Amphenol RF
RF Interconnect Technology Leaders

A leading global manufacturer of RF interconnect solutions, Amphenol RF services a broad range of markets including industrial, automotive, broadband and military, along with supporting emerging markets such as IoT. The company has a global team of highly-qualified engineers with manufacturing capabilities in Asia, Mexico and the U.S. This allows Amphenol RF to provide regional support to customers such that custom solutions can be developed that meet their specific design requirements.

In addition to designing custom products, the company also offers the largest RF interconnect portfolio in the industry. Below is the conversation that we had with Amphenol RF’s General Manager of Global Operations, Greg Straiton to understand what makes Amphenol RF one of the global leaders in the design, manufacture and supply of RF interconnect products for a variety of industries.

Please elaborate on the trends that are expected to have an impact in the RF & Microwave space this year, and how is Amphenol RF planning to leverage these trends and evolve?

Technology has become integrated into daily life with the proliferation of RF connectivity in consumer devices, which is really the whole concept behind IoT. We’re living in an age where everything is, or can be, connected. This means that we’ll continue to see a dramatic increase in the demand for RF interconnect in applications where it’s never existed before. At the same time, the 5G rollout that is already underway, and expected to take at least until 2025 to fully implement, will require a complete overhaul of wireless infrastructure. Expanded bandwidth will allow for more devices to connect with lower latency translating into significantly more RF content. Similarly, the automotive industry has become a hotbed for both standard and custom interconnect solutions with connected cars and even more so with autonomous vehicles. RF technology will be crucial to the safety and functionality of these automobiles, acting as the link between cameras, sensors and a multitude of automotive protocols.

Going back to the Internet of Things, it gives us a unique opportunity to share our experience with innovators that have limited experience in the RF space. Amphenol, as a whole, has always been a forward-thinking company. We’re entrepreneurs and we pride ourselves in understanding the mindset of tech-related visionaries, regardless of the industry. Their desire to create a product or service that is innovative and has the ability to perpetuate change that goes hand-in-hand with our core values as an organization; it’s part of our DNA.

Our engineers collaborate with the world’s leading brands on a daily basis to solve complex design problems – everything from increasing bandwidth to minimizing space requirements. We’re then able to pull from our ever-growing library of custom solutions to introduce standard versions of these products that allow companies, even smaller startups, with minimal financial assets at the time, to benefit from equally innovative solutions.

What are the challenges that OEM’s face today in the RF & Microwave space, and how can Amphenol RF effectively address these issues?

One of the biggest challenges C-level executives face, especially in response to today’s uncertain economy, is building strategic and long-lasting partnerships that can yield added value for their companies. That being said, Amphenol RF has consistently proven itself to be that kind of partner.

With a global footprint, we can offer customers a full-service RF engineering solution without being hindered by geographic constraints. Amphenol RF strives to provide value at every point along the way from inception through deployment, and even beyond that. Our team excels at developing products that exceed customer requirements while ensuring competitive costs throughout the life of the products.

How does Amphenol RF provide superior, high-quality products? Please shed some light on how your business model contributes to the company being a leader in the RF & Microwave space?

What sets us apart from our competitors is the quality of the products we design and manufacture. Our engineering team spends a considerable amount of time in the design and development phase, incorporating best practices and scrutinizing over the quality of our products. We employ a continuous improvement program that includes rigorous quality standards that all of our products are required to meet before moving from design to production, and production to shipping. We’ve established a fully-integrated cross-functional team to ensure this process is successful.

Along with the existing safeguards, Amphenol RF’s experience leveraging non-traditional manufacturing techniques and automated assembly which utilizes in-process inspection adds another layer of quality control.

Please cite a case study where Amphenol RF enabled clients to overcome hurdles and attain desired outcomes with an innovative array of solution.

One example is our HD-BNC series which we developed from the ground up as a brand-new interface in anticipation of the surge in bandwidth needs in the broadcast industry; a surge that was a direct result of consumer demand for higher resolution, higher quality video; hence the introduction of 4K UHD. We anticipated that need and developed a higher density, higher frequency solution designed with the familiar feel of the BNC connector, commonly used in legacy broadcast applications.

What are the factors that steer Amphenol RF ahead of the competition?

We continue to be able to stand strong behind our engineering capabilities and our proven record of delivering a high-quality product for our customers. We leverage innovative designs and low-cost manufacturing technologies to stay cost competitive and offer our customers a full-service RF engineering solution with 360-degree customer support with customer service, engineering and program management working together to make sure that the customer is catered to at every stage in the process.

One of the truly unique things about Amphenol RF is that we subscribe to a flat organizational structure which streamlines the decision-making process. Things are less likely to be held up along the way and projects are able to move along at a faster pace, which is critical for meeting production deadlines.

What does the future hold for Amphenol RF?

Acquisitions are never out of the question for Amphenol RF. And, as history shows, we’re always looking for companies with great management and industry-leading technologies that are in the pole-position with key customers.

To the consumer, it may seem like technology changes overnight, but behind the scenes, it’s a different story. The development process takes a significant amount of time, so it’s important to anticipate those changes and respond with innovative solutions. We have an experienced team of engineers that are constantly looking to improve existing RF interconnects and designing new concepts that can be adapted to meet specific application requirements. On top of that, we have an active market research department that we will continue to utilize to broaden our scope of knowledge and break into new markets.