ERA Quick Connections: August 2026 – Vol. 2

News, insights and opportunities from the Electronics Representatives Association.

June came in very strong, with the POS Index jumping to about 1.61 — the highest point on this chart. There have been some month-to-month swings, but the overall direction since late last year has been pretty clear. At this point, POS continues to look healthy and the June 2026 numbers show another encouraging data point that demand is holding up well.

Three timely reads for electronics-industry professionals.

Molex breaks ground on expansion and renovation of its global headquarters in Lisle, Ill.

LinkedIn has rolled out a new button that lets users identify content they believe is AI-generated in their feeds.

You’re busy. We’re all busy. But does busy-ness equal progress? Consider what gets missed when every second of the calendar is full.

Programs, events and opportunities across ERA.

2026 ERA Conference keynote speaker Annelise McCarthy rocked the house in Austin last year and now she is back for STEP 2026. She’ll deliver two high-impact sessions designed to level up communication and leadership.

Join us at the next ERA LIVE on Tuesday, Aug. 25 at 4:00 p.m. ET.

Sam Richter, creator of ERA’s SearchLink.ai, will walk attendees through the latest upgrades designed to streamline workflow and bring more value to daily sales operations. This includes ERA GPT, The Prompt Writer, Contract Analyzer, Enhanced Search, Relevance Score Ratings, Find Email buttons, Company Search and more.

We hope to see you there.

Registration and sponsorships are now open for the 2027 ERA Conference. The conference is scheduled for Feb. 21–23, 2027, at the Hilton Austin in downtown Austin, Texas. Register today to reserve your spot at the electronics industry’s do-not-miss event.

Support the conference’s educational program and networking opportunities. Most sponsorship levels include complimentary attendee registration. Take advantage of the opportunity to attend and sponsor at the level that works best for your company.

Energy efficiency is becoming a key priority across industries. According to the IEA’s Global EV Outlook 2026, more than 20 million electric cars were sold in 2025, with one in four new cars now being electric, driving demand for energy-efficient power electronics, charging infrastructure and batteries. At the same time, Fraunhofer IZM finds that advances in technology will keep mobile network energy consumption growing only moderately despite increasing data traffic. In semiconductor manufacturing, McKinsey estimates that efficiency measures can cut energy costs by 20–30 percent.

For the electronics industry, this means that energy efficiency is becoming a strategic factor both in the product itself and in the manufacturing process. This is particularly evident in the field of electromechanics. This field doesn’t just deal with individual components, but also with the way connectors, housings, cable routing and interfaces interact with each other.

Low contact resistance, robust connection technology, EMC-compliant design and maintenance-friendly systems reduce losses, enhance operational reliability and simplify maintenance. The focus is therefore increasingly shifting toward the system, which has to be designed to be energy-efficient in order to conserve energy directly at the source.

electronica covers the entire electronics value chain, which is the reason for the focus on electromechanics. Exhibitors such as Harting, Phoenix Contact and Weidmüller will be showcasing connectors, relays, switches and enclosure technology, among other products. Harting, for example, specializes in industrial connectivity solutions for the transmission of data, signals and power. Phoenix Contact also demonstrates that energy efficiency begins right at the electromechanical level, for example in connectors, terminals, enclosures, power supplies and interface solutions for electrification and automation. Weidmüller’s product portfolio includes the likes of terminal blocks, connectors, PCB connectors and other components for the safe transmission of power, signals and data.

This underlines that energy efficiency is a cross-cutting theme at electronica, spanning not only semiconductors and power electronics but also electromechanical components.

For further information, visit electronica.de/en.

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