Frederick A. Krehviel

THE STORY OF MOLEX

Frederick August Krehbiel's development of a unique plastic molding material launched a small business enterprise that, over the course of seven decades, developed into a global operation 14,000 people strong.

Mr. Krehbiel started the Molex Products Company in 1933 in Brookfiefd, Illinois, Molex's first molded products included clock casings, salt table! dispensers, flower pots, toys and radiator handles.

Molex combined molding with metal stamping to produce its first interconnect product for Hotpoint and Soreng ovens and ranges in the 1940's. In the following decade Molex began producing terminal blocks, automotive terminal boards and other custom connecting devices.

By the 1960s Molex was making its mark as an electronic components manufacturer, designing and producing a wide range of connectors, push-button switches and application tooling. Molex began expanding globally in the early 1970s, opening its first overseas manufacturing operation in Japan in 1970. It became a publicly-traded company in 1972.

In the decades that have followed, Molex Incorporated has grown into a global company, with manufacturing and sales operations in 21 countries. Today it produces electronic, electrical and fiber optic connector systems used in computers, telecommunications equipment, automobiles, appliances, networking equipment, industrial machinery and other applications that require interconnection. Molex counts many leading manufacturers among its customers, including IBM, Hewlett Packard, Sony and Whirlpool.

What hasn't changed since 1938 is the strong leadership provided by the Krehbiel family. John H. Krehbiel, Sr. the founder's son, worked by his father's side almost from the beginning and ran the business for over 30 years. When John, Sr. died in 1993, his two sons, John, Jr. and Fred, took charge and today are Molex's co-CEOs. Molex has had its corporate headquarters in Lisle, Illinois since 1972 and has had its state-of-the-art tooling application operations in Naperville, Illinois since 1986.

Molex looks forward to celebrating a major milestone in the year 2000: two billion doilars in annual revenues.