Vishay and Jabil: Building on a History of Trust and Ingenuity

Vishay is one of the world’s largest suppliers of electronic components. From discrete semiconductors to passive components — from the smallest diodes to the most powerful capacitors — Vishay’s portfolio of products provides the foundation that brings many aspects of modern technology to life.

Founded in 1962, the Malvern, Pa.-based company has grown into an international presence with manufacturing facilities in Asia/Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. For Jabil, the ISO-certified company has an extensive history as a trusted provider of transistors & diodes; resistors, capacitors and other passive components of high performance and reliability.

“Jabil has a long and deep relationship with Vishay,” says Rudi Palmans, Director of Procurement and Supplier Relationship Management at Jabil. “Their range of products is among the best in the market and they always go that extra mile to help us address the most demanding customer requirements.”

Timely Access to Designs

Vishay’s involvement in Jabil’s procurement and supply chain operations impacts a long list of customer markets, including automotive, industrial, power supplies, military and aerospace, consumer, computing, medical and telecommunications. “Vishay offers highly reliable products that are ideal for diverse applications,” adds Palmans. “That’s why Vishay touches about every customer and Bill of Materials across our global operations.”

For that reason, Jabil often brings Vishay into projects at the start of the design phase. “Our relationship, I would say, is excellent,” says Peter Williams, Senior Vice President at Vishay. “We develop common targets together and common objectives that we work towards, which we review on a regular basis.”

Jabil engineers and architects meet with Vishay regularly, collaborate and share knowledge, experience and insights. This helps Vishay recommend the components that would most benefit Jabil as designs unfold. “Sharing design details early enables product architects to identify the right parts, while bringing an optimal level of product functionality,” says Palmans.

Vishay also partners with Jabil’s global product design teams to ensure customers around the world have access to the latest technologies. “We introduce Jabil to the latest component trends that we see, as well as the latest technologies,” notes Williams. “We suggest upgrading components to provide lower cost alternatives and more readily available components, which is particularly relevant when the market tightens up.”

Produces Results

An essential element of the partnership is close collaboration with Jabil’s Supplier Relationship Management (SRM) team. Working side by side with Vishay to co-develop comprehensive account plans encompasses many levels of interaction, including in-depth analysis of Vishay’s available portfolio of products as well as detailed technology roadmaps. The results manifest in both short- and long-range plans that facilitate seamless orchestration of global supply chain and procurement strategies.

Of late, Jabil and Vishay have placed particular concentration on a trio of markets with exceptional opportunities for growth: Connectivity, transportation and environmental. Customer demand for products in the 5G and overall connectivity market are poised to fuel this longstanding relationship into the coming years. “We tend to specialize in the different commodities that we’re supplying into Jabil,” adds Williams. “Our target markets are the markets that Jabil is also targeting. Mobility, electric vehicles, ADAS systems, transportation are all focus areas, along with the need for increasing automation to support the market for cleaner, more reliable power.”

The balanced relationship remains strong and powerful because it continues to be characterized by high levels of mutual problem solving and creativity. In fact, the ability to pinpoint the most promising and active markets enables both organizations to anticipate current and emerging business demands.

Taking on challenges together provides smooth navigation around potential potholes and typically gets finished products to end-customers faster. This is especially true at a time when supply chains are constantly battling headwinds to remain on a steady course.

Providing Stability in a Volatile Market

“We work in a market that is quite volatile,” says Williams. “With Jabil, it provides stability. Jabil has continued to grow regardless of the market situation. That’s helped our business to remain consistent.” Vishay remains committed to supporting Jabil, even in constrained markets.

“We continue to strive to bring out the best from this collaboration,” concludes Palmans. “There are no hidden agendas, and in a time of market volatility, Jabil especially values a trusted partner and Vishay fits this mold. And in the end, we enjoy, knowing it’s our customers who benefit most.”