June 2023 Newslwtter

State of The Industry
As we close out the first half of 2023 business for the electronic connector industry has slowed significantly for the first two quarters, with most segments of the industry reporting flat sales with little to no growth, worldwide sales in fact are down slightly for the first quarter of the year, with the only exception being the defense industry which is still very busy. This slowdown is attributable to several factors, first COVID shutdowns have affected the supply chain for a number of basic components such as semi-conductors although that has improved a great deal here in 2023, demand for computers, laptops and other electronic equipment which during the shutdowns were booming because of so many people setting up home offices, have slowed dramatically because of a lack of demand. Another clear sign that the connector industry is entering a down business cycle is layoff announcements from big tech companies. 199,047 layoffs have already been announced in 2023, compared to 164,576 in all of 2022. Some of the largest U.S.-based companies are reducing staff. Among these are 3M, Meta, Dell, Cisco, IBM, Google, Microsoft, etc. This has also effected the job market for the electronic connector industry, as many companies have slowed down their hiring, and on the openings that do exist, companies are having a hard time finding candidates.
The good news is that electronic technology never stops evolving, with more and more electronics designed into every product in every sector of industry from automotive, communications, and consumer electronics, to appliances, industrial controls and everything in between, which will eventually be put into production and drive the demand for new connectors and cable assemblies to support that growth. The consensus is that business should be back to normal by the third quarter of this year.

ACQUSITIONS AND OTHER NEWS

The Phoenix Contact Group has acquired iS5 communications The Phoenix Contact Group, Ostwestfalen-Lippe,
Germany, 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 specializes in bringing IIoT and IT together. 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.

Infinite Electronics, has acquired Bulgin Ltd Infinite Electronics Inc, Irvine CA. has acquired Bulgin Ltd, Cambridgeshire UK. a developer and manufacturer of connectors and related components for harsh-environment applications. Bulgin has a century of experience designing, developing, and manufacturing 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 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.

Nexans to Acquire Reka Cables from Reka Industrial
Nexans SA, Paris France, entered into a Share Purchase Agreement with Reka Industrial Plc, Hyvinkaa, Finland, to acquire Reka Cables. Founded in 1961, Reka Cables is active in the manufacturing of low and medium voltages cables and is one of the first cable manufacturers to become Carbon Neutral on scope 1 and scope 2. Completion of the Transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to take place in the first half of 2023. Christopher Guérin, Nexans CEO said: “This premium Finnish operation will further contribute to Nexans’ ability to serve our Nordic customers with high quality and safe cables in the region.”

Aptiv Acquires Intercable Automotive Solutions
Aptiv PLC, Dublin Ireland a global technology company focused on making mobility safer, greener, and more connected, announced today a definitive agreement to acquire an 85% equity stake in Intercable Automotive Solutions, based in Bruneck, Italy, with manufacturing facilities in Europe and Asia, Intercable Automotive Solutions is an industry leader and pioneer in high-voltage power distribution and high-precision connection technologies. The product portfolio includes seven generations of high-voltage busbar technology, solid-state electrical centers, battery cell interconnect systems, and other high-voltage power distribution solutions for the growing Electric Vehicle market. Leveraging Intercable’s highly automated manufacturing processes, innovative product design, and strategic relationships with key European automotive OEMs, Aptiv will enhance its position as a global leader in vehicle architecture systems.

Qnnect Acquires Hermetic Solutions Group
Qnnect, Painesville, Ohio a portfolio company of Arcline Investment Management, Memphis, TNhas acquired Hermetic Solutions Group (“HSG”), Trevose, PA expanding Qnnect’s offerings into hermetic packages and augmenting its existing portfolio of specialty interconnect solutions. HSG designs and manufactures highly engineered, mission-critical electronic solutions to protect, preserve, and facilitate electronic signal generation and transmission. With the acquisition, Qnnect adds HSG’s seven industry-leading brands: Cristek Interconnects, FilConn, Hi-Rel Group, Litron, PA&E, Sinclair, and Zet-Tek Manufacturing.
PEI Genesis Acquires Testco Inc.

PEI-Genesis, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has acquired California-based Testco Inc., Sunnyvale CA., a supplier of passive, electromechanical, and interconnect components with 40 years of customer excellence. The purchase allows the company to better serve a broader range of customers’ needs for IP&E product solutions. Testco supplies passive, electromechanical, and interconnect components with superior technical expertise and broad product knowledge. Serving technology companies worldwide for over 40 years, Testco offers creative supply chain solutions to meet customer requirements. PEI-Genesis will operate Testco as a separate company, continuing to work with Testco as an authorized supplier partner.

I-PEX, Kyoto Japan and Teramount Ltd., Jerusalem Israel are collaborating to advance silicon photonics optical detachable connectivity for data centers and for other high-speed data-com and telecom applications. The ever-growing demand for high bandwidth, low power, and low latency in networking and advanced computing applications has led to growing adoption of silicon photonics, and for a continuous need to connect more and more optical fibers to silicon chips. That connectivity needs to be reliable, reworkable, serviceable, and cost-effective, which creates a huge challenge. The collaboration between I-PEX and Teramount will provide a breakthrough solution of detachable fiber to chip connectivity based on Teramount’s self-aligning optics technology and I-PEX’s ultra-precision plug and holder systems. Teramount’s Detachable Photonic Plug for its silicon photonics applications enables a new era of serviceable and reliable fiber connectivity solutions, said Hesham Taha, chief executive officer.

Weidmüller Group, Detmold, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, will invest $16.4 million to expand its existing US operation in Richmond, Virginia. The expansion cements the company’s commitment to bring engineering and manufacturing closer to North American partners and customers. As part of its ‘Made in America’ commitment, Weidmüller will increase its engineering and production footprint in the U.S. by 24,000 square feet, allowing the company to engineer and manufacture products to meet growing North American customer demand and strengthen its supply chain.. Founded in 1850, the Weidmüller Group has operated in Chesterfield County, Virginia, for more than 50 years.

Social Media Accounts and the Interviewing process

The hi tech world in which we live provides many benefits, social networking websites can have a positive or a negative impact on your everyday life; including when you apply for a position. Make sure your LinkedIn profile matches your resume as to what your current position and title are and prior positions were. Make sure all dates and names are up to date and match and your social media accounts with all your personal information including pictures and posts. Make sure that they are not controversial and that they do not damage your chances of being hired. In other words be cautious of what you post and how you post it (good over all life advice) Choose your friends groups and likes carefully. Make sure your professional account would impress a potential employer, try to have some business recommendations and references on your LinkedIn profile from people you have done business with or that you have worked with that speak to you professional experience and expertise.

Resume Tips
Don’t make your resume is longer than necessary. There is no one page rule hiring managers look for one thing and one thing only when looking thru resumes of potential candidates does this persons experience fit my job, if it does not they don’t want to see it whether or not it is one page or several pages . Take as much time space as you need to properly present your background and experience. Be concise do not leave out industry specific experience to make on one page it’s not how long the resume is it’s how relevant the experience is to the position you are applying for.
You should have two resume’s one that goes into industry specific details related to markets, products or technical expertise that you would want to send to companies in the industry where you have the most experience and one that focuses more on general business or engineering skills that could be applied to any industry.

When opportunity Knocks
You will never know what opportunity presents itself if you don’t open the door or more accurately answer your phone that unknown number you chose to ignore could be you next career opportunity, but you will never know unless you answer the call, if it’s a telemarketer or some other recorded sales message just hang it up.
On the Move
Drop me a line, call, or email me if you have had a change of address, phone number, email address, or employment since we last spoke, so that we can stay in touch. If you are near retirement, retired, no longer in the electronic connector industry, or just do not wish to receive this newsletter, please let me know and I will remove your name from the mailing list.

Keeping Our Data Base Current
To keep up with our growing database, and in order to be able to contact you with potential career opportunities, we must have an electronic copy of your resume on file. Therefore, if you have not already emailed me a copy of your most recent resume, please do so in Word format. Your resume will be kept in our files and never be sent anywhere unless we first speak with you about the potential opportunity.

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