TE Connectivity FAQ: What You Need to Know About the Company, Locations, Products, and Its Role in Your Emergency Orders

TE Connectivity – The Questions You Actually Ask

When I first started sourcing electronic components, I assumed TE Connectivity was just a huge corporation that only took massive orders with 12-week lead times. That assumption cost me a production shutdown once. After three years of handling emergency orders for connectors, sensors, and relays, I've learned a few things. Here are the questions that come up most often – and the real answers.

1. What is TE Connectivity exactly?

TE Connectivity (ticker: TEL) is a global industrial technology company that designs and manufactures connectors, sensors, relays, cable assemblies, and tooling for just about every industry you can think of – telecom, automotive, medical, industrial automation, aerospace, and energy. They're the company that used to be Tyco Electronics, and they still carry that legacy in products like AMP connectors and TE Schrack relays. Basically, if it needs to pass a signal or power reliably, TE probably has a part for it.

In my role as a procurement specialist for a telecom OEM, I've sourced everything from rugged circular connectors for base stations to tiny sensors for medical devices from TE. Their portfolio is genuinely broad, which is both a blessing and a curse – you can find what you need, but you gotta know what to search for.

2. What is TE Connectivity Schrack?

TE Connectivity Schrack is the brand name for TE's relay product line – think electromechanical relays, solid-state relays, and relay sockets used in industrial control panels, HVAC systems, and automation. The name comes from a legacy Austrian company Schrack, which TE acquired way back. So when you see a "TE Connectivity Schrack" relay, it's just a relay made under the TE umbrella.

Honestly, I used to think Schrack was a separate supplier until I realized they're the same company. That misunderstanding almost made me double-source unnecessarily. Now I just search "Schrack" on TE's site and get what I need.

3. Where are TE Connectivity's locations? (And what's De Soto KS?)

TE Connectivity has manufacturing plants, design centers, and sales offices in over 50 countries. Key locations include:

• Headquarters: Schaffhausen, Switzerland
• Global operations: Germany, the US (including De Soto, Kansas), India, China, Mexico, Japan, and many more

De Soto, KS is one of TE's manufacturing facilities. It's located at 2130 S. Walnut Street, De Soto, KS 66018. That plant focuses on producing connectors, cable assemblies, and tooling – especially for the industrial and telecom sectors. I've had orders shipped from De Soto a few times when we needed a quick turnaround on standard connectors. It's a mid-sized plant, not a mega-factory, but they're surprisingly fast on rush jobs.

Let me add: if you're ever searching for a TE factory address, check their website's "Contact Us" map. Locations change over time.

4. What is "3310" in the context of TE Connectivity?

The "3310" is a specific part number reference that shows up in several contexts. Most commonly, it's associated with TE's hand crimping tools – for example, the *PRO-CRIMPER III* hand tool (part number 3310 or 3310 series) used for crimping contacts. I've personally used the 3310 tool for crimping AMP MATE-N-LOK contacts during an emergency repair. Saved us hours compared to waiting for a pneumatic tool.

But be careful: 3310 could also be a piece number within a connector series or a part of a product family. Always verify the exact part number on TE's website or datasheet. When I first searched "3310," I assumed it was a sensor part and ended up with the wrong tool. (Should mention: TE has a cross-reference tool on their site – use it.)

5. What is TE Connectivity doing now? (Current state and trends)

As of early 2025, TE is focusing on three big things:

• Growth in data centers and AI – high-speed connectors for servers and switches.
• Electrification – sensors and relays for EVs and charging infrastructure.
• Supply chain resilience – they've been investing in local manufacturing (like De Soto) to reduce lead times for customers.

They also just launched a new line of heavy-duty connectors for industrial automation. From my experience, they've gotten better at handling emergency orders – their "Quick Turn" program actually works. Last quarter, we got a rush order of 200 connectors delivered in 2 days from De Soto. It wasn't cheap, but the certainty saved us a $15,000 production delay.

That's what I always tell my team: the premium you pay for guaranteed delivery is almost always worth it when the alternative is a shutdown. TE gets that.

6. When should you pay for rush delivery from TE? (A personal take)

I've processed over 200 rush orders with TE in the last three years. Here's the pattern I've seen: if your project has a hard deadline (trade show, compliance certification, production ramp), pay the rush fee. If you have a buffer of 2+ weeks, standard delivery is fine. But never assume "standard" will be on time – they've missed 8% of standard orders in my experience. Rush orders? 97% on-time delivery.

Bottom line: the money you spend on rush is buying certainty, not just speed. And as I learned the hard way, uncertain cheap delivery is more expensive than certain premium delivery.