M MILITARY SYSTEMS & Technology
Omnetics to solve defence industry’s connectivity challenges with new product launch Omnetics Connector Corporation are leaders when it comes to custom-designed micro-miniature and nano-miniature connectors for aerospace and defence industry applications.
his has been the case since the company launched a little over 35 years ago. But recently, spurred by customer demand, Omnetics has been working hard on a new, much different product launch believed to be the biggest in company history. Eager to find out more about the new Kilo 360® product family, we spoke to Travis Neumann, Omnetics’ Special Projects Manager, and Phil Simonson, the company’s Vice President & CFO.
connectors, this new line of products represent a slight increase in size for Omnetics. So, what prompted the company to take this direction and launch it as a brand new business line, and what types of customers is it aimed at? “It’s something that our existing customer base has been asking us for years,” says Simonson. “It’ll overlap with existing customers that we have, primarily in the military and aerospace industries, as well as some industrial applications as things move down in power and size requirements. These will help miniaturise connectors that they’re already using, so we could see more growth in that area. Primarily, it’s something that our existing customers are currently buying from other vendors that they’ve been requesting us to provide as well.”
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Simonson starts by explaining one of the ways the Kilo 360® launch differs from Omnetics’ previous focus. “Omnetics’ expertise has traditionally focused on custom, specifically designed and assembled components and connectors. Our challenge was to come up with a line of products, to do something that is an industry standard and bring that same level of quality and design that Omnetics’ customers have come to expect. There are three distinct styles of connectors that we’re working with, but if you look at all the permutations and combinations of options that we have, there would be many 10s of 1000s of different connectors.”
Solving customer pain points A long time before engineers even started on designs, Omnetics had been closely observing the existing market for this style of connector, paying particular attention to any common problems its own expertise and efficiencies could help solve for customers. Neumann believes that two critical pain points for customers are lead time and quality.
And for a connector company that built its success on miniature www.militarysystems-tech.com
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