May 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.

May 2026 Connector Industry News

May 2026 Connector Industry News > Community News

Bulgin sponsors engineering education through the STEM On Track program at King’s Ely school in Cambridgeshire. STEM On Track provides students with a “kart in a box” to assemble over the academic year, before taking part in a test day and competitive racing. While the motorsport element provides an engaging goal, the program is primarily focused on developing practical engineering, teamwork and problem-solving skills, and a hands-on understanding of engineering principles. Sean Dorling, a mechanical engineer at Bulgin, has been volunteering weekly with students since 2025.  He has drawn on his experience in both mechanical engineering and endurance karting to educate students on how assembly and set-up impact performance. Bulgin also supports the initiative by funding key kart components.

May 2026 Connector Industry News > Award News

Thisen Bird, Associate Product Manager at Bulgin, has been recognized as a Whitworth Scholar.

Thisen Bird, Associate Product Manager at Bulgin, has been recognized as a Whitworth Scholar. This marks a significant milestone in Bird’s engineering career, reflecting both his academic success and commitment to continuous professional development. His role at Bulgin combines hands-on engineering expertise and commercial activities, and continuing education that will help him further support and provide value to Bulgin’s customers. The Whitworth Scholarship Awards were founded by Sir Joseph Whitworth in 1868 to support talented engineers with strong practical and academic credentials. The program is linked with the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) and supported by the Whitworth Society. It champions engineers from vocational and apprenticeship backgrounds, helping them to progress their careers through further study while connecting with a wider professional community.

May 2026 Connector Industry News > Personnel & Acquisitions News

TTI Inc. announced the addition of Manisha Kadoche as Chief Financial Officer. Kadoche joins the company at an important moment for the business. Her approach, energy, and leadership style align strongly with TTI’s culture and long‑term vision.

Molex completed the acquisition of Teramount Ltd., an Israel-based developer of detachable fiber-to-chip connectivity solutions optimized for high-volume co-packaged optics (CPO) and other silicon photonics applications. Teramount’s TeraVERSE platform, based on its universal photonic coupler and wafer-level self-aligning optics, provides a pragmatic, field-serviceable interface between optical fiber and silicon photonics chips and was announced as part of the Molex one-stop CPO solution at OFC 2026. TeraVERSE is an innovative, passively aligned solution that enables faster data rates necessary to support AI adoption while consuming less energy to reduce power and cooling demands in hyperscale data centers. Teramount’s passive, detachable coupling approach supports large assembly tolerances and semiconductor-grade wafer-level processes. Compared with active alignment methods, passive alignment is materially more scalable as CPO moves toward volume production. Molex will combine Teramount’s IP and engineering expertise with its optical capability and global manufacturing scale to deliver industry-leading performance specifications and accelerate production of TeraVERSE. Teramount will continue to operate as a design and engineering hub in Jerusalem, supported by Molex’s global optical capabilities. It will become part of the Optical Connectivity segment within the Optical Solutions Business at Molex.

HEICO Corporation’s Electronic Technologies Group acquired 90% of Southwest Antennas Inc. (SWA). The balance of the Company will continue to be owned by SWA’s CEO, Ben Culver. HEICO expects the acquisition to be accretive to its earnings within the year following the closing. Founded in 2005, SWA designs and manufactures high-performance, rugged, mission-critical RF and microwave antennas operating within frequencies up to 8.5 GHz, primarily for ground-based defense and law enforcement applications. In addition, SWA provides accessory products such as antenna mounting solutions, block downconverters, low noise amplifiers, filter modules, and other RF/microwave accessory products. HEICO stated that it does not expect any team member turnover from the acquisition. SWA will continue to operate out of its 25,000-square-foot facility in Poway, CA, under Ben Culver’s direction with its dedicated team of more than 110 professionals.

Luxshare acquired an additional 24.8% stake in Leoni AG from co-owner Stefan Pierer on April 29, 2026. Previously holding 50.1%, Luxshare now owns 74.9% of Leoni AG’s shares. Luxshare has been majority shareholder and strategic partner of Leoni since July 2025. The increased shareholding further strengthens the strategic collaboration between the two companies and reflects Luxshare’s confidence in Leoni’s operational performance and future development. Since the start of the partnership, Leoni has continued to show positive business momentum, building on an operational turnaround achieved prior to Luxshare’s initial investment. Stefan Pierer retains a 25.1% stake in Leoni AG and will continue to support the company as co-owner, strategic companion, and advisor. There are no changes to Leoni’s management boards or supervisory board as a result of the transaction. All customer and supplier relationships and contractual arrangements remain unchanged.

Belden is acquiring Ruckus Networks from Vistance Networks. The acquisition establishes Belden as a leading provider of complete, end-to-end IT/OT networking solutions. Ruckus is a leading provider of enterprise networking solutions delivering purpose-built connectivity for high-density, mission-critical environments, serving more than 48,000 customers globally. Ruckus offers an integrated portfolio of Wi-Fi, enterprise switching and an AI-driven cloud networking platform that enables organizations to optimize performance, simplify operations and securely connect users and devices. RUCKUS is known for its differentiated technology, strong channel ecosystem and focus on reliability and user experience at scale. The companies expect the deal to close in the second half of 2026.

May 2026 Connector Industry News > Facility News

Würth Elektronik eiSos Group celebrated the official opening of the Laboratory Phase II at its Asia Quality Design Center (QDC Asia) in Shenzhen on March 5, 2026. The inauguration ceremony was marked by a ribbon-cutting event presided over by senior leadership, including the CEO, Thomas Garz, and COO, Dirk Knorr, of the Würth Elektronik eiSos Group, alongside the Head of QDC Asia, Yangyang Chen, symbolically kicking off operations in the new facility. Established in August 2008, QDC Asia spans approximately 4,700 m², with a dedicated testing area of 1,700 m² housing over 300 pieces of advanced high-precision testing equipment. Operating in strict compliance with ISO/IEC 17025 and ISO/IEC 17043 standards, the center holds accreditations as a testing laboratory, a proficiency testing provider, and a lab recognized by VDE (TDAP), UL (WTDP), and IEC (CTF2). Initially focused on pre-shipment product inspection for production, the Laboratory has evolved into a comprehensive testing center offering a wide range of services including product incoming inspection testing, design change validation, reliability testing, product conformity judgment, material compliance, and failure analysis. However, with existing lab space maximized and approaching saturation, expansion became imperative to support the Group’s growing business needs. Primarily designed for environmental and electrical performance testing, the facility is equipped with an energy-efficient VFD chiller featuring advanced magnetic bearing technology, as well as a scalable electrical system capable of meeting peak load demands. A total of 38 testing devices will be gradually deployed across phases to align with actual business needs. The expansion lays the foundation for a significant increase in capacity. In the future, throughput for environmental testing is expected to grow by 170%.

A new Avnet Integrated Solutions facility opened in Singapore. The new site expands Avnet’s regional integration capabilities and supports customers’ China-plus-one supply chain strategy, providing customers with more flexibility, resilience, and supply chain options across the APAC region. This is Avnet Integrated Solutions’ sixth integration facility globally, along with centers in Chandler, Arizona; Guadalajara and Nogales, Mexico; Eschbach, Germany; and Tianjin, China. Located within Avnet’s existing Farnell Distribution Center in Singapore, the new integration facility is designed to support system, server, and rack build services, as well as international shipping. The site is certified under Singapore Customs’ Secure Trade Partnership (STP) program, which recognizes companies with robust supply chain security and trade compliance practices, and is pursuing ISO 9001 certification. The Singapore integration center is designed to scale over time to serve additional customers across the region. The facility enhances Avnet’s ability to provide localized integration, improved lead times, and competitive cost structures for customers navigating increasingly complex global market dynamics. The site spans approximately 670 square meters (7,200+ square feet) and includes a dedicated integration space, warehousing, a repair depot, and a first article lab.

Japan-based JST Corp. will build an automation-based facility in Guntersville’s Conners Island Business Park.  Guntersville has been home to a small JST facility since 2003, and has handled several significant projects, including supplying all the cable assemblies for The Las Vegas Sphere. Based on extensive robotic systems, every phase of production will be part of an automated process including injection molding, stamping and plating, as well as connector and cable assembly. In addition to the 25 full-time JST employees currently in Guntersville, the 540,000-square-foot new facility is expected to add 80 more jobs initially. The combined manufacturing and design center will include a significant number of engineering and other professional positions. The development will also include a 10,000-square-foot sales, marketing, and engineering building adjacent to the design and production facility. Continuing a JST tradition, the facility will feature an architectural design that both reflects and protects the natural setting adjacent to the 69,000-acre Lake Guntersville. JST’s architectural partner, Ryuchi Ashizawa of Osaka, Japan, is known for seamlessly incorporating facility design, landscaping, and natural resource preservation into his work.

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

The MIPI Alliance announced the formation of a Physical AI Birds of a Feather (BoF) group dedicated to exploring upcoming technologies and trends in the physical AI market, with an initial focus on humanoids. The group will examine how MIPI specifications can support the rapidly developing humanoid application space. The market emerging around humanoid robots is dynamic, with Yole Group projecting a 56% CAGR to reach more than $6 billion by 2030. As adoption is expected to accelerate at the start of the next decade, the value could soar to $51 billion by 2035. The humanoid-focused BoF group will analyze and compare current hardware and software architectures, develop system diagrams for key application areas, and identify how MIPI specifications can be leveraged or enhanced to meet market needs. At the conclusion of its evaluation, the group will provide a formal recommendation to the MIPI Alliance Board of Directors regarding potential specification development opportunities. Companies interested in participating in the Physical AI BoF may sign up here.

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