50 years in electronics: Hall of Fame - Passives & Electromechanical
Kyoto Ceramic Co (now Kyocera) was founded in 1959 in Japan. Over the next 50 years it applied its ceramics technology in products ranging from passive components to semiconductors. In 1990 AVX became part of the group.
In the 1950s Murata commercialised AM radio ceramic filters for use in the first transistor radios. First chip monolithic ceramic capacitors became mainstream as surface mounted devices in the 1980s. More recently Murata has developed its own wireless modules.
Vishay Intertechnology started in 1962 with two product lines: foil resistors and foil resistance strain gauges. From the 1980s the company expanded into semiconductors with a series of acquisitions including Siliconix, Telefunken, Dale, Sprague, Vitramon, and BCcomponents (former passive components business of Philips Electronics).
Omron developed its first non-contact (solid state) switch in 1960. As well as relays the company manufactures a range of products from displays and opto devices to control systems. In 1971 it developed the first online automated cash dispenser.
Tyco Electronics is a $10.3bn US-based electronics group and its business was defined by the acquisition in 1999 of connector manufacturer AMP and materials company Raychem. More acquisitions followed expanding its business into relays, fibre optics, circuit protection and touchscreens.