Founded in Japan in 1937, Hirose Electric Co. is known for producing high-precision connectors. From Singapore, it oversees sales and marketing across Southeast Asia, Oceania and India, giving the city-state a central role in design support, customer engagement and regional coordination.
Hirose Electric Singapore is sharpening its regional strategy as demand across the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and India shifts toward automotive electrification, artificial intelligence-driven infrastructure and industrial automation, according to Managing Director Katsunori Takizawa.
Takizawa said Hirose has “observed a universal shift in demand toward automotive electrification, the rapid expansion of AI-driven infrastructure and an increase in requirements for industrial automation.” In response, it is strengthening its technical support across automotive, industrial and consumer electronics applications, with Singapore taking on a larger role in research and development and early-stage engineering support.
“We are prioritizing ‘Design-In’ activities here to ensure that our sales and marketing teams can provide rapid, specialized technical support from the earliest stages of development,” Takizawa said. He noted that products designed in Singapore are often manufactured across ASEAN and India, making an integrated support system across manufacturing, sales, technology and quality assurance increasingly important.
As Japan and Singapore mark 60 years of diplomatic ties, Hirose’s growth has been shaped by the relationship between the two countries.
“We provide electronic ‘connectors,’ but as our product implies, we seek to do more than just link hardware; we aim to ‘connect’ people and ideas,” Takizawa said. He also cited the company’s sponsorship of the National University of Singapore’s Formula SAE team as part of its effort to support technological advancement while strengthening its presence in the market.
“We provide electronic ‘connectors,’ but as our product implies, we seek to do more than just link hardware; we aim to ‘connect’ people and ideas.”
Katsunori Takizawa, Managing Director of Hirose Electric Singapore
Hirose is adapting to geopolitical complexity by expanding local support and strengthening its distribution network. With multiple factories across Asia, including bases in Malaysia and Indonesia, it is also preparing to expand further in India. “A key strategic investment in this area is our group’s official decision to establish a new manufacturing factory in India in 2027,” Takizawa added.
“Our strategy is to find the perfect balance between globalization and localization,” he said, noting that Hirose is intent on pursuing compact, high-power, high-speed and high-reliability solutions for a maturing regional market.
