November 2025 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.

November 2025 Connector Industry News

November 2025 Connector Industry News > Event News

DigiKey sponsored the 2025 Hackaday Superconference, Oct. 31- Nov. 2, in Pasadena, Calif. The global event brings together hardware hackers, makers, and tech enthusiasts. DigiKey provided products for hacking challenges, partnered with industry leaders on workshops, and had experts available to help attendees select parts and to answer technical questions. The company also donated a selection of components, including LEDs, headers, resistors, and capacitors. Visit DigiKey Maker.io for more information on DigiKey’s maker community.

November 2025 Connector Industry News > Award News

(Left to right) Grace Wang, WPI president; Dave Doherty; Arly Dungca, WPI alumni association president; Kamen; Maureen Toohey, managing member, Toohey Law Group LLC and deputy executive director, Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI); and Mark Macaulay, WPI alumni association citations committee chair.

DigiKey CEO Dave Doherty has received the 2025 Robert H. Goddard Alumni Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). The award is presented annually to alums who have distinguished themselves through their professions.  Dean Kamen, inventor, entrepreneur and founder of DEKAResearch and FIRST, a robotics community that prepares young people for the future through a suite of inclusive, team-based robotics programs, presented Doherty with the award at WPI’s Honoring Our Champions event on Sept. 27, 2025. Kamen received an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from WPI in 1992.

Waldom Electronics announced the winners of its 2024 ESG Awards of the ECIA Executive Conference. The Waldom ESG Awards represent the only ESG recognition program in the interconnect, passive, and electromechanical (IP&E) distribution industry, honoring supplier and distributor partners who demonstrate exceptional commitment to sustainability, environmental stewardship, and social responsibility. Supplier awards went to TE Connectivity (Diamond), ebm-papst (Gold), ITT Cannon (Silver), and Grayhill (Bronze). Distributor awards went to Avnet (Diamond), Heilind (Gold), ICKey (Silver), and Verical (Bronze).

November 2025 Connector Industry News > Personnel & Acquisitions News

Chris Baldwin (left) and Steve Henn

IDEAL Industries Inc., parent company of Anderson Power, celebrated the accomplishments of retiring CEO Steve Henn and announced the appointment of Chris Baldwin as the company’s next chief executive officer. A seasoned senior executive and member of the IDEAL Industries Board of Directors, Chris brings a wealth of leadership experience across multi-billion-dollar public corporations and family-owned, privately held businesses. Baldwin joined IDEAL Industries as CEO in October 2025. He will work alongside Henn in the coming months to ensure a smooth leadership change as part of the intentional governance and thoughtful strategic planning behind the transition. Henn is set to retire at the end of 2025.

Molex has signed an agreement to acquire Smiths Interconnect, a subsidiary of United Kingdom-based Smiths Group plc and a leading provider of high-reliability connectivity products and solutions serving the aerospace and defense, medical, semiconductor, test, and industrial markets. Smiths Interconnect designs and manufactures technically differentiated electronic components, along with microwave, optical, and radio frequency products and subsystems that connect, protect, and control critical applications. Smiths Interconnect has 21 sales, R&D, and manufacturing locations across 12 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, Tunisia, India, China, and Singapore. The acquisition is expected to close in the first half of 2026, subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

KYOCERA Corporation, parent company of KYOCERA AVX, announced its intent to acquire 33.0% of the shares of Japan Aviation Electronics Industry Ltd. (JAE) held by NEC Corporation. In conjunction with this share acquisition, KYOCERA has also entered into a capital and business alliance agreement with JAE. NEC is the largest shareholder of JAE. KYOCERA will acquire the shares through an off-market, over-the-counter transaction. Upon completion of this share acquisition, JAE will become an equity-method affiliate of KYOCERA.

Element Solutions Inc, the parent company of MacDermid Alpha Electronics Solutions, has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Micromax, a leading global supplier of advanced electronics inks and pastes, from Celanese Corporation.   The portfolio includes conductive, resistive, and dielectric thick film inks, as well as low-temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) materials for creating multilayer circuits. Micromax provides critical solutions to customers across a diverse range of industries, including specialized end-markets such as aerospace, defense, and healthcare. The business has a materials innovation platform for emerging growth applications, such as health wearables, low earth orbit satellites, electric vehicles, and data centers.

November 2025 Connector Industry News > Partnership and Distribution News

TTI Inc. announced a new distribution agreement with Eaton, a multinational energy management company. This agreement will allow TTI to distribute the vast and innovative portfolio of high-quality Eaton power connections solutions, including stamped battery and eyelet terminals, to customers worldwide. Eaton power connections technologies are at the forefront of providing reliable and efficient power management for various industries. This agreement will enable Eaton to leverage the extensive TTI global distribution network, reaching new markets and offering customers improved access to its products.

November 2025 Connector Industry News > New Technical Resources

Mouser Electronics released a new eBook in collaboration with Analog Devices, Inc. (ADI) exploring the challenges of designing effective power management solutions for modern digital devices. With more and more products requiring digital processing controlled by microcontrollers, processors, and field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), power supply design must also evolve efficiently and safely to support diverse, high-performance applications. In Power Management: Efficiently Powering Processors, FPGAs, and Microcontrollers, engineers from ADI and other technology companies offer their perspectives on how ADI is helping meet the growing demands for high-density power management, with more voltage rails, cables, innovative battery solutions, and even energy harvesting. ADI offers a comprehensive portfolio of solutions that help realize these goals, many of which are highlighted in the eBook.

Indium Corporation announced its 2026 Internship Program, introducing a do-it-yourself (DIY) format that allows students to shape a personalized professional experience based on their individual career goals and interests. By empowering students to take ownership of their learning, Indium Corporation strengthens its commitment to workforce development and helps prepare the next generation of global industry professionals in materials science and advanced manufacturing. The DIY internship provides a platform for students to engage in meaningful, applied work while contributing directly to Indium Corporation’s innovative projects. Regional and international students alike will have the opportunity to tackle real-world challenges, expand technical and professional skills, and develop a professional network that supports long-term career success. The 10-week internship will run from June 1, 2026, to August 7, 2026, with locations varying by position across New York. The program is open to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in the fall 2026 semester.

Mouser Electronics is providing engineers with the latest information about data centers in its technical resource center. To manage the escalating power densities, data centers are adopting new technologies and solutions, including advanced cooling. Mouser’s technical team and trusted manufacturing partners provide an extensive library of articles, blogs, eBooks, and products from the world’s leading manufacturers. This hub also features videos that quickly explain components and concepts, such as the evolution of data centers, highlighting how advancements in AI, 5G, and IoT drive the current changes. Mouser’s technical resource center provides valuable information for engineers looking to stay ahead of the accelerating pace of advanced data centers.

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