July 29th, 2018 - While most 2nd year anniversaries mark an end to the honeymoon, the manufacturing companies, NWI and LEMO, continue to experience a harmonized union in designing and manufacturing fully integrated, custom connector and cable interconnectivity solutions.
June 30, 2016 marked the two year anniversary of LEMO’s acquisition of Northwire. As the Swiss global leader in design and manufacture of custom connectors and the originator of the Push-Pull Connector, LEMOsecured the strategic partnership through acquiring NWI, a US manufacturer of custom cable and wire for the healthcare, aerospace and defense, energy, and industrial wire and cable markets.
With 114 years of combined interconnectivity knowledge (LEMO founded in 1946 and Northwire founded in 1972) to support their customer needs, the two custom manufacturers’ innovative and integrated connector and cable products are found in the most challenging of application environments including underwater. Providing absolute alignment with Northwire’s durable underwater cables, LEMO’s precision manufactured watertight connectors are designed and tested to withstand various water qualities at ocean depths of up to 1,000 meters. This cable and connector marriage allows the companies to meet and exceed the challenges of water-based industries for offshore or fixed oil rigs, underwater lighting, aquatic research, and more.
Customers’ requirements are constantly evolving, and those demands are being met with custom interconnectivity solutions. Northwire’s custom medical cables including BioCompatic, a robust USP Class VI silicone cable alternative, integrate seamlessly with LEMO’s industry leading medical connectors such as the original Push-Pull Connectors, REDEL P or REDEL SP Series plastic connectors well-suited for medical cable applications.
To complement LEMO’s 30-plus year history of field-proven broadcast offerings, Northwire’s robust line of SMPTE and ARIB hybrid fiber optic cables provide exceptional data integrity and reliability for high performing audio, video, and data transmission. Northwire also added LEMO’s recognized SMPTE Fibre Optic Assembly Certification, allowing the cable manufacturer to build and repair SMPTE hybrid fiber optic cable assemblies.
Convenience for customers drives initiatives. Numerous cooperative efficiencies for NWI and LEMO have rolled out including the opening of LEMO-Northwire’s combined European super warehouse, the European Distribution Center (EDC) which specializes in Kanban and inventory programs, short lead times, and rapid response capabilities to provide customers with the advantages of a centralized facility.
Creating a one-stop cable assembly shop for customers means sharing decades of industry knowledge along with newly released innovations. NWI and LEMO collaborate regularly through shared training events such as monthly webinars which provide education opportunities ranging from hybrid cable and connector product features to cable engineering process design.
Equipping design engineers and aiding in cable specification with critical cable, wire, and connector information, NWI and LEMO have assimilated SME proficiencies within a shared white paper series featuring Oil and Gas Connection Solutions, BioCompatic I and BioCompatic II, a robust USP Class IV silicone cable alternative, Underwater Connectivity, Solutions that Integrate, and the soon to be launched Extreme Materials white papers.
Synergy defined is “The interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects.” In only two years, the connector and cable leaders have achieved synergy through integrated connector and cable assemblies, shared expertise from NWIcable experts and LEMO SME’s, a global presence, and elevated efficiencies. The result of this partnership is an increased benefit to NWI and LEMO customers within the connector and wire and cable industry.
Benefit from Northwire and LEMO’s integrated solutions at