Molex-at-a-Glance

Established in 1938, Molex Incorporated is the world’s second largest manufacturer of electronic connectors within the approximately $25 billion global marketplace*. Molex designs, manufactures and distributes more than 100,000 products, including terminals, connectors, planar cables, cable assemblies, interconnection systems, fiber optic connectors and adapters, backplanes, mechanical and electronic switches, and other products.

Today, Molex operates 55 manufacturing facilities in 19 countries. With a global team of more than 21,000 employees, Molex can design, produce and service a product anywhere in the world. The Company is organized into four strategic sales regions: Americas, Far East South, Far East North, and Europe.

Global Strength
Being a global company means much more than having people and facilities located around the world. It involves a commitment to collaborate internally and improve best practices throughout the organization. Molex does this every day by sharing design expertise, manufacturing cost advantages and supply chain flexibility. With its global manufacturing capabilities, Molex provides its customers with the localized support needed to meet their delivery, design and cost expectations.

In Fiscal 2004, Molex achieved sales of $2.25 billion. The approximate percentage of Molex sales per region were as follows:

In an era where approximately 70 percent of all Molex customer transactions involve two or more regions globally, Molex has created the infrastructure to make even the most complicated logistics seamless to customers. Orders received in China may be designed in North America, manufactured in Europe and shipped to the customer’s location in any number of countries.

Focusing on quality, delivery, responsiveness, technology, and other ways it can best meet the global requirements of its customers, is paramount to its success. That philosophy drives the company and also contributed to Molex’s recognition as the No. 1 global connector company overall in a recent Bishop and Associates’ survey of U.S. OEMs, contract manufacturers and distributors.  

Additionally, through the Company’s website, www.molex.com, customers can access critical information on more than 100,000 products, download drawings or 3D models, obtain price quotes, order samples and check delivery status at their convenience – anytime, anywhere. Available in eight languages, the site generated inquires from more than 170 countries in 2004.

Industry Expertise: Broad and Deep
Molex products are used by some of the most respected OEMs, in some of the most recognized consumer and industrial products in the world. The approximate percentage of net revenue by industry segment for Fiscal 2004 is outlined below:

Overall, the markets in which Molex operates continue to grow and improve – some faster than others. One of the company’s greatest strengths is consumer electronics, which reflects the world’s ongoing conversion of analog to digital, and the incredible demand for portable, multifunctional devices – many that get smaller and smaller each year.

“Cell phones, portable music players and other handheld devices are driving demand for miniature connectors that deliver more power, speed, and functionality in compact spaces,” said Ron Schubel, president, Americas Region, Molex Incorporated. “Similarly, in automotive, we’re seeing additional opportunities for connector sales, as electronic content increases in personal vehicles and public transportation.”

More Than Connectors
Providing customers with integrated solutions increasingly means supplying more than connectors. Products range from controllers and harnesses for industrial applications, to complex high-speed cable assemblies for telecommunications equipment and computer peripherals. Molex produces products that leverage connector content, such as antennas for mobile phones, as well as membrane switches and flex circuits for digital cameras and wireless patient monitors.

Because integrated products require labor-intensive assembly, each Molex region operates at least one low cost manufacturing center, whether in China, India, Malaysia, Mexico, Poland or Slovakia.

Reinvesting for Tomorrow
As one of the most financially robust companies in the connector business, Molex uses that position of strength to invest in the future. The Company annually invests at least five percent of revenue in research and development – even through the most prolonged downturn in the industry’s history. In 2004, Molex commercialized 415 new products and received 568 patents. Over the past five years, Molex invested more than $611 million on R&D to keep its product pipeline full.

Schubel added, “We have very strong positions in key market segments, such as digital consumer, mobile communication and mobile computing, where growth is outpacing the overall connector market. At the same time, our focus on the emerging markets, like medical electronics, and emphasis on new product development, help form a solid foundation for continued growth."

Computers
The GbX^® FR408^™ Reference Backplane from Molex also provides system and chip design teams an improved method of predicting a component’s performance capabilities in an actual datacom or telecom system.





 

Telecommunications
Molex Swivel EMI Adapters allow for a full 70 degrees of cable re-orientation that turn a standard panel mount adapter into a multi-positional swivel for flexible cable grooming.





 

Consumer Products
Molex’s TransFlash^™ connectors feature both hinged and push-push (push lock/push release) versions that include metal shielding and integral solder tabs for electrostatic discharge protection.

Automotive
The MX150^™ Sealed Connector System meets the market need for a sealed, rugged interconnect. It offers a pre-assembled design that is also a field repairable solution that eliminates assembly and downtime, as well as repair costs.

Industrial
These additions to the RJ-45 product family give Molex customers more cordset and receptacle options to choose from when trying to meet their Ethernet® protocol needs.

GbX is a registered trademark of Teradyne, Inc.
FR408 is a trademark of Isola.
TransFlash is a trademark of SanDisk Corporation.
MLX150 is a trademark of Molex Incorporated.
Ethernet is a registered trademark of Xerox Corporation

More Information

For more information about Molex Incorporated, please visit our website www.molex.com 

 * Source: Bishop Report.