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Bel Stewart Connector
11118 Susquehanna Trail South
Glen Rock, PA 17327
Phone: (717) 235-7512
Fax: (717) 235-7954
January20,2012
ProductChangeAlert:PassiveRJ45JacksandICMProduct‐lines
BelStewartConnectorCustomersandSalesForce,
BelStewartcontinuesstrivingtoprovidethehighestqualityproductsatcompetitiveprices.We,
alongwiththerestofthemanufacturersintheelectroniccomponentindustry,havecontinued
toseeourmanufacturingcostsincreaseoverthelastseveralyearsduetoincreasingcostsof
bothdirectlaborandrawmaterials.Wehaveworkeddiligentlytominimizetheeffectsofthese
costincreasesonourcustomersthroughefficiencyimprovementsinourmanufacturing
processes,includingincreasedautomation,moreefficientuseofraw
materials,andreduced
profitmargins.However,inthecurrentenvironment,alloftheseeffortshavenotbeenenough
tokeepthesecostincreasesfromimpactingourbusiness.
Wehaveundertakenanevaluationoftheuseofalternativematerialsincontinuingeffortsto
combattheseindustryfactorsandmitigatefuturecostincreases,
whilestillprovidingproducts
thatmeetallofourexistingstringentproductperformancespecification.Thefirstareawe
investigatedwasanalternatetotheuseofgoldinourcontactplating.Goldisourmainplating
materialandascanbeseenfromthechartbelow,hasseenaverydramaticriseinpriceoverthe
last10yearsandthistrendshowsnosignsabatinginthefuture.
Analreadyacceptedindustrystandardequivalenttogold,whichhasbeenaroundformany
yearsandonewhichisusedinmultipleconnectorapplicationstoday,ispalladiumnickel(PdNi).
Palladiumisapreciousmetalandhasalsoseenincreasedpricesoverthelast10years;however,
itisnottothelevelexperiencedwithgold.Theindustrystandardequivalentto50μingold
platingisacombination30μinofPdNiundera5μingoldflash.Becausethespecification