Harmonic: A long history of collaborative innovation.

Partnering to bring amazing video experiences to the world.

Delivering video in today’s world requires a constant stream of innovation. As complexity increases and technology swiftly advances, Harmonic has trusted Plexus to help keep their product development ahead of the curve. See why they’ve partnered with us for nearly 15 years — and counting.

Today’s video technology is constantly advancing.

Harmonic is a global provider of video encoding, streaming, storage, playback and cable/edge equipment. In their industry, product cycles are fast — maybe one or two years. As video technology advances, streaming services require more and more bandwidth to support the consumer’s need. That means new product development is constant – and it needs to happen fast. At the same time, Harmonic is a global company that needs to support equipment at various stages of advancement. As some areas of the world are pushing into higher and higher resolution video, less developed regions still require support for standard definition delivery.

It’s this level of complexity and need for constant innovation that has led Harmonic to trust Plexus as their product realization partner since 2003.

Growing the relationship.

When Harmonic first became a Plexus customer, they were familiar with Plexus’ reputation for dependability. They knew we do what we say, and they were confident in our ability to meet the demands of their industry.

Since then, Plexus has been providing global product solutions for Harmonic, supported by sites across the world. The relationship began with New Product Introduction and Manufacturing. Over the years it has grown to include all aspects of our product realization value stream — process and test engineering for product development, global Supply Chain Solutions, direct order fulfillment, and Aftermarket Services to support Harmonic’s products in the field.

Hitting a collaborative stride.

For Harmonic to stay at the forefront of their industry, they need a partner they can rely on. Constant innovation and quick product fulfillment is imperative in a market that changes so quickly. They also need the highest level of technical expertise. As video compression improves, and bandwidth needs increase, the technology becomes more and more complex. Harmonic needs a partner with the engineering, manufacturing and supply chain capabilities to bring those complex products to the market quickly and with the highest quality.

With Plexus, they get all of those qualities. And it comes packaged in a relationship that provides an unprecedented level of collaboration. When Harmonic wishes to develop a new product, they have a direct connection with our engineering team. They’ll work closely with our Design and Development team on-site at our Penang Design Center. The Plexus and Harmonic teams will then work side by side to design and engineer the product. This level of integration allows us to fully understand Harmonic’s needs and tackle the most complex product development challenges as a single time with the same set of goals.

After years of collaborating in this way, our teams have built a strong relationship that keeps product fulfillment running smoothly, reducing any issues or delays. In fact, our team knows Harmonic, their product needs and the needs of their customers, as well as Harmonic does. Which means we can be more than a partner — we can help recognize opportunities and proactively solve problems for next-generation products.

Continuing the innovation.

To date, Plexus has shipped more than $1 billion in products for Harmonic. The relationship that began in 2003 has far outlasted the length of most relationships in our industry. It’s a testament to the high degree of confidence Harmonic places in Plexus to deliver on their needs. They’ve trusted us to move their business to the Penang-Island View facility and navigate geographical challenges in communicating between our team and their Israel-based engineering team. They’ve trusted us to ship products directly to their end customers. And most of all, they continue to rely on Plexus as a long-term partner to help them bring amazing video experiences to the world.

Continuing the innovation.

With Data Vortex, Plexus truly began on the ground floor of an exciting breakthrough in high-performance computing. Larger computer manufacturers hadn’t been willing to work with such an early-stage concept. But at Plexus, we were eager to take on the challenge. Our team understood the significance of what Dr. Reed’s vision could accomplish, and we were willing to invest in exploring the idea along with him. In fact, it was just the kind of discovery, invention and difficult problem-solving we thrive on.

To this day, the relationship between Data Vortex and Plexus is uniquely collaborative. The Plexus team takes part in installations, supporting Data Vortex customers face-to-face. Our own Mike Ives and Senior Project Manager Bill Stube often present on behalf of Data Vortex at industry events or in customer meetings. Data Vortex even brings prospective customers to our Plexus facilities to showcase our ability to deliver — and our flexibility to ramp up to support their growing needs, including production manufacturing.

In many ways, Data Vortex counts on Plexus as their own research and development department. We have co-authored several patents with Data Vortex, and they’ve trusted us to expand their product line to include full systems, switches and interface controllers. We also continue to develop their next generation of products, tapping into every area of our service offerings.

Most of all, the longevity of our relationship speaks to just how much Data Vortex trusts Plexus to come through for them. For our part, we are proud to be part of this revolution in high-performance computing. We’re grateful for the trust Dr. Coke Reed and his team have placed in us. And we’re looking forward to the innovations we’ll continue to help Data Vortex bring to market.