MOLEX STORYBOARD FOR DISTRIBUTION 2025
Creating connections for life is more than a catchy phrase— it is the core of our business. Molex products provide vital connections for applications that are a fundamental part of life today and will continue to be in 2025 and beyond. We create connections with distributors that form the backbone of our business. In turn, distributors create connections with manufacturers that are the foundation of their business. However, it’s maintaining and strengthening those connections—as well as creating new ones—that are essential for both Molex and our distributors to maintain success.
We look forward to continuing our journey with you as 2025 is sure to bring new challenges. By moving forward together, we can meet them successfully.
“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.”
– Henry Ford
FOCUS INDUSTRIES
2024 has been full of change, with the rapid adoption of artificial intelligence (AI), continued advancement in autonomous vehicles and significant breakthroughs in quantum computing—just a few of the things at the forefront. By navigating through our storyboard, you will uncover the technologies and advancements that are reshaping our focus industries and emerging markets, along with the latest resources and product focuses to support our collaboration in the coming year.
Transportation
Energy and Electrification
Data Center and Cloud
Industrial
Consumer
Medical and Healthcare
Aerospace and Defense
Resources and Supporting Materials
Blogs, articles and product spotlight videos
Interactive digital tools
Application tear down graphics
Industry brochures and product datasheets
Acquisitions
Learning Locker and sales tools
TRANSPORTATION
Recent advancements in areas such as in-cabin features, miniaturization and zonal architecture will continue to be at the forefront of automotive technological advancements in 2025. New opportunities are on the horizon that require rugged, reliable connectivity in transportation applications that span automotive, recreational vehicles, commercial vehicles and agricultural equipment.
FEATURED PRODUCTS
Miniaturization
As the automotive industry increasingly demands feature-heavy, efficient vehicles, design engineers must also simultaneously create products that accommodate higher electronic densities, smaller space considerations and reduced weights. Molex offers a range of solutions that help meet both the miniaturization trend and vehicle requirements, such as secure connections, extreme temperatures and ingress protection.
Rugged and Reliable
Customer demands in both commercial vehicles and smart agriculture are fueling the need for more capable devices and systems. As complex electronic systems grow more prevalent, electronic components are frequently exposed to harsh conditions, such as vibration, extreme temperature, water and dust. For many applications, rugged reliability is a requirement. Engineers are now finding new uses for field-tested connectors in a variety of automotive and non-automotive applications.
Zonal Architecture
The adoption of zonal architecture into vehicle design marks a pivotal shift in the transportation industry. It addresses the major challenges of complexity, weight, durability, maintenance and assembly that have long plagued vehicle manufacturers. Molex plans to maintain its position at the leading-edge of this trend. By harnessing our extensive engineering ability to develop connectors and systems, our goal is to ensure manufacturers have the tools at their disposal to meet the needs of the evolving transportation industry.
RESOURCES
Driving Miniaturization in Automotive Components
Application Tear Down: eBike Connectors and Components
Webinar - Rugged and Reliable: Optimizing Vehicle Designs Through Miniaturization
ENERGY AND ELECTRIFICATION
The move to electrification is much more complex than a transition to electric engines—it is the catalyst for the continuing transformation in vehicle architecture, user experience and energy management. There are three key areas of note in this space—energy storage, electric vehicle charging and HVAC. Advancements and the continued adoption of renewable energy sources make it an area that will be on our radar in 2025 and beyond.
PRODUCTS
Energy Storage
Connectivity is a critical consideration in energy storage systems (ESS) that demand rising energy throughput. As these systems handle higher energy levels, robust thermal management is needed to mitigate risk. The challenge for designers lies in striking a balance—achieving the necessary high power while ensuring low contact resistance and low voltage drop, which are key factors in minimizing heat generation. This balance is vital for efficiency as well as for the safety and longevity of the systems. Molex offers UL-certified connectors and busbars to ensure safe and reliable operation in compliance with regional regulations.
Electric Vehicles and Charging
Engineering the complex battery management systems (BMS) and battery pack electronics of modern electric vehicles (EV) requires a suite of versatile and robust electrical interconnects. These interconnects must be both rugged and reliable, as well as flexible enough for use across various layouts and capacities.
Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC)
Applications such as heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems require protection from harsh surroundings. Connectors in this industry must be guarded from dust, debris and condensation ingress, especially in moist environments. As a result, physical shielding around the connector is imperative to ensure excellent performance.
RESOURCES
Application Tear Down: Home Energy Storage System Blog: Solving Two Key Design Challenges for EV Charging
Tear Down: Electric
Delivering Superior Protection and Performance for HVAC
DATA CENTER AND CLOUD
Artificial intelligence (AI) was undeniably one of the most discussed topics of 2024. The outlook for 2025 is no different. While AI will continue to transform how we work, shop and manage our lives, we should not overlook other areas, such as power for data centers, servers and storage space, along with telecommunications and networking.
Artificial Intelligence
In its current state, AI is in an era of statistical learning that unlocks commercial use cases and applications. In the future, artificial intelligence will be capable of linking causes with their effects. Computers will be able to identify patterns, but also explain decisions and make recommendations for alternative courses of action. The era in which AI software is embedded in products is much closer than one would anticipate. At Molex, we are preparing for an era in which AI products require platform serviceability, the ability to accommodate different devices and easy scalability.
Power for Data Centers
Data centers are the hub of the internet, providing the infrastructure and services required to provide the data that fuels the web. They require a significant amount of power to operate, creating the need for high performance and reliability. Even with the advent of AI, Internet usage continues to grow. Data centers will continue to face increases in demand, including greater data speeds and bandwidth. Connectors used in data center applications must be designed to enhance efficiency and combat energy loss, thereby helping to prevent an increase in operating costs.
Servers and Storage
While PCIe solutions are pervasive in computing infrastructure, the varying specifications, performance requirements, power consumption and signal integrity issues can make the selection process complex. Each generation of PCIe introduces new features and performance enhancements. Data center architects face the need to upgrade servers, storage systems and networking equipment to fully capitalize on enhanced performance capabilities. Striking the proper balance among these components will be the primary challenge for design engineers in the latter half of the decade.
Telecommunications and Networking
Modern businesses need the ability to move data from one area to another, then collect and process the data centrally. In addition, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) applications need to access available power that runs reliably and uninterrupted. The first basic step that a facility can take toward becoming fully connected and integrated is to install networking and communications capabilities, including effective and efficient power delivery.
INDUSTRIAL
The industrial market is the engine that drives the changes people experience in their everyday lives, making it a robust area for advancement. Trends include industrial automation, networking and communication, and—one that often finds itself in the spotlight—robotics.
Industrial Automation
The promise of Industry 4.0 looms large for companies worldwide, as plans ramp up to digitize and transform the speed and operation of complex machines, control systems and factory floors. This presents several challenges, including increased communication speeds between equipment, the exchange of data from the cloud to the factory floor in real-time and the frequent need for customized systems. Molex has the capability to deliver customized connectivity and communication solutions with higher stability and connection quality to meet the needs in this space.
Networking
There is a clear need to move beyond old technology to enable new capabilities. The majority of manufacturers cannot afford to tear down and rebuild factories to incorporate the latest ideas and capabilities. Therefore, the first conceptual step must be miniaturization everywhere.
Along with that comes the need for high-speed connectivity. Industrial plants are filled with servers, storage devices, handheld instruments and monitoring equipment, all of which run on data. Meeting the real-time needs of a large operation requires instant access to information making connection speed paramount. Molex will continue to generate advancements in both miniaturization and high-speed connectivity as they are vital to so many industries.
Robotics
Industrial robotics lies at the heart of Industry 4.0, reinventing manufacturing with unmatched precision, efficiency and resource optimization. These advanced systems are streamlining production, minimizing assembly errors, improving overall product quality and creating safer workplaces. With the convergence of ruggedness and miniaturization, Molex solutions—engineered and tested for both longevity and ease of use—address the complex requirements of advanced, highly compact robots in harsh environments.
RESOURCES
CONSUMER
In many countries around the world, consumer spending is a key economic engine that frequently drives innovation. The recent focus has been on enhancing user experiences, improving people’s lives with technology and increased safety. Trending devices such as wearables, home appliances and energy will dominate conversation in the consumer market in 2025.
PRODUCTS
Wearables
This category takes many shapes and covers a vast array of devices, from earbuds to blood pressure monitors. Design trends in this category include miniaturization, safety and ease of use. Molex is a leader in miniaturized connectors and continues to make advancements in these areas without sacrificing safety or usability.
Home Appliances
To provide consumers with a wider menu of choices for the way they clean clothes, cook and wash dishes, appliance manufacturers are equipping machines with sensors and electronics to make the machines smarter. This requires manufacturers to rethink designs. Additionally, they must comply with new and emerging safety regulations, find ways to tighten operational efficiency and use more environmentally friendly processes to keep up with customer demands and regulatory changes. To meet these needs, Molex is implementing some of the same principles used in the industrial market, including miniaturization, high-speed connectivity and durability.
Home Energy
In an era where technology saturates every aspect of our lives, even how we power our homes is undergoing a profound transformation. The growing prevalence of smart home devices—from thermostats to video doorbells—has set a new standard, extending to power consumption. With growing societal awareness regarding energy use, Molex will continue to advance busbar, connector and cable assembly solutions to address these requirements.
RESOURCES
Home Appliance Technology & Solutions
KEY TRENDS IN APPLIANCE DESIGN: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
White Paper: Key Trends in Appliance Design
Application Teardown: Leading Advancements in Washing Machines
Blog: Embracing the Opportunities of Smart Appliances
Application Tear Down: Miniaturized PCB Connectors for Earbud Design
Antennas
MEDICAL AND HEALTHCARE
As with many industries, the rapid development of modern technologies is revolutionizing medical care. Next-gen medical devices transmit data from patients to the cloud through encrypted networks, creating a connected health ecosystem. Medtech suppliers need to focus on providing smaller, more flexible solutions, while simultaneously incorporating durability, functionality and usability into their product designs. With the increasing implementation of telehealth, the need for network security is on the rise.
Artificial Intelligence also factors heavily into medical and healthcare devices. Its primary use will be in diagnostics, but will expand into other areas such as treatment planning and hospital operations. Telemedicine and remote monitoring, along with wearable devices, the increased use of robotics in surgery and other elements of patient care, will increase their recent expansions.
AEROSPACE AND DEFENSE
With the acquisition of AirBorn, Inc., a Molex Company, a full spectrum of aerospace and defense solutions will be available. By adding this offering of rugged and reliable connectivity solutions, Molex is positioned to take advantage of these growing market sectors.
The defense landscape is moving into the digital realm, where connectivity and cybersecurity are essential. Filtered connectors help safeguard communications from electromagnetic interference (EMI) and radio-frequency interference (RFI), while ruggedized components ensure reliability across autonomous systems. Additionally, realtime tracking technologies and diversified sourcing are becoming increasingly critical.
The diverse connectivity needs of the aerospace market span a variety of applications. Engineers are advancing towards electric propulsion, autonomous systems and IoT-enabled real-time analytics. With goals for efficiency, reduced emissions and manageable operating costs, there is a need for connectors that can handle high-speed data, manage real-time data flows, provide advanced diagnostics and deliver stable power, while meeting stringent safety and compliance standards.
MOLEX VIRTUAL SHOWROOM: EXPERIENCE THE DYNAMIC,
INTERACTIVE PLATFORM
Discover the latest trends in Automotive, Electrification, and Consumer applications through the Molex Virtual Showroom. This interactive tool takes you inside the latest applications, including: Applications
The Molex virtual showroom is a dynamic, interactive platform showcasing new and legacy Molex products designed for today’s markets. As you navigate through the showroom, you’ll encounter intuitive interfaces and experience real-time engagement with our solutions as if they were right in front of you.
Register for the Virtual Showroom to access:
• Interactive application tear downs
• Sample requests • Detailed product information
VIRTUAL SHOWROOM FEATURES Interested in joining
Earbuds Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV)
NEW PRODUCT INTRODUCTIONS FROM MOLEX
On average, Molex launches more than 50 new products each year through the distribution channel. By connecting with this fundamental part of our business, we are able to broadcast our message to millions of customers around the globe.
Stay up to date with the latest information
Molex provides the following communication tools to keep distributors informed with new product updates, sales tools and resources.
INNOVATION
New to Molex, or new to market
ENHANCEMENT
New variations of an existing product range
EXTENSION
Additions to complete an existing range
From consumer devices to industrial robotics, the future is full of excitement. But as industries evolve to bring new functionality, innovation is not only found in the final product – it is also reinventing the components within.
The Molex New Product Introduction program is focused on releasing solutions that support the next era of applications. Over the last decade, we have launched and continuously enhance our NPI program that introduces new products for the general market. Each new release is categorized to illustrate how it complements our range.
Distribution Connection Newsletter Quarterly newsletter to keep you informed of the latest trends, tools and resources available.
New Product Introductions
Everything you need to help grow your business with the latest product offerings.
Quarterly webcast highlighting updates on market trends, sales performance, key product lines and NPIs.
Product Refresh
A fresh perspective on our legacy products, featuring new information, tools, images and other resources.
Learning Locker
A complete set of tools to market Molex products, including product training courses, sales presentations and videos.