Quality, design, electrical and mechanical engineers and purchasing personnel work to identify the companies with whom to partner for their connector requirements. This requires answers to questions such as these:
- Which companies offer the products and services we require?
- Which offer the best delivery, affordable pricing and exceptional quality?
- Which offer well-designed websites where it is easy to locate products and supporting documentation?
- Which offer exceptional customer service and can be counted on when there is a problem?
Globally, there are approximately 1,500 companies that manufacture connectors, making it impractical to vet them all. The first step is to determine which companies deserve a closer examination. We believe a good starting point is to first examine the larger, more successful companies.
Generally, the larger companies have been successful because they offer a broad array of high-quality products at a reasonable price and are able to deliver these products within a period that meets the customer’s demand. With over 35 years of researching the connector industry and analyzing connector companies, we believe the first step in identifying the best connector suppliers is to identify the Top 10 companies using different definitions of what constitutes Top 10. Here are four areas we feel are vital:
- Top 10 in world sales
- Top 10 in each geographic region
- Top 10 by individual product type manufactured
- Top 10 within each market served
This series of articles will provide you with the names of the Top 10 companies in world sales, by geographic region, by manufactured products and by markets served. We will publish these articles in succession, starting with total world connector sales.
The source of this information is found in the 2024 Top 100 Connector Manufacturers research report. Most connector users are interested in learning more about the companies beyond the Top 10 described in these articles. This is because the industry has many niche manufacturers that, although small from a revenue perspective, produce excellent products. If you are interested in delving deeper and identifying other excellent companies, visit the link provided above to view Bishop’s report on the Top 100 connector manufacturers.
When we finish publishing this series of Top 10 articles, you will learn there are 54 companies that have received a Top 10 ranking in either sales, sales by region, by product type or market sector. If you wish to see more potential suppliers of connectors, we have developed a website that provides profiles on over 750 connector companies.
You may generate lists of connector companies by sales, products manufactured, markets served and country of origin. Visit The World’s Connector Companies to view the capabilities of this dynamic website.
2023 Top 10 Connector Manufacturers in World Sales
Every year, Bishop & Associates takes a comprehensive look at the connector industry in all its complexity, evaluating the activities of more than 750 connector suppliers over both the past year and past decade to gain a broad perspective on the industry and determine the top companies.
The world’s Top 100 connector manufacturers recorded shipments of $67.465 billion in 2023. This represented 82.4% of the worldwide connector market, up from 81.9% in 2022. The balance of the connector industry had 2023 shipments of $14.389 billion and represented 17.6% of the total market. It is important to note that due to acquisitions and mergers, as well as currency fluctuations, the Top 100 – and, in particular, the top 50 connectors manufacturers – change yearly.
In 2023, the Top 10 connector manufacturers accounted for 52.6% of total market share or $42.061 billion. This is up from 51.9% in 2022 when the top 10 accounted for $43.655 of the $84,091 billion. Four of the Top 10 manufacturers were based in North America, three in Japan, one in China, one in Europe and one was Asia Pacific-based.
The following table identifies the Top 10 connector manufacturers as defined by global connector sales.
Top 10 Ranked by World Sales
The names of the top 10 companies have changed dramatically over the past few decades. The following table shows how the largest connector companies have changed in ranking.
Top 10 Connector Manufacturers 1980 through 2023
The highlights of this table include:
1980: Companies that were eventually acquired were Berg, Augat, Cinch, Burndy and Winchester. ITT Cannon and 3M Electronics dropped out of the top 10 ranking.
1990: Molex moved from a number 10 ranking to number two. Three Japanese companies achieved top 10 status: JST, Hirose and JAE.
2000: Framatome Connectors International/FCI became a major connector company through acquisitions of several other connector companies. These include Burndy, Souriau, Berg, McKenzie Socket Technology and DAUT + REITZ. Delphi and Yazaki, who both focused almost exclusively on the automotive and commercial transportation sectors, became the 4th and 6th largest companies, respectively. This was in line with the tremendous growth in the automotive sector, which at the time represents over 25% of the total connector market.
2005: Hon Hai, who would later be referred to as Foxconn Interconnect Technology and then FIT joined the top 10 list.
2015: Amphenol became the second largest connector company, a ranking that the company continues to hold today. A Chinese based company, Luxshare, achieves top 10 ranking. This raises the numbers of eastern-based companies in the top 10 to six.
2022: Rosenberger, a European based company that focuses on radio frequency, fiber-optic and high-voltage connectivity, becomes number eight.
2023: Amid name changes, Amp or Tyco Electronics or TE Connectivity, the organization remains the largest connector company since 1980. Amphenol is number two, by a wide margin and is challenging TE for the number one ranking. There are now four U.S.-based companies in the top 10, three Asian/Japanese and one each that are European and Chinese.
Bishop & Associates, incorporated in 1985, is the leading research firm on the connector industry. The Bishop Report is a monthly newsletter that tracks the performance of the industry. To learn more or to subscribe, follow this link.
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