Founded in 1932, Amphenol has grown to be one of the world’s largest interconnect and cable manufacturers. The company designs, manufactures, and markets electrical, electronic, and fiber-optic connectors, interconnect systems, and coaxial and specialty cable. Today Amphenol has a diversified presence in high growth markets that it has cultivated over its 75 year history.
Originally named The American Phenolic Corporation, Amphenol was founded by entrepreneur Arthur J. Schmitt in the Chicago area. Mr. Schmitt was focused on finding a better way to mass-produce vacuum tube sockets for the explosion of radio manufacturing at the time. He discovered that insulating plastic could effectively be used to produce tube sockets in a quicker and simpler method that using Bakelite or ceramic. With an initial order from RCA, Amphenol grew rapidly and has continued to profitably anticipate the needs of emerging markets ever since.
Technology leadership has long been a corporate focus and Amphenol has been creating industry standards since its founding in 1932. We hope you enjoy the timeline below which gives a brief overview of how Amphenol has evolved into the global organization it is today.