India, ASP, and Why Custom Connectors Aren’t What You Think
The latest episode of the Samtec Transmission Line podcast was released last week, and in it, we spoke with the irrepressible Ash from Samtec India.
India is a vital market for the global electronics industry. As Ash put it, it’s not the next big opportunity. It is the opportunity. A vast, tech-savvy population combined with significant industrial growth and investment means India is set to remain a powerhouse for years to come.
What made the conversation particularly interesting was not just the scale of the opportunity, but the diversity of applications and customer requirements within that market. That diversity naturally drives demand for more tailored solutions, and one of the things that Ash mentioned sits at the heart of how Samtec supports customers globally.
What is ASP, and Why Does It Matter?
ASP stands for Application-Specific Products, and it is how Samtec delivers custom connectors. This isn’t a niche activity. ASP accounts for between 20 and 25% of Samtec’s business. That alone tells you something important. A significant number of customers need something beyond what’s available in the catalog.
At first glance, that might seem surprising. Samtec already offers a vast range of standard products. But no catalog can cover every possible application, and in fast-moving, highly varied markets like India, those gaps appear more often. That’s where ASP comes in.
Rethinking What “Custom” Really Means
For many engineers, the word “custom” often comes with baggage. It suggests long lead times, high costs, and complex design cycles. But that is often not the case. Custom products do not need to be complicated or intimidating.
In a previous episode of the podcast, we spoke with Jim Koch from Samtec USA about how ASP works. What became clear very quickly is that custom spans a wide spectrum.
At their simplest, ASP solutions might mean small modifications to existing products. That could be something as straightforward as changing the packaging from tube to tape and reel, or adjusting plating to meet specific requirements.
If the need is slightly more specific, an ASP solution might involve altering pin configurations, changing lengths, or introducing polarization features. At the far end of the spectrum, ASP can mean a fully custom connector, designed from the ground up for a specific application. The key point is that not every custom solution starts from a blank sheet of paper.
Built for Speed, Not Delay
A misconception about custom connectors is that they are slow to develop. The Samtec ASP program is built around speed. Because Samtec uses a modular approach to manufacturing, many custom solutions are created by reconfiguring existing components. Jim described it as “electrical Lego”, assembling proven elements in new ways to meet specific requirements.
That means simple modifications can be delivered in days, not months. Even more complex solutions can be delivered far faster than traditional product development cycles. And just as importantly, ASP is focused. Rather than designing a broad product family to suit every possible use case, the goal is to deliver one solution that does exactly what the customer needs.
Supporting Real-World Applications
What emerges from the podcast is just how broad the scope of ASP really is. ASP supports military and aerospace designs, where changes such as plating or packaging are critical. In industrial applications, it enables better control of power, signal, and system integration through tailored configurations. ASP can also be used in cutting-edge systems, from high-performance computing to specialised electronic platforms, where standard solutions simply do not fit.
Perhaps the most important message is that custom designs do not have to be complicated, expensive, or time-consuming. Often, it is simply about making the right adjustments to an existing design. In other cases, it is about working closely with Samtec’s engineering teams to develop something new, quickly and efficiently. Either way, the goal is the same. To give customers exactly what they need, without unnecessary complexity.
Listen and Learn More
If you’re interested in understanding more about the opportunities in India, it’s well worth listening to our latest podcast episode with Ash. And if you want to explore how ASP works in more detail, our earlier conversation with Jim Koch provides a great deep dive into how custom solutions are developed at Samtec.
You can also find more information about ASP and Samtec’s custom capabilities on our website.
Custom connectors might sound daunting, but in many cases, they are the most straightforward way to get exactly the performance your application demands.
