Samtec Signal E1 2023

THE SAMTEC SIGNAL

COMING TOGETHER TO MAKE A Difference!

WELCOME

This edition of the Samtec Signal focuses on the contributions of Samtec Associates around the world and their collaborative efforts to work together for a greater purpose. Our Associates truly care for Samtec, people, and the planet. This is exemplified through initiatives like teambuilding, sustainable projects, technology access, volunteering, and more. Through your actions, our Associates continue to inspire us and demonstrate our ability to affect the future. As a member of the Samtec family, we hope you to enjoy this edition.

Samtec Vietnam saw significant growth in production, increasing by 174% in 2020 and 191% in 2021. Samtec Vietnam Teambuilding, which had been suspended, resumed in August 2022, providing 538 Associates with a chance to bond, improve work relationships, and have fun.

The Associates journeyed to Da Lat, where they played games, won prizes, and sang songs on the bus. They visited the foot of Langbiang Mountain and experienced the “Cong Chieng Exchange,” immersing themselves in the culture through songs, dances, stories, and home-brewed wine called “Ruou Can.”

On the second day, they visited Cu Lan village for muddy yet fun-filled team building games, relishing the opportunity to reconnect and learn more about their colleagues.

On the last morning in Da Lat, they visited the local market, purchased specialties, took group photos, and departed for Samtec. The event was a huge success, with many Associates participating and having a great time.

Tessie is hiding somewhere in the Samtec Signal! Once you find her, email us at samtecsignal@samtec.com and let us know where she is. You will be entered to win a $25 gift card!

Samtec Vietnam

Chinese New Year: Year of the Rabbit

The Year of the Rabbit is one of the 12-year cycle of animals in the Chinese zodiac. According to Chinese astrology, those born in the Year of the Rabbit are considered to be gentle, intelligent, and compassionate individuals. They are said to be diplomatic, articulate, and possess strong interpersonal skills. Rabbits are also known for their creativity and artistic abilities.

People born in the Year of the Rabbit are said to be compatible with those born in the Year of the Sheep and the Year of the Pig, but may experience some challenges when interacting with those born in the Year of the Rooster. They are also advised to avoid people born in the Year of the Rat, as these two animal signs are believed to clash.

Those born in the Year of the Rabbit are said to be skilled at navigating complex situations and excel in fields such as law, diplomacy, and politics. They are also known for their thriftiness and financial savvy, but may struggle with taking risks and making bold financial decisions. Overall, the Year of the Rabbit is considered to be a fortunate and harmonious year, associated with prosperity and good fortune. It is said to be a time for reflection, introspection, and cultivating strong relationships with loved ones.

Year of the Rabbit is a good time to slow down, reflect and strive for balance around work, money, and life!

SAMTEC PENANG

To celebrates this special occasion of Chinese New Year, Samtec Penang arranged lion dance performance on January 31. Our associates are love taking picture together with the lions while it dance around the facilities. The lion is a symbol of power, wisdom, good fortune as it chases away evil spirits and bring happiness for the year ahead.

SINGAPORE’S NEW HOME!

Welcome Samtec Singapore to your new home!

Samtec Singapore has moved out of its home of more than 30 years to a new location. The new Singapore Distribution Hub will primarily support Asia Manufacturing and Samtec Reserve (read more about Samtec Reserve to the right). This relocation is significant as the floor area has increased from 10,000 ft² to 74,000 ft².

The move coincided with the Chinese New Year season, and the office celebrated by having a lion dance for the first time in Singapore! All Associates were thrilled and excited for this momentous occasion. Ed Messer (Samtec New Albany) also joined everyone on this special day to participate in the Chinese New Year “lohei” tradition.

What is Samtec Reserve?

Reserve allows customers to quickly and easily identify availability of over 200,000 (and quickly growing) of Samtec’s most popular connectors and cables - guaranteed to ship in 1-day. Look for the Reserve badge throughout samtec. com to quickly determine if the part number is eligible, along with current availability, quantity breaks and pricing. Hundreds of part numbers are being added daily!

Why is this important?

In Cantonese, “lohei” means “tossing up good fortune.” In Singapore, this ritual involves a group of people gathered around a large plate, tossing its contents high while saying auspicious phrases before eating it. It is believed that the higher the toss, the better the luck will be for the whole year.

The picture with the word “旺” means prosperous.

During the lion dance, the lucky lions will use the given mandarin oranges to create this word, wishing prosperity for the business and everyone for the year ahead.

Samtec Singapore wishes all of Samtec a year of good wealth in the future.

We live in a rapidly evolving world of convenience and same-day shipping. This is something that consumers love and have come to expect. And even though Samtec is mostly a B2B company, virtually everyone in this world is a consumer at home, and those consumers have gotten used to being able to have virtually anything they want shipped to them incredibly quickly.

BEST WORKPLACES 2022

By: Brianne Collier

SAMTEC’S FACILITY IN COLORADO SPRINGS, CO, was recently selected for the second year as a Best Workplaces 2022 in the Pikes Peak region. We are honored to be recognized by our employees as one of 102 companies nominated and surveyed based on organizational health, engagement and leadership. Samtec is much more than just another connector company. We put people first – taking care of our associates and our customers is paramount in how we approach our business.

Our Colorado Springs location was established in 2012, and is one of more than 40 Samtec global manufacturing and sales locations. With 125+ associates, this facility provides Engineering, Operations, Quality and Human Resource support for Optics, Microelectronics Packaging and Glass Core Technology product lines.

We understand the importance of work/life balance as an essential for happy and healthy associates. We also recognize that our associates are the most valuable resource, so we provide many perks and benefits, including: career growth opportunities, on-the-job training, educational support, computer grants, financial and estate planning assistance, counseling, and maternity and paternity leave. More details about Samtec’s culture are available here.

HERE’S WHAT SOME SAMTEC COLORADO SPRINGS ASSOCIATES SAID IN THE SURVEY:

“The culture at Samtec is unmatched. You could be an engineer anywhere, but you’d be hard-pressed to find a company where the culture is this good.”

“We get respect from all employees. They (Samtec) take care of issues when they arise in a very ethical manner. I love the values we have since we all want this company to succeed.”

“Being able to directly apply my degree as I’m earning it, and doing work that I’m proud of. I am actually doing the thing I have studied very hard to be able to do, which is a great feeling.”

“I get to do work that benefits others. It may just be microelectronics, but our products go into Naval radar systems, stoplights, medical and surgical devices. It helps someone somehow and I think that’s pretty neat.”

“I never saw myself working in the electronics industry, but because of the culture and the work itself, I am happier than I could have ever expected to be in my career as an engineer.”

“…I like how mental, physical, and even spiritual health are encouraged. A burnt out employee is not a great employee, and I think Samtec understands that.”

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO

RENOVATED NOOK

WELCOMES VISITORS TO SAMTEC WITH STATE-OF-THE-ART TECHNOLOGY

By Danny Boesing

Visitors to our New Albany, Indiana-based headquarters are usually impressed with our spacious, open-air, twostory lobby, our 6,000-gallon aquarium, and the newly renovated, state-of-the-art “Nook.” The Nook is a wallsized, digital product showroom, with high-definition, breathtaking graphics that tell the Samtec story to our guests.

In The Nook, a visitor can learn about our global operations and integration, customers and markets served, Sudden Service®, Silicon-to-Silicon capabilities, and product solutions. They learn about this while they’re being blown away by the big, bold, eye-popping graphics and animations.

The nook has been around since 2017, the year we completed a major renovation of the lobby. The original nook was on its last leg: the hardware was aging, the system suffered from overheating, and the legacy software made it difficult to upgrade. And besides the hardware and software obsolescence, it had simply lost its edge. In other words, it was nice, but the graphics and interface didn’t grab you. It was cool, but it wasn’t “WOW!”

The goals in updating the nook were to improve hardware and reliability, leverage new software, streamline content, update the story, and move to a system that could accommodate group tours. To that last point, the original nook was designed for a one-to-one experience. The wall was a huge touchscreen, which was better suited for oneon-one discussions, or with small groups.

The new system has a touchscreen kiosk at the back of the room. Visitors stand in front of the kiosk, looking forward at the wall of monitors. Working from the kiosk, the tour guide navigates through his presentation, covering the material that is best suited for that audience. For example, the guide can give a general overview of Samtec and the electronics industry if the group is from a local school. If the guests are a customer, the guide can show animated cutaway views of Samtec products and technologies that may be of interest.

Successfully launching such an aggressive initiative requires a large team of talented individuals, from both within and outside of Samtec. Skillsets required for this project included project planning, design, UX and UI (user experience and user interface) design, graphics design, hardware research and testing, 3D modeling and animation, and C# programming. Departments involved in the development include IT, Help Desk, Facilities Systems, Operations, Engineering, and Marketing. Outside of Samtec, we partnered with Thuxland (an LED screen expert and consultant) and Uber Displays (an LED vendor who handled the installation). Project leaders for Samtec were Martin Reimer and Davis Dillard.

The curved-screen wall is 24’7” wide x 8’2” tall (7.5 m x 2.4 m), and the screen resolution is 3,960 x 1,320 (4K). The wall consists of 75 Black LED panels; each panel contains an array of 128 x 128 LED pixels. Doing the math, that’s 1,228,800 LED pixels on the wall. The computer powering it all sports an NVIDIA RTX 3900 graphics card.

The programs have been repurposed and the nook is now used at Samtec tradeshows worldwide. It’s also seen action at some of our major tradeshows, including DesignCon in Santa Clara, CA, and Embedded World in Nurnberg, Germany.

CHIPS & SCIENCE ACT & SENATOR TODD YOUNG

While touring Samtec Headquarters, Senator Todd Young (pictured above) announced a federal push to increase domestic semiconductor production. During his visit, Young discussed the implementation of the CHIPS and Science Act and the many benefits it will bring to Indiana. As one of the legislators who supported research and production of semiconductors in the United States, Young co-sponsored the bipartisan bill with Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer. The bill was signed into law by President Joe Biden in August 2022.

Although Samtec does not make computer chips, we play a crucial role in supporting those who make computer chips worldwide. Young highlighted the importance of companies like Samtec in rebuilding the United States’ capabilities through the CHIPS and Science Act.

Implementing the law and partnering with companies like Samtec will help keep talent in the region, according to Young. By doing so, it will provide more opportunities for Hoosiers and Kentuckians. Mark Bobo, Samtec’s executive vice president of global compliance, sustainability, and affairs, said that the Microelectronic Commons would bring universities and corporations together to build something special.

SAMTEC WELCOMES

In late 2022, we welcomed subsidiary, DeLUX Advanced Manufacturing to Samtec. DeLUX is a small business founded in 2015 specializing in the additive manufacturing of multifunctional materials and devices with focus on RF/microwave applications. They have expertise in computational electromagnetics, composite materials formulation, gradient index structures, and additive manufacturing processes.

DeLUX includes Zach Larimore, Paul Parsons, and Austin Good. They each have a Ph.D. as well as many interests in research development. They will be working with Samtec engineering teams to help us drive the roadmap for the future in technology.

DeLUX also is engaged with the government on a contract. They are involved in the Chips & Science Act and Paul Parsons actually went to DC with a few others from Samtec and Ultra Communications to meet with legislators about funding for this Act.

Zach Larimore

Paul Parsons

Austin Good

SAMTEC AND THE CHIPS & SCIENCE ACT

Samtec-owned subsidiary, DeLUX Advanced Manufacturing (based in Newark, DE), is actively seeking CHIPS Act support to enhance domestic microelectronics production. Specifically, DeLUX and Samtec have proposed a joint effort with additive manufacturing systems manufacturer, nScrypt, Inc. (based in Orlando, FL) to address concerns of counterfeit microelectronics technologies and the threats to national security they pose, such as reliability and/or malicious tampering, when integrated within sophisticated electronics platforms.

As the number of counterfeit and/or susceptible microelectronics devices proliferates throughout commercial markets, and as the Department of Defense (DoD) reliance on these commercial markets increase, the likelihood of exposure to the United States from externally derived risks also increase. DeLUX’s previously demonstrated technologies, such as the example shown below, can be applied to the repackaging of microchips via additive manufacturing methods to actively prevent counterfeiting and anti-tampering through the following methods:

• Prevent disassembly that would aid reverse engineering

• Provide shielding against unauthorized non-destructive evaluation, obscuring the purpose of critical components

• Incorporate authentication schemes within microchip packaging for increased confidence

CHIPS & SCIENCE ACT RECAP:

The CHIPS and Science Act is a U.S. federal statute enacted by the 117th United States Congress and signed into law by President Joe Biden on August 9, 2022. The act provides roughly $280 billion in new funding to boost domestic research and manufacturing of semiconductors in the United States.

Figure 1 – Example of embedded authentication scheme within microchip packaging when exposed to an ultraviolet source. This capability is demonstrated using additive manufacturing processes that enable the manufacture of multi-material structures at very small length scales.

The United States Congress consists of two legislative bodies, the House of Representatives and the Senate. There are many similarities between these institutions. Representatives and Senators are directly elected by the public. Passing legislation requires the agreement of both the House and Senate. There are chambers for both in the U.S. Capitol (pictured here).

SAMTEC & OUR AFFILIATES VISIT WASHINGTON DC

Paul Parsons (DeLUX), Mark Bobo (Samtec), Charlie Kuznia (Ultra Communications), and Bill Berl (Strategic Marking Innovations), visited Washington D.C. to meet with legislative offices representing Delaware, Florida, and Indiana to deliver a high-level overview and request funding over 24-30 months for anti-tampering technology maturation and integration of these technologies into chip packaging lines. The visited delegates include Senators Young (IN), Braun (IN), Coons (DE), and Rubio (FL), and Representatives Houchin (IN), Banks (IN), and Blunt Rochester (DE).

Samtec is actively pursuing federally funded grant opportunities for different technologies to work along the Midwest Micro Electronics Commons effort. Given DeLUX’s previous DoD and technologies, Samtec decided to engage and support the CHIPS Acts as a major technology transition partner. SMI provided Samtec, Ultracomm, and DeLUX the chance to meet with respective offices.

WHAT WAS THE OUTCOME OF THIS MEETING?

The outcome was to get our information into the hands of the legislators for represented areas prior to completing the FY2024 Appropriations bill. This allows legislators to prioritize which proposals are to receive funding based upon the impact toward CHIPS and enhancing national security. The bill won’t be finalized for some time and will require additional visits to DC for lobbying purposes.

WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS?

Now, we sit and wait. As the Appropriations bill nears completion, Samtec and DeLUX will visit legislators to provide more in-depth overviews on the anti-tampering technologies. Ultimately, the goal is to convince legislators that these technologies enable confidence in domestic microelectronics production by addressing anti-counterfeiting/tampering using additive manufacturing approaches.

WHAT IS SUSTAINABILITY?

‘Sustainability’ is an approach that aims to create long-term value through the implementation of business strategies that focus on the below three pillars while conducting business.

THE THREE PILLARS OF SUSTAINABILITY INCLUDE:

ENVIRONMENTAL: includes Water Use, Carbon Footprint, Eco-friendly products, climate change, etc.;

SOCIAL: includes safe working environment, community outreach, and employee benefits, etc.;

GOVERNANCE: What is being done to ensure laws and procedures are being followed while doing business includes Business Ethics, Compliance

The general goal of a sustainable business strategy is to positively impact the environment and society while also generating business profits. We call this the Triple Bottom Line.

Samtec Sustainability Vision Statement

To Be a leader in the electronic connector industry who leverages our Sudden Service philosophy, while being stewards of the Environmental, Social, & Governance pillars of Sustainability.

• Our Footprint: Conservation, Environmental Education, and Carbon Neutrality

• Our Community: Volunteerism and Philanthropy

• Our People: Development, Education, and Training

SAMTEC’S ACTION STATEMENT

We want our program to be Successful, Credible & Impactful. Successful - It meets the expectations of regulatory frameworks and key stakeholders; Credible - Our practices are defendable & auditable; and Impactful - It helps our associates and our communities.

We use a variety of organizations to guide & influence our Sustainability programs

SAMTEC’S SUSTAINABILITY VISION

It is important for Samtec to make sustainable business decisions that will better serve the interests of our associates, customers, communities, and the environment. Samtec’s goal is to continue to be a leader in the electronic interconnect industry who leverages our Sudden Service philosophy, while being stewards of the Environmental, Social, and Governance pillars of Sustainability as measured by globally recognized standards.

Becoming a more sustainable company does not have a one size fits all approach, but by working responsibly and collaborating with stakeholders who share our common interests, we will achieve this vision and help leave our communities and the world in a better position.

WORLD WATER DAY

In 1993, the United Nations designated March 22 as the first World Water Day. World Water Day is an annual event to highlight the importance of freshwater and the need to conserve this precious resource. The theme for World Water Day 2023 is “Water for Life,” highlighting the importance of water for human health and ecosystems.

World Water Day is important because it raises awareness of the growing water crisis around the world. According to the United Nations, more than 2 billion people lack access to safe drinking water, and by 2050, up to 5.7 billion people could be living in areas with water scarcity. This puts pressure on freshwater resources and poses a threat to human health, food security, and economic development.

Individuals can make a difference in conserving water by adopting simple practices in their daily lives. For example, turning off the tap while brushing teeth or shaving, using a broom instead of a hose to clean driveways and sidewalks, and fixing leaky taps and pipes. These simple practices can save thousands of liters of water each year, reducing water bills and helping to conserve water resources.

Governments and businesses can also play a crucial role in water conservation efforts. They can invest in sustainable water management practices, such as wastewater recycling, rainwater harvesting, and groundwater recharge. They can also prioritize water conservation in their policies and regulations, incentivize water-efficient technologies and practices, and raise awareness of the importance of water conservation among their employees and the public.

It is crucial to protect water quality by reducing pollution and ensuring that wastewater is properly treated before being discharged into the environment. Governments can regulate industries and enforce environmental laws to prevent pollution, while businesses can adopt cleaner production methods and invest in wastewater treatment technologies. Individuals can also help by properly disposing of hazardous materials, not pouring oil, chemicals, or pharmaceuticals down the drain, and not flushing non-biodegradable materials down the toilet.

Did You Know?

WHAT IS SAMTEC DOING TO HELP?

Globally on average Samtec plating and manufacturing operations recycles water at a rate of roughly 21%. Every plating sites recycles water at varying rates; some reasons for this variance include the different processes at each site, the volume of work being done, and in general the age of the facility. Some of our newest and most modern plating facilities like Johor Bahru or Costa Rica can recycle water at a rate 50% or better.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO RECYCLE WATER?

The US EPA defines recycling water as reclaiming water from a variety of sources, treating it, and reusing it for beneficial purposes.

WHAT CAN ASSOCIATES DO TO HELP?

• Save water: Be mindful of water use during daily activities.

• Stop polluting: Don’t put chemicals, oils, & other harmful wastes down toilets and drains.

• Be curious: Find out where your water comes from, how it’s shared, and how it’s maintained.

• Clean up: Take part in clean-ups of rivers, lakes, & beaches.

BELOW IMAGE FROM SAMTEC JOHOR BAHRU

The picture on the left is is a sample of water that was collected after the plating process. The picture on the right is a sample that was collected after the water had been treated and cleaned via Reverse Osmosis (RO). As you can tell this water is much more clean and clear than the previous photo and this is due to the cleaning process. Then this water can be sent back thru the plating line for reuse or it can be discharged and returned to our 3rd party suppliers, like a waste water treatment company.

Samtec Johor Bahru

Manufacturing & Plating

Samtec JB’s recycled water flows to this pond where live fish thrive as a testament to how clean our water is!

WATER RECYCLING IN SAMTEC JOHOR BAHRU

Samtec JB is one of our newer manufacturing and plating locations. We built these buildings with sustainability in mind, especially when it comes to recycling water. JB Plating (the building on the left) uses most of the water at this location during the plating process. After the water is used, it is filtered through our state-of-the-art pipes and filtration process below and leaves the water clean. So clean, in fact, that the water goes to a pond seen to the left where fish live and prosper as a testament to the cleanliness.

BAYA

B.A.Y.A, which stands for “Beautiful as you are”, was created to give a safe place to the girls who may not fit in or are looked at as different. Their mission is to encourage, inspire and develop youth to find their inner voice to create a world where young people can learn to be better leaders, entrepreneurs and servants with high self-esteem and purpose. BAYA’s funds will provide weekly individual and group therapy sessions to the girls in their program.

SUMMER 2022 GRANTS

Samtec Cares received requests totaling over $3M and have granted almost $675,000 during the 2022 Grant Cycle to the following nonprofit organizations to assist in fulfilling their missions.

22 Challenge

Founded in 2014, 22 Challenge’s goal is to bring global awareness to the problem of veteran suicide in America. They promote a set of connections of brotherhood and sisterhood to help combat the problem of PTS in our Veteran community. Their grant will be used for Veteran suicide prevention, awareness and licensed counseling through events, support and training in our region.

Blessings in a Backpack Floyd County

1 in 6 Floyd County children face food insecurity. The mission of Blessings in a Backpack Floyd County is to provide a food stable environment for the children of Floyd County. Their program currently serves qualifying families with children in pre-k through 6th grade by providing food for those children on weekends/breaks/ holidays. Over 1600 children, approximately 30% of New Albany Floyd County elementary students, are enrolled in the program. Their grant will purchase food for the students in their program.

Blue River Services, Inc.

(BRS) was founded in 1959 by six families who believed that all people are capable of learning when given the opportunity and appropriate support services. With this guiding philosophy for more than 60 years, BRS continues to identify barriers to independence and help people overcome them. Their grant will be used to provide safe, accessible transportation in five rural Indiana counties where other transit services are not currently available to meet the basic needs of residents.

Brandon’s House Counseling Center

Brandon’s House Counseling Center is an outpatient agency that offers free, professional counseling services to teens and their families in the Kentuckiana region. Their funds will be used to increase community awareness of the free services that they offer the community.

Centerstone of Indiana

Centerstone’s health system provides mental health and substance use disorder treatments. Centerstone’s grant will support their Mental Health Safety Net Program which ensures that children with a mental health diagnosis and without health insurance, receive the treatment they need to recover and be successful at school and in life.

Christian Formation Ministries, Inc.

Christian Formation Ministries has served the families of prisoners since 2003. “My Camp” is a year-round program designed to prevent the children of inmates and addicts from following their parents into incarceration and/or addiction. Their grant helps provide scholarships for more children to participate in the My Camp Program.

Decode Project

1 in 5 students have a language-based learning challenge. Decode Project’s mission is to eliminate inequities in education by fostering a diverse community of learners prepared to navigate the world. They will use the funding to support their Literacy Mentor Program which will provide over 2,200 hours of structured literacy instruction to students with learning differences.

Family and Children’s Place

Family and Children’s Place provides resources, support and solutions to help families prevent and stop child abuse and neglect, and to heal those impacted, by empowering parents and the community to create safe, nurturing environments for children. They are Southern Indiana’s leading provider of trauma-informed care for children, and their funding will support those children who have experienced abuse, neglect or maltreatment.

Floyd Memorial Foundation

Founded in 1978, the Floyd Memorial Foundation was established solely to support the mission and needs of Floyd County’s hospital, now known as Baptist Health Floyd, and its affiliate organizations. The Foundation acts as a vital link between the hospital’s vision of excellence and its financial capacity to provide the best care for the community it serves. Grant funding assist in purchasing essential equipment to enable Baptist Health Floyd to establish a Level II Neonatal Intensive Care Unit to immediately and effectively provide advanced treatment to newborn babies in need of urgent, lifealtering care.

Habitat for Humanity, Clark & Floyd, Indiana, Inc

Since 1991, Habitat for Humanity has built or renovated over 50 homes in Floyd and Clark County. They build homes because they are essential building blocks for families and communities — especially when coupled with strong relationships and healthy neighborhoods. Their grant will provide materials to build a house for low-income families giving them an affordable mortgage, self-sufficiency and independence.

Harrison County Arts

Harrison County Arts is dedicated to bringing art-centered experiences to Harrison County residents. Their funding will be used to toward their mission of connecting creativity and community through the power of Art.

Harrison County Lifelong Learning

The mission of Harrison County Lifelong Learning is to advance the knowledge and skills, through programs that enrich the lives of Harrison County residents. Harrison County Lifelong Learning is a leader in connecting Harrison County residents to the resources needed to be successful. Their grant will be used to create a Maker Space in their facility in partnership with Maker 13.

Hero Reward

Hero Reward’s program is designed to provide U.S. Service men and women, police officers, and fire fighters a one-ofa-kind retreat to aid in both mental and physical recovery from traumatizing events. Hero Reward offers services to these heroes and their families free of charge. Their funds will further develop the Hero Reward River Retreat which will allow them to extend their outreach.

Home of the Innocents

Established in 1880, Home of the Innocents enriches the lives of children and families with hope, health, and happiness. Programs include residential and communitybased behavioral health services, therapeutic foster care and adoption services, supportive services for homeless young adults, and long-term care for medically complex or terminally ill children. Their grant will support the Pathways HOME program. For over 30 years, Pathways HOME has provided housing and supportive services to young adults (ages 18-24) and their children experiencing homelessness.

Kentucky Dance Council dba Louisville Ballet

The Louisville Ballet makes moving art that respects tradition, encourages innovation, and fosters life-long learning. Their grant will support their Ballet Bound program. Ballet Bound is a new initiative of Louisville Ballet providing young dancers from across our region regardless of race, ethnicity, gender identity or socioeconomic status the opportunity to study classical ballet free of charge in a professional setting.

Kentucky Science Center

From a cabinet of curiosities to the State Science Center of Kentucky, Kentucky Science Center has come a long way in their 150-year history. Their mission is to advance science literacy and engage future scientists through curiosity, creativity, and innovation. Their funding will support the creation of mobile STEAM Carts featuring robotics, engineering, biomedical design, electronics and Maker activities along with facilitated activities for use by schools in the Southern Indiana area.

Louisville Zoo Foundation

Opened in 1969, The Louisville Zoological Gardens is dedicated to its mission to “Better the Bond Between People and Our Planet” by providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for visitors, and leadership in conservation education. The Louisville Zoo Foundation exists to support the Louisville Zoo in its mission. Grant funds will support the daily care, enrichment and healthcare of vulnerable, endangered and threatened species at the zoo.

New Albany Floyd County Public Library

The Floyd County Library’s mission is to support the growth and creativity of an engaged, informed, and connected community. The Library and the Carnegie Center for Art and History, a branch of the Library, have long been important pillars in our community. Their funding will help establish a public creative MakerSpace at the Carnegie Center for Art and History providing access to a digital arts studio with equipment to create video, photography, digital art, and audio recordings.

New Directions Housing Corporation

Since 1971, New Directions has been helping families overcome obstacles to affordable, safe, sustainable housing in Louisville and Southern Indiana. Through their housing, home-repair, and real estate development programs, they help build and strengthen communities, improve lives, and ensure a bright future for those in need. Grant funds support its Repair Affair program to complete free home repairs on homes owned by lowincome, elderly and/or disabled people in Floyd and Clark Counties.

New Roots, Inc.

To ignite community power for fresh food access, New Roots’ vision is that affordable, fresh, organic food should be available year-round in all neighborhoods. Lack of access to fresh produce leads to the number one killer in our community, heart disease, which is preventable through diet. New Roots will utilize this grant money to purchase farm-fresh, seasonal produce and distribute to families living in poverty.

Rauch, Inc.

Founded in 1953 by a dedicated group of parents, Rauch was the first school for children with developmental disabilities in the state of Indiana. Today, Rauch directly serves over 1,400 children, adults and families in seven Indiana counties. Funding will be used to improve Rauch’s Fairmont Neighborhood Center on Charlestown Rd. to meet today’s standards of safety and accessibility.

Scott County Partnership, Inc

The idea of the Scott County Partnership was born in 1995, when community leaders believed that if all people and systems currently in place shared a common vision, worked together and maximized resources, then they could solve many of the challenges the community faced. Their funds will support their “Covering Kids and Family” program which addresses the need for individuals and families to have access to health insurance.

StageOne: The Louisville Children’s Theatre, Inc.

StageOne Family Theatre fosters empathy and sparks the imagination of children and their communities through the transformative power of live theatre. Their purpose is to introduce young people to theatre that is personally relevant, age-appropriate, inspirational and educational. Their funding will provide free tickets for 2,400 Southern Indiana students to see a live, in-person production.

The Food Literacy Program at Oxmoor

The Food Literacy Project was founded in 2006 out of a community desire for young people to reconnect with soil, air, water, sun, & the people who work to feed us. Their grant will support their Youth Cultivating Change program which exists to cultivate youth leaders to create change within their families and communities by leading transformation in Louisville’s food systems.

Youth Link Southern Indiana

Youth Link Southern Indiana began as Communities In Schools of Clark County in 2002 to provide resources, supports, and programming to 18 partner schools in Clark County, spanning all four school districts. Services include tutoring, mentoring, basic needs resources, mental health services, as well as before and after school programming. Their grant will support their school day services resource coordination to reduce barriers to learning.

FOR THE LOVE OF TIGERS

By: John Riley

Walk around any Samtec facility and you will see countless tigers living amongst the office spaces, meeting room, and productions areas.

We all know that Samtec is “A different breed of Cat”. We distribute thousands of tigers at many of our larger tradeshows. We have customers who seek us out to make sure they can add one to their collection. Most of the time we hear it is for a child or grandchild that they get to share it with when they get home! After hearing many stories and the journey that some of the tigers make, we wanted to be a bit more intentional while distributing these little Tigers. Now, every time a stuffed tiger at a tradeshow is adopted, our Samtec Cares team makes a donation to the World Wildlife Foundation for Tiger conservation!

Read more on the next page about Tiger Conservation and how YOU can help! >>>

TIGER CONSERVATION

Tigers are considered an endangered species. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there are fewer than 4,000 wild tigers remaining in the world, and their populations continue to decline due to habitat loss, poaching, and illegal wildlife trade. Several subspecies of tigers, including the Sumatran and Malayan tigers, are classified as critically endangered. Conservation efforts are being undertaken to protect and preserve these majestic animals, but there is still much work to be done.

WHERE DO MOST TIGER’S LIVE?

Most tigers live in Asia. Specifically, tigers are found in a range of habitats across Southeast Asia, including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Malaysia, & Indonesia.

WHAT DO TIGER’S REPRESENT?

In many cultures, the tiger is seen as a symbol of strength, power, and courage. It is also associated with beauty, grace, and agility. In Chinese culture, the tiger is one of the 12 zodiac animals and is believed to be an auspicious symbol of good luck, bravery, and protection.

DID YOU KNOW?

One rare known fact about tigers is that they are excellent swimmers and actually enjoy being in the water. Unlike other big cats, tigers are not afraid of water and are capable of swimming up to 4 miles without resting. They can also use water as a hunting method and are known to ambush prey while swimming. Tigers have been observed to have a preference for certain types of water, such as ponds or streams with muddy bottoms, which they use to cool themselves down during hot weather.

There are several ways to help endangered tigers:

1. Support conservation organizations: Donate to reputable conservation organizations such as the World Wildlife Fund, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Panthera that are working to protect and conserve wild tigers and their habitats.

2. Spread awareness: Educate others about the plight of tigers and their endangered status. Share information about conservation efforts and encourage others to take action to help save these magnificent creatures.

3. Support sustainable practices: Choose products made from sustainable materials and support companies that follow sustainable practices. Sustainable practices help to conserve natural habitats and reduce the pressure on wild tigers.

4. Reduce your carbon footprint: Climate change is one of the biggest threats to tiger populations. You can help by reducing your carbon footprint and supporting efforts to combat climate change.

5. Volunteer: Many conservation organizations offer volunteer opportunities for individuals interested in helping endangered tigers. This can include activities such as monitoring tiger populations, assisting with habitat restoration, and educating local communities about the importance of tiger conservation.

Samtec Cares Samtec Penang

HELPING THE HOMELESS

Samtec Penang organized a homelessness program in collaboration with Ngo Anjung Singgah, Penang. Penang Associates spent a day distributing packed foods, drinks, and toiletries to give to homeless people in the surrounding georgetown area. As of July 2022, Penang has a homelessness population of around 2250 with about 40% of homeless individuals being elderly.

AROUND THE WORLD

SAMTEC INDIA AWARDS

SAMTEC JAPAN SUPPLIER EXCELLENCE AWARD

Samtec Japan received a Global Supplier Excellence Award from our customer Anritsu. They use FireFly products in their high-end 5G test stations. During the last 20 months or so, thanks to the tremendous efforts of our Operations and Sales Teams, we were able to meet their supply needs. The award is pictured below left, and Samtec’s Ritsuo Hayashi, the gentlemen on the left side of the other picture, is shown receiving the award on behalf of Samtec!

Ravindra Kumar, Samtec India’s Director and country manager, and Sumit Madaan, Senior Sales Engineer of Samtec Indian, accepted a “Certificate of Appreciation” in the category of Electronics Componets from SME Epowering India Awards 2023.

SAMTEC ERIE’S SAMUEL KRANTWEISS

Samuel, a Samtec Erie Plastics Engineer, raised over $5K at his 11th year of fundraising for Four Diamond’s THON where he could not sit or sleep for 46 hours. Money raised from this event is donated for children’s cancer research. Way to go!

SAMTEC ENGINEERS WIN BEST PAPER AWARD

In late 2022, the technical program committee for DesignCon 2023 announced the DesignCon Best Paper Awards finalists. Now, they have announced the Best Paper Awards winners. This year, papers authored by Samtec engineers were honored by DesignCon as Best Paper Awards finalists and now, winner!

Customer Spotlights

Our customer Firefly Drone Shows is a team of pilots, engineers and artists who choreograph and produce live drone shows for special events like corporate meetings, holiday shows, sporting events, festivals, etc. Their shows are available with 100, 300, 500, and soon, 1,000 drones. Firefly uses several Samtec connectors in their drones, including LPHT, LPHS, FTMH and CLM. A picture of a drone that uses our connectors is shown below (left), and on the right is the mating interface that shows some of the connectors. Pictured are drone formations from previous shows. There are plenty of online videos showing some of the capabilities of these drones.

Our customer Airstar designs and manufactures products for the lighting industry, but from a unique angle. They are the inventor of inflatable lighting solutions. Their inflatable lights, also called balloon lighting, are used at events (concerts, sports, tradeshows, grand openings, etc.), for film and television production (according to their website, they are well-suited for nighttime exterior shots and hard-to-light places), and to increase safety (they produce a bright light with 360° illumination, but they also reduce eye fatigue). Pictured is Airstar’s balloon lighting used in nighttime construction and providing light at various events. Airstar uses Samtec FFSD and EHF products in their chargers/energy packs.