Technical sales · Strategic accounts · Interconnect
A closer look at the relationships, decisions and opportunities behind sustainable business growth.
Three customer stories, each with a different commercial challenge.
Explore the experience, decisions and relationships that move projects forward.
Three commercial stories. Different applications, with a shared focus on understanding customers and creating value.
Wurth Elektronik · Recovering and scaling an inherited account
I inherited myenergi while it was still an emerging business. Connector sales had fallen from approximately £30k to £10k a year over the preceding 12 months, with active articles declining. I saw the growth potential, looked beyond the current spend and built a plan around becoming a trusted engineering and commercial resource.
I spoke to the previous sales representative, then followed the data: historical purchasing, lost active articles and product teardown videos to understand the PCBs and where Wurth could add value.
I introduced myself as a technical resource and supplied relevant components for prototyping. Each engineer received tailored sample lists and a regular flow of parts. I stayed involved across zappi, eddi, harvi and libbi, spotting the libbi product name early through a public trademark registration.
For commodity parts, I positioned competitive volume-production pricing from the outset, based on the account's anticipated growth. Rather than relying on high prototype-stage prices and negotiating later, I wanted the engineering and purchasing teams to recognise consistent value.
I kept commercial contacts informed of engineering activity and expanded discussions across multiple connector and supporting hardware families. The result was growth from approximately £10k to nearly £1m in annual connector sales over three years.
I treated a young, high-potential customer like a major account before the order book justified it. Competitive, sustainable pricing and dependable support early in the design cycle helped create long-term loyalty.
These are product families supported during account development; this list does not imply that every sampled part was designed in or went into production.
Beyond my own product remit: I also identified and helped progress passive-component opportunities, then involved the Wurth colleague responsible for that business. Passive sales are not included in the connector figures above.
Customer products shown for application context. Specific connector placements are not implied.
PEI-Genesis · Building a new account through technical and commercial problem-solving
The first conversation. There was no existing relationship between PEI-Genesis and Landis & Gyr. I contacted someone approaching retirement and secured a meeting to discuss board-to-board connectors. While there, I asked about a hermetic feedthrough used in their gas-metering programme. That question uncovered the real opening.
A problem worth solving. The incumbent feedthrough was expensive and sourced from a single supplier. I identified a more cost-effective direct replacement and worked to progress its evaluation. The incumbent later experienced a factory fire, underlining the importance of supply resilience, though our alternative had been identified independently of that event.
Three years of persistence. As the original contact approached retirement, I identified the next stakeholders and built the relationship. I managed new-account setup, manufacturer support, samples, cost objections and global meetings. Consistent monthly visits and engagement with the global sourcing manager helped move the feedthrough through design-in and into pre-production.
What started with a board-to-board introduction developed into an approved feedthrough programme. Staying close to the engineering and sourcing teams created opportunities to discuss new connector needs globally, rather than relying on a single project.
The £1.5m figure relates only to the feedthrough. There are several additional areas under discussion or exploration, including terminal blocks (sampled), board-to-board, ZIF, ribbon cable, RJ connectivity, street-light connectors, sensors and passives through Testco.
PEI-Genesis · Bringing new business from long-standing customer relationships
IDEM was a completely new account for PEI-Genesis, but not a new relationship for me. I first discovered the business through my own prospecting at Rutronik, built trust by helping with component shortages and continued the relationship through Würth and later PEI. That history opened the door to discussions about simplifying how IDEM sourced and assembled its industrial connections.
Originally found IDEM by researching attendees at electronics meetup events and identifying the right person through LinkedIn. At Rutronik, I helped the customer address supply gaps during a difficult period with an existing distributor, growing the account to around £60k. The relationship carried forward across subsequent roles and enabled a fresh PEI introduction.
IDEM used several M-series connector solutions across its equipment, with assembly work being completed in-house. The opportunity was not simply to win on piece price, but to take away sourcing, wiring and assembly tasks that cost the customer time and resources.
I proposed supplying finished cable assemblies: a suitable M-series connection, pre-terminated pigtail wiring and the required connector interface at the opposite end. Working with manufacturing and connector partners meant PEI could manage the sourcing and assembly and deliver a more complete, ready-to-use solution. Where appropriate, I also explored manufacturer-specified terminations to support consistency and long-term continuity in the design.
The offer addressed the customer's total cost, including internal assembly time and complexity. It helped build a growing production relationship, with business approaching £100k moving towards invoicing, while PEI became an important contact for further M-series and industrial-connector requirements.
Rather than competing solely on connector cost, I focused on an integrated, application-specific assembly that reduced handling and made repeat production more straightforward. The commercial strength came from solving more of the customer's problem.
The main business is M-series focused. Other component families are being discussed or evaluated, and pogo contacts remain a longer-term opportunity, not secured sales.
Images show IDEM's product areas, not confirmed photographs of the specific cable assemblies supplied.
Eight more examples of new business, design-ins, customer growth and lessons learned across three employers. Select a customer to explore the commercial thinking behind each story.
Beyond the three detailed case studies, these snapshots demonstrate broader experience in OEM development, design-in support and account growth.
Long-term design-in
Established a new manufacturer franchise to support replacement connectivity after an end-of-life component put continuity at risk. Secured a customer order and customer-funded tooling for the proposed solution.
c.£150k potential annual programme value, subject to production ramp-up; projected 10+ year product life.
New supplier development · Design continuity · Long-term OEM planning
Programme potential, not invoiced annual sales.
Selected professional examples. Programme estimates are identified as potential rather than delivered sales; confidential customer information has been omitted.
How I translate technical requirements into design-ins, qualified opportunities and long-term customer relationships.
Eight connector areas from my manufacturer and distribution experience. Choose a family to see what I ask engineers, how I progress an opportunity and examples from my own account work.
Start with the conditions the equipment must survive, then establish the mechanical, environmental and electrical requirements.
Sealing, vibration, mating cycles, installation and environmental exposure.
Compare fit, qualification effort, lead time and long-term supply alongside technical suitability.
An IP rating alone does not guarantee a reliable installation. Assess the complete mated interface, cable entry and strain relief in its actual environment.
Experience examples describe work at previous or current employers. Programme status is stated where relevant; comparable Molex products would require a separate technical and commercial assessment.
Territory growth, customer development and manufacturer-side experience, measured over a career in technical component sales.
Grew annual territory sales through new OEM engagement, engineering-led design-ins and strategic account development.
Built industrial sales from zero inherited accounts to more than £1.5m in sales within three years, developing new customer relationships and programmes.
Rebuilt an inherited declining account into nearly £1m in annual connector sales by year three through early engineering support and competitive production pricing.
Built a qualified opportunity pipeline within nine months through structured technical prospecting and customer development across Northern UK, Scotland and Ireland.
How to read these figures: Values relate to different customers, sales periods or pipeline stages. The myenergi result forms part of the wider Würth performance, so the figures are not additive. Expected production programmes are excluded from achieved sales.
Four roles, spanning distribution, manufacturer sales and new-market development.
Developed new OEM relationships, built multi-product accounts and coordinated international contract-manufacturing opportunities.
Opened a new market for a European power-supply manufacturer and built a qualified technical opportunity pipeline.
Manufacturer-side design-in, account development and major territory growth through OEM engineering and purchasing relationships.
Established UK Industrial from zero inherited accounts, working with manufacturer partners to convert new technical opportunities.
More than the headline numbers. Each result reflects customer research, practical technical engagement, commercial judgement and consistent follow-through.
Application-led selling, built around the commercial thinking behind each customer opportunity.
I start by understanding what a customer is trying to build. From there, I work backwards through the technical and commercial requirements, then forwards into a solution, design-in and longer-term account growth.
Review historic spend, lost articles and PCB teardowns before meeting the engineering team.
Identify early component opportunities across the evolving product range.
Provide regular tailored samples and align engineering needs with production pricing.
Grow annual connector revenue from £10k to nearly £1m in three years.
Illustrative customer product, not a diagram of a specific connector design-in.
Regional developments across Northern UK & Ireland — connecting public market signals to Molex technologies and questions worth exploring with customers.
Three confirmed developments make the northern aerospace and defence supply chain worth watching. The strongest opportunity may lie with engineering teams, sub-tier suppliers and production-equipment designers, not necessarily the headline prime contractors.
Higher planned production volumes and advanced radar electronics could increase the importance of repeatable assembly, test equipment, traceability and reliable interconnect design. That is a research hypothesis; the announcements do not establish specific connector programmes or supplier access.
Map relevant design centres, test-system builders and sub-tier electronics suppliers in Belfast, Edinburgh and Lancashire. Check who actually owns the connector design, which programmes are open to alternative suppliers and what qualification or approved-vendor restrictions apply.
Begin with the system architecture and qualification constraints, bring in specialist Molex/AirBorn engineers early, and coordinate with established distributors where that creates a stronger route into a new design.
Northern Ireland's AMIC is now operating, while a Yorkshire hub is helping manufacturers explore robot adoption. These are observable capability and investment signals rather than proof of a UK-wide robotics boom.
As machine builders evaluate automation cells, robotics and decentralised I/O, decisions around field wiring, sensor connectivity, cabinet space and commissioning time become more important. The wider market remains uneven, so the best opportunities are identifiable projects with engineering activity.
Prioritise integrators and machine builders supporting real deployments, then explore their bill of materials, field-device connections, washdown conditions and assembly practices. Collaborate with distributors already calling on the relevant OEMs.
Ask what costs time on the machine build. Demonstrate installation efficiency and reliability through technical trials, rather than leading with catalogue price alone.
Scotland has an established operational storage base and recent manufacturing investment. The most credible interconnect opportunities to investigate are likely within BESS racks, power-conversion electronics, monitoring equipment and ancillary machinery — not the high-voltage transmission cable itself.
Storage assets and grid equipment require robust control, monitoring and power-distribution systems. This creates reasons to research electrical-enclosure OEMs, rack builders, BESS integrators and switchgear makers. Investment value is not directly comparable with connector opportunity value.
Trace which companies are designing and building power-conversion cabinets, BMS modules, protection equipment and field-serviceable assemblies. Establish where design authority sits, then identify critical constraints such as current rating, thermal performance, locking and serviceability.
Use application and engineering discovery to find multiple connector touchpoints — high-current paths, control PCBs, sensor ports and wiring assemblies — while being cautious about delayed approvals and uncertain investment timelines.