock of various non-ferrous materials.
Private investment firm Auxo Investment Partners announced today that it has acquired Morgan Royce Industries (MRI) and TACK Electronics (TACK), two manufacturers of custom wire harnesses, cable assemblies and box builds fabricated for the semiconductor equipment, aerospace and defense, gaming, medical, transportation and energy equipment industries. These additions follow Auxo’s purchase of Golden State Assembly—a vertically integrated, complete lifecycle wire/cable assembly and harness manufacturer—and expand Auxo’s growing wire platform. The respective CEOs of MRI and TACK, Larry Johnston and Todd Maines, will remain in their current roles. MRI, headquartered in Fremont, California, manufactures wire harnesses and box builds—complete assemblies of cables, electronic components, and metal/plastic housings—for the semiconductor manufacturing equipment industry. The company also serves customers in the medical equipment, telecommunications, and power industries. TACK, based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is a manufacturer of wire harnesses, cable assemblies and box builds that specializes in high-mix/low-volume products for a variety of industries, including aerospace and defense, gaming, medical, transportation and battery/energy equipment.
February 2023 Connector Industry News > Distribution News
TTI Inc. is now an authorized distributor of ams OSRAM’s sensing solutions. The merger of ams (global sensor leaders) and OSRAM (global light emitter leaders) has brought industry-leading reliability and performance with the highest level of miniaturization, integration, accuracy, and sensitivity to the automotive, eMobility, lighting, industrial, and medical markets. John Drabik, president of TTI Americas, said, “TTI is excited to expand our distribution agreement with ams OSRAM. Launching ams OSRAM’s extensive sensor portfolio perfectly complements their high power visible and infrared LED products already on the TTI line card. ams OSRAM’s broad product portfolio provides leading edge LED lighting and sensor solutions for TTI to offer our customers.”
Sager Electronics announced the addition of VARTA AG to its line card. VARTA is a globally recognized technology innovator providing an extensive battery offering for a variety of applications. “As a leader in lithium-ion technology and micro-batteries, VARTA is an outstanding addition to the Sager line card,” remarked Kristin Bryant, Supplier Marketing and Product Manager for Sager Electronics. “Their rechargeable batteries, chargers, and portable power products enable Sager to offer our customers a broader battery product offering. We look forward to a successful partnership.”
February 2023 Connector Industry News > Facility News
PEI-Genesis expanded into Southern Asia-Pacific to support local customers across the region. In late December 2022, PEI-Genesis celebrated opening a new sales office in Singapore. A ribbon-cutting ceremony followed by a lion dance was held to mark this auspicious milestone. Members of PEI-Genesis leadership, including Steven Fisher, CEO; Alex Tsui, vice president & managing director APAC; and Bernard Koh, regional sales director of South Asia, attended the opening ceremony. At the same time, Trusted Advisors from PEI’s Sales Departments in Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand, representatives of the core account customers, and suppliers joined them to celebrate in Singapore. PEI-Genesis placed its first footprint in APAC with the opening of its Zhuhai, China, production facility in 2015. Today, there are sales Trusted Advisors in 10 major APAC markets, including Japan, South Korea, mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, and now Singapore. In addition to PEI’s Trusted Advisors, the new office has a call center with technical engineering support to serve local customers more effectively.
February 2023 Connector Industry News > Technical Resources
Digi-Key Electronics and Make:, the leading publication and network for makers, have released the updated Boards Guide and companion Digi-Key AR augmented reality app available in both the Apple App Store for iOS devices and the Google Play store for Android-based mobile devices. Divided into sections for microcontroller (MCU), single-board controller (SBC), and field programmable gate array (FPGA)-based boards, the guide helps students, makers, and professional engineers identify the latest technology available to help bring innovation to life. As a companion to this year’s guide, Digi-Key has included an augmented reality app leveraging cameras, displays, and sensors in today’s mobile devices. With over 50 boards available in AR, the app is the best way to virtually interact with these leading platforms. The Digi-Key AR app is designed to work in conjunction with the guide or as a standalone experience. With detailed comparisons of over 150 boards, the app is the best way to find the right solution for rapid prototyping and embedded design from leading vendors including Adafruit, Arduino, Raspberry Pi, SparkFun, BeagleBone, Micro:bit, Seeed Studio, DFRobot, Espressif and more. New to this year’s guide is an article discussing the rise of the Raspberry Pi RP2040 and Espressif ESP32 during chip shortages. Another exclusive available only from within the app includes a video discussing in depth details of the boards and the selection process by David Groom from Make:.
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