Molex is one of the oldest companies still actively involved in the PC and electronics industry today.  Formed in 1938 by father and son team Frederick August Krehbiel and his son Edwin, Molex originally referred to the moldable thermoplastic material developed by the duo.  Made from industrial byproducts that were unwanted waste at the time, Molex has been used over the years for everything from flowerpots to clocks to children’s toys and found great demand in the industrial sector during World War II due to government restrictions places on other molding materials.

Molex created their first electrical connector at the end of the war in 1945 – a molded terminal block for General Electric’s Hotpoint Stoves.  This marked a turning point in the company as the electrical connector market was just beginning to expand and would explode in the following decades.  In 1951 their receptacles were used in the first business computer, UNIVAC 1.  In 1960 they launched their first line of nylon plugs and receptacles.  By the mid 1970s they were selling products in 37 countries from 9 factories around the world.

Molex has continued to innovate since their inception.  Their catalog now offers over 40,000 products to the computer, electronics, telecommunications and automotive industries.