The world connector industry achieved a sales growth of +12.6% in 2006; however, the top 10 connector manufacturers, as a group, increased sales by +14.3%. The following table identifies the top 10 connector manufacturers and provides 2005/2006 sales performances by company.

Top 10 Connector Companies

The top 10 achieved growth above the industry average primarily because of two major acquisitions. Molex acquired Woodhead, and Amphenol acquired Teradyne Connection Systems. This added approximately $600 million in sales to the top 10, and eliminated an equal amount from the “All Others” category. The top 10 manufacturers have been increasing their share of the connector market for the past quarter of a century. The following chart shows how the top 10 share of market has changed since 1980.

The following table provides the five-year CAGR for the top 10 connector manufacturers.

Top 10 Connector Companies - Five-Year Performance

Amphenol Corporation achieved a 21.3% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) during the past five years, the best among the top 10. Foxconn, Hirose, JST and Molex also achieved double-digit growth. The top 10 achieved growth of 8.8% versus industry growth of 7.2%, and 5.5% for companies ranked number 11 and lower. During this period (2001-2006), Amphenol acquired a number of companies including Teradyne’s connector business, and Molex acquired Woodhead. Tyco Electronics did not acquire any companies during this period. However, Tyco Electronics has announced that acquisitions are now part of their strategy. The following table identifies the change in market share for the top 10 between 2001 and 2006.

Five-Year Change in Top 10 Market Share

During the 2001-2006 period, Amphenol increased market share from 3% of the world market to 5.5%. Several of the top 10 companies lost market share, and seven gained market share.