A Year (and a Name) to Remember

2011 was certainly a momentous year for TE Circuit Protection. Here are just some of the highlights:

• New name-In March, our parent company became TE Connectivity.
• New website- TE Circuit Protection launched an updated website in May, www.circuitprotection.com, that is dedicated to circuit protection solutions.
• New products take off- Introduced in late 2010, by 2011 our RTP (reflowable thermal protector) device and the MHP (metal hybrid PPTC) rapidly gained popularity as people learned about their unique benefits. Product of the year win– In December we were notified that the MHP device won a prestigious 2011 “Product of the Year” award from Electronic Products magazine.

Of course we had our challenges in 2011, too. For one, well, our new name. Many still remember when we were Raychem. Then we became Tyco Electronics. Now we’re TE Connectivity, and more specifically to our business unit, TE Circuit Protection. Let’s face it, the history of our name can be a little confusing. But I’m confident that, as in the past, our reputation for providing excellent products under the Raychem brand will soon be synonymous with “TE Circuit Protection.”

On a somber note, 2011 was also the year of the natural disasters in Japan and Thailand. Like everyone around the world, we were saddened by the tragedy and of course we worried about our employees and colleagues in the affected regions where we have manufacturing facilities. Needless to say, we were extremely relieved to learn soon after these events that our people were safe. As with many component manufacturers, the devastation caused disruptions in our supply chain. However, we were soon up and running thanks to the dedication of our employees and suppliers. We’ve learned a lot since then about how to respond to unforeseen events caused by man-made economic crises or by natural ones.

Looking ahead to 2012 and beyond, the future looks bright for TE Circuit Protection. After all, we’re surrounded by electronic devices: TVs, laptops, automotive electronics, not to mention solar panels, wind turbines and E-bikes. And all of these products need to be made as safe and reliable as possible. As the posts from our bloggers can attest, protecting electronic devices has become more important – and more challenging – than ever.

Take for example Barry Brents, who points out in his post the importance of robust ESD protection in our shrinking mobile devices; and Pat Hibbs who tells us why next-generation gadgets using lightning-fast Thunderbolt and USB interfaces will need ever-tinier ESD devices to protect them. Our Faraz Hasan blogs about his article in EETimes describing why HD LED applications need thermal protection, and, finally, Kedar Bhatawadekar covers the challenges designers will face making sure that our futuristic Post-PC devices remain reliable when subjected to thermal, overcurrent, undercurrent and ESD events.

That’s where we come in – literally. For over 30 years TE Circuit Protection devices have been used inside a multitude of products. So, no matter what you call us, we’ve got you covered.

Here’s to a prosperous 2012 from – you got it – TE Circuit Protection.