Upcoming industry events, as well as recent award, partnership, promotion, personnel, facility, distribution, standards, association, and certification news from across the connector industry. February 2026 Connector Industry News February 2026 Connector Industry News > Award News DigiKey has been ranked #171 on the 2025 list of America’s Top Private Companies by Forbes. This is the fourth consecutiveRead More

Today’s global appliance market is undergoing a structural transition from conventional, analog designs to smart, connected appliances. Article Contributed by Ashish Ainapure, System Architecture Manager and John Marsh, Fellow R&D / Product Development Engineering, TE Connectivity Traditional appliances are typically monolithic in design, relying on centralized control boards, mechanical interfaces, and hard‑wired functionality. The globalRead More

Meet the Connector: QSFP Transceivers This high-speed optical transceiver has gone through many iterations and continues to evolve with higher port density and increased data rates. The QSFP (quad small form-factor pluggable), defined in the initial Multi-Source Agreement (MSA) in 2006, is a high-speed optical transceiver. It is small and hot-swappable with higher port densityRead More

A new architecture brings increased efficiency and lower cost. EV battery technology continues to advance toward the primary goal of fast charging. A new architecture incorporates three trends that address decreased charging times, greater efficiency,  and lower cost. Trend #1: Replacing modules with cell-to-pack connectivity Eliminating the modules and connecting the battery cells directly toRead More

The connector industry continues to contract, even as the demand for interconnect products increases. See what acquisitions helped change the connector industry in 2025. Demand for interconnects continues to grow, fueling a continuing wave of mergers and acquisitions that leaves fewer (and now, larger) companies left in the market. In 2025, more suppliers expanded services,Read More

Meet the Connector: Spade Connector A spade connector, also called an insulated spade terminal, is used to quickly and easily connect or disconnect a wire to a screw, lug, or battery. These simple devices provide tensile strength, thermal conductivity, and resistance to shock and corrosion. They are available with insulated housings, often color-coded, or asRead More

Meet the Connector: IEEE 1394 Connectors IEEE 1394 is a high-speed serial bus that supports both asynchronous and isochronous communication between a computer and a peripheral. It is also known as FireWire, a now-retired Apple interface. It has largely been replaced by USB connectors but is still used with older equipment. This low-cost connector isRead More

Meet the Connector: MT Ferrules  MT ferrules are key fiber optic components in the system architecture required for today’s higher data rate, high-density, high-precision applications. An MT (mechanical transfer) ferrule is a high-precision, rectangular, ferrule designed to align multiple optical fibers simultaneously. It typically accommodates 12, 24, or more fibers within a single compact interface. The critical elements forRead More

The future of the electronics industry depends on quality STEM education. Connector suppliers experience this firsthand. Learn how components companies support schools and programs in their communities. Engaging kids and college students in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) is important for ensuring a qualified and motivated workforce in the future. Programs that show studentsRead More

Meet the Connector: IPC-620-Space Addendum IPC/WHMA-A-620 is the global industry-consensus standard for cable and wire harness assemblies; the space addendum pertains to technologies used in space and other extreme harsh environments.  It defines workmanship, materials, process, inspection, and acceptability criteria. The IPC-620 Space Addendum is a specialized supplement to IPC/WHMA-A-620, the industry’s primary standard for the acceptability of cableRead More

Meet the Connector: Hard Metric Connectors Hard metric connectors are a highly standardized, high-density solution for high-speed data and power transmission. The term “hard metric” refers to the exclusive use of standard metric measurements, as opposed to “soft metric” components that use metric dimensions converted from inch measurements. The highly standardized hard metric connectors areRead More

See Bishop & Associates 2024 ranking of connector suppliers for more recent data on Top 10 companies. Top 10 by Product Type for 2023 Design engineers and purchasing personnel strive to identify the best connector companies for their design and purchasing requirements. However, identifying the best companies is not an easy task.  Answers to theRead More