New Molex business will help your devices get smaller
When Lisle-based Molex Inc. (www.molex.com) completed its acquisition of a Taiwan equipment maker, it thought smaller. Smaller hand-held devices. Smaller laptops. Smaller computers.
Because those are the types of consumer products that will be using the different flexible circuits and assemblies made by Taipei, Taiwan,-based AFlextech Inc., which will now operate as a subsidiary of Molex. Those circuits go inside hand-held devices, including smart phones - as well as in computer peripherals, data storage and autos. Their devices can go into smaller equipment, in contrast to Molex's Copper Flex Products business, which provides bigger circuits for military, data, industrial and large medical equipment.
After all, the trend in consumer electronics has been shifting toward smaller hand-helds, and the company is keeping a sharp eye on the needs of that market. Molex also will be looking toward the future, said company spokeswoman Susan Armitage.
"We're still interested in other acquisitions," she said. Molex, which has about 33,000 workers worldwide, added 300 more employees from AFlextech. No layoffs or staffing changes are expected as the companies merge, she said.
Molex announced the acquisition at its last quarterly earnings conference call and closed the deal last week. Armitage said the terms of the deal aren't being released.
Sando Chen, general manager of AFlextech, said in a statement the company offers to Molex expanded capabilities with its products. "The combination of Molex's global footprint and resources with AFlextech's flex-circuit expertise and assembly services will help expand our offerings globally," Chen said.
The AFlextech name will remain the same for now, Armitage said.
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