Our Competitive Strengths
Global Technology Leader
As industry evolves, The DNA of tech™ evolves. We were founded based on the
inventions of Dr. Felix Zandman and we continue to emphasize technological innovation as a driver of growth. Many of our products and manufacturing techniques, technologies, and packaging methods have been invented, designed, and developed by Dr.
Zandman, our engineers, and our scientists. Our components today are smaller, faster, and more reliable than in the past, helping our customers to be more inventive and evolve their businesses. Our components are used by virtually all major
manufacturers of electronic products worldwide in the automotive, industrial, computing, consumer, telecommunications, military and aerospace, and medical markets. They are found inside products and systems used every day, from automobiles to
airplanes, power grids, phones, and pacemakers. We are currently a worldwide technology and market leader in wirewound and other power resistors, leaded film resistors, thin film SMD resistors, power inductors, wet and conformal-coated tantalum
capacitors, capacitors for power electronics, power rectifiers, low-voltage power MOSFETs, and infrared components.
Research and Development Provides Customer-Driven Growth Solutions
We maintain strategically placed application and product support centers where proximity to customers and our manufacturing locations enables us to more easily gauge
and satisfy the needs of local markets. The breadth of our product portfolio along with the proximity of our field application engineers to customers provides increased opportunities to have our components selected and designed into new end
products by customers in all relevant market segments. We also maintain research and development personnel and promote programs at a number of our production facilities to develop new products and new applications of existing products, and to
improve manufacturing processes and technologies. We plan to grow our business and increase earnings per share, in part, through accelerating the development of new products and technologies and increasing design-in opportunities by expanding our
technical resources for providing solutions to customers.
Operational Excellence
We are a leading manufacturer in our industry, with a broad product portfolio, access to a wide range of end markets and sales channels, and geographic diversity. We
have solid, well-established relationships with our customers and strong distribution channels. Our senior management team is highly experienced, with deep industry knowledge. Over the past two decades, our management team has successfully
restructured our company and integrated several acquisitions. We can adapt our operations to changing economic conditions, as demonstrated by our ability to remain profitable and generate cash through the volatile economic cycle of the recent past.
Broad Market Penetration
We have one of the broadest product lines of discrete semiconductors and passive components among our competitors. Our broad product portfolio allows us to penetrate
markets in all industry segments and all regions, which reduces our exposure to a particular end market or geographic location. We plan to grow our business and increase earnings per share, in part, through improving market penetration by expanding
manufacturing facilities for our most successful products, increasing technical resources, and developing markets for specialty products in Asia. Over the next few years, we expect
to experience higher growth rates than over the last decade. This expectation is based upon accelerated electrification, such as factory automation, electrical vehicles, and 5G infrastructure. See Note 15 to our consolidated financial
statements for net revenues by region and end market.
Strong Track Record of Growth through Acquisitions
Since 1985, we have expanded our product line through various strategic acquisitions, growing from a small manufacturer of precision resistors and resistance strain
gages to one of the world’s largest manufacturers and suppliers of a broad line of electronic components. We have successfully integrated the acquired companies within our existing management and operational structure, reducing selling, general,
and administrative expenses through the integration or elimination of redundant sales and administrative functions, creating manufacturing synergies, while improving customer service. We plan to grow our business and increase earnings per share, in
part, through targeted acquisitions. We have often targeted high margin niche business acquisitions. We also target strategic acquisitions of businesses with technology and engineering capabilities that we can further develop and commercialize to
grow our business.
Strong Free Cash Flow Generation
We refer to the amount of cash generated from operations in excess of our capital expenditure needs and net of proceeds from the sale of assets as “free cash” (see
"Overview" included in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” for "free cash" definition and reconciliation to generally accepted accounting principles ("GAAP")). Due to our strong
operational management, cost control measures, efficient capital expenditures, broad product portfolio, and strong market position, we have generated positive “free cash” in each of the past 26 years and “free cash” in excess of $80 million in each
of the past 21 years. We expect the benefits of our restructuring and other cost cutting measures (see “Cost Management” included in Item 7, “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”) to contribute to
our “free cash” generation going forward.
Financial Strength and Flexibility
As of December 31, 2022, our cash and short-term investment balance exceeded our debt balance by $415.2 million. We also maintain a credit facility, which provides a revolving commitment of up to $750 million through June 5, 2024, of which $707.1 million was available as of December 31,
2022. Our net cash position and short-term investment balance, available revolving commitment, and strong “free cash” flow generation provide financial strength and flexibility and reduce our exposure to future economic uncertainties.
Our Key Challenges
Economic Environment
Our business and operating results have been and will continue to be impacted by the global economy and the local economies in which our customers operate. Our
revenues are dependent on end markets that are impacted by fluctuating consumer and industrial demand, and our operating results can be adversely affected by reduced demand in those markets.
Competition
Our business is highly competitive worldwide, with low transportation costs and few import barriers. Our major competitors, some of which are larger than us, have
significant financial resources and technological capabilities. To continue to grow our business successfully, we need to continually develop, introduce, and market new and innovative products, modify existing products, respond to technological
change, and customize certain products to meet customer requirements.
Continuous Innovation and Protection of Intellectual Property
Our ability to compete effectively with other companies depends, in part, on our ability to maintain the proprietary nature of our technology. Although we have been
awarded, have filed applications for, or have licenses to use, numerous patents in the United States and other countries, there can be no assurance concerning the degree of protection afforded by these patents or the likelihood that pending patents
will be issued.
Continuing to Grow through Acquisitions
Our long-term historical growth in revenues and net earnings has resulted in large part from our strategy of growth through acquisitions. For this strategy to remain
successful, we need to continue to identify attractive and available acquisition candidates, complete acquisitions on favorable terms, and integrate new businesses, manufacturing processes, employees, and logistical arrangements into our existing
management and operating infrastructure.
Recent Events: COVID-19 Pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to have an adverse global impact, while the widespread economic impact on Vishay was temporary, as evidenced by our revenues since the
beginning of 2021. The negative impacts on Vishay included disruptions in our ability to manufacture products, disruptions in the operations of our customers, and disruptions in shipping, which contributed to higher costs. Similar disruptions
have occurred on a more limited scale and may continue to occur. To continue to be successful, we will need to continue to adapt our business and operations for the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and potential future coronavirus outbreaks and
the mitigation efforts by governments to attempt to control their spread.
Recent Events: Supply Chain Disruption
The production and sale of our products is reliant on a complex global interconnected supply chain of vendors, manufacturing facilities, third-party contractors,
shipping partners, distributors, and end market customers. Our production and results of operations can be negatively impacted by disruptions to any part of the supply chain, many of which are beyond our control. We remain cognizant of these
challenges and seek to minimize their effects whenever possible. For a more detailed discussion, see "Supply Chain" below.
For a more detailed discussion of the risks and uncertainties inherent in our business, which could materially and adversely affect our business, results of operations
or financial condition, see “Risk Factors” in Item 1A.
Key Business Strategies
Our business strategy principally consists of the following elements:
Think Customer First
We maintain significant production facilities in those regions where we market the bulk of our products in order to enhance the service and responsiveness that we
provide to our customers. We aim to further strengthen our relationships with customers and strategic partners by providing broad product lines that allow us to provide “one-stop shop” service, whereby they can streamline their design and
purchasing processes by ordering multiple types of products, by anticipating customer needs, and supporting increasing customer demand.
Invest in Innovation to Drive Growth
We plan to continue to use our research and development (“R&D”), engineering, and product marketing resources to continually roll out new and innovative products.
As part of our plan to foster intensified internal growth, we have increased our worldwide R&D and engineering technical staff, and increased our technical field sales force in Asia to increase opportunities to design-in our products in local
markets. Our ability to react to changing customer needs and industry trends will continue to be key to our success. We intend to leverage our insights into customer demand to continually develop new innovative products within our existing lines
and to modify our existing core products to make them more appealing, addressing changing customer needs and industry trends. We are directing increased funding and are focusing on developing products to capitalize on the mega trends of
electrification, data storage, and wireless communications that are critical to our future success.
We are also investing in additional capital expenditures to expand key product lines. Over the next few
years, we expect to experience higher growth rates than over the last decade. This expectation is based upon accelerated electrification, such as factory automation, electrical vehicles, and 5G infrastructure.
Growth through Strategic Acquisitions
We plan to continue to expand within the electronic components industry, through the acquisition of other manufacturers of electronic components that have established
positions in major markets, reputations for product innovation, quality, and reliability, strong customer bases, and product lines with which we have substantial marketing and technical expertise. It also includes certain businesses that possess
technologies which we expect to further develop and commercialize.
Cost Management
We place a strong emphasis on controlling our costs. We focus on controlling fixed costs and reducing variable costs. When our ongoing cost management activities are
not adequate, we take actions to maintain our cost competitiveness including restructuring our business to improve efficiency and operating performance.
Our growth plan was designed based on the tenets of the key business strategies listed above.
Products
We design, manufacture, and market electronic components that cover a wide range of functions and technologies. Our products include commodity, non-commodity, and
custom products in which we believe we enjoy a good reputation and strong brand recognition, including our Siliconix, Dale, Draloric, Beyschlag, Sfernice, MCB, UltraSource, Applied Thin-Film Products, IHLP®, HiRel Systems, Sprague, Vitramon, Barry,
Roederstein, ESTA, and BCcomponents brands. We promote our ability to provide “one-stop shop” service to customers, whereby they can streamline their design and purchasing processes by ordering multiple types of products from Vishay. Our
technical sales force consisting of field application engineers offers customers the complete breadth of the Vishay portfolio for their applications. We aim to use this broad portfolio to increase opportunities to have our components selected and
“designed in” to new end products.
We consider any product which is completely interchangeable with a competitor’s product to be a “commodity product.” Commodity products serve many markets. Commodity
products generally comprise about 35% to 40% of our annual revenues.
We consider any of our standard products that may be sold to multiple customers, which is not completely interchangeable with a competitor’s product, to be a
“non-commodity” product. Non-commodity products generally have a small number of competitors who have similar, but not exact, products. Non-commodity products typically serve a particular end-use market. Non-commodity products generally comprise
about 40% to 45% of our annual revenues.
We also sell several custom products. Usually, a custom product is designed for a specific customer, and such part number is sold to only that customer. Custom
products generally comprise about 20% to 25% of our annual revenues.
We evaluate our level of product innovation by measuring how much of our revenue is derived from products developed in the previous five years. Products for certain
end-use markets, particularly the automotive market, tend to have longer product life cycles, which may impact these metrics. Approximately 25% of our annual revenues are generated by products that were developed in the previous five years.
Product Segments
Our products can be divided into two general classes: semiconductors and passive components. Semiconductors are sometimes referred to as “active components” because
they require power to function whereas passive components do not require power to function. Our semiconductor and passive components
products are further categorized based on their functionality for financial reporting purposes.
Semiconductors
Our semiconductor products include metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors ("MOSFETs"), diodes, and optoelectronic components. Semiconductors are typically
used to perform functions such as switching, amplifying, rectifying, routing, or transmitting electrical signals, power conversion, and power management.
MOSFETs Segment
MOSFETs function as solid state switches to control power. Our MOSFETs business includes both the commodity and non-commodity markets in which we believe that we
enjoy a good reputation and strong brand recognition (Siliconix). MOSFETs applications include mobile phones, notebook and desktop computers, tablet computers, digital cameras, televisions, DC/DC and AC/DC switch mode power supplies, solar
inverters, automotive and industrial systems. We are a leader in low-voltage TrenchFET MOSFETs and also offer high-voltage MOSFETs. Our MOSFETs product line includes low- and medium-voltage TrenchFET MOSFETs, high-voltage planar MOSFETs, high
voltage Super Junction MOSFETs, power integrated circuits (power ICs), and integrated function power devices. We are one of the technology leaders in MOSFETs, with a tradition of innovation in wafer design, packaging, and performance. Our
acquisition of MaxPower Semiconductor, Inc. on October 28, 2022 adds leading edge silicon and silicon carbide technology to our MOSFETs product line.
Commodity products generally comprise about 55% to 60% of our annual MOSFETs segment revenues. Non-commodity products generally comprise about 30% to 35% of our
annual MOSFETs segment revenues. Custom products generally comprise 10% to 15% of our annual MOSFETs segment revenues. Approximately 30% of our annual MOSFETs segment revenues are generated by products that were developed in the previous five
years.
Diodes Segment
Diodes route, regulate, and block radio frequency, analog, and power signals; protect systems from
surges or electrostatic discharge damage; or provide electromagnetic interference filtering. Our Diodes business is a solid business with a strong market presence in both the commodity and non-commodity markets. The products that
comprise our Diodes business represent our broadest product line and include rectifiers, small signal diodes, protection diodes, thyristors/SCRs and power modules. The primary application of rectifiers, found inside the power supplies of virtually
all electronic equipment, is to derive DC power from the AC supply. Vishay is the worldwide leader in rectifiers, having a broad technology base and a good position in automotive, industrial, computing and consumer markets. Our rectifier
innovations include TMBS® using Trench MOS barrier Schottky rectifier technology, which reduces power loss and improves the efficiency of end systems and eSMP®, the best in class high-current density surface mount packages. Our wide selection of
small signal diodes consist of the following functions: switching, tuning, band-switching, RF attenuation and voltage regulation (Zener). They are available in various glass and plastic packaging options and generally are used in electronic
circuits, where small currents and high frequencies are involved. Vishay is also one of the market leaders for TVS (transient voltage suppressor) diodes. The portfolio of protection diodes includes ESD protection and EMI filter. Our thyristors or
SCR (silicon-controlled rectifiers) are very popular in the industrial high-voltage AC power control applications. The fast growing markets of solar inverter and HEV/EV are the focus of our power modules business (IGBT or MOSFET modules). These
modules can be customized to fit in different customer design requirements.
Commodity products generally comprise about 55% to 60% of our annual Diodes segment revenues. Non-commodity products generally comprise about 25% to 30% of our annual
Diodes segment revenues. Custom products generally comprise about 15% to 20% of our annual Diodes segment revenues. Approximately 30% of our annual Diodes segment revenues are generated by products that were developed in the previous five years.
Optoelectronic Components Segment
Optoelectronic components emit light, detect light, or do both. Our Optoelectronic Components business has a strong market presence in both the commodity and
non-commodity markets. Our broad range of standard and customer specific optoelectronic components includes infrared (“IR”) emitters and detectors, IR remote control receivers, optocouplers, solid-state relays, optical sensors, light-emitting
diodes (“LEDs”), 7-segment displays, and IR data transceiver modules (IrDA®). Our IR remote control receivers are designed for use in infrared remote control, data transmission, and light barrier applications in end products including televisions,
set-top boxes, notebook computers, and audio systems. We are the leading manufacturer of IR remote control receivers. Our optocouplers electrically isolate input and output signals. Uses include switch-mode power supplies, consumer electronics,
telecommunications equipment, solar inverters, and industrial systems. Our IR data transceiver modules are used for short range, two-way, high-speed, and secure wireless data transfer between electronic devices such as home medical appliances,
mobile phones, industrial data loggers, and metering. Our optical sensors product line was considerably strengthened by our acquisition of Capella in 2014. Our optical sensors products include ambient light sensors, optical encoders, integrated
photodiode and I/V amplifiers, proximity sensors, color sensors, and UV sensors. Applications include telecommunications, mobile phones, smartphone, handheld devices, digital cameras, laptops, desktop computers, LED backlighting, office automation
equipment, household electrical appliance and automotive electronics. Our LEDs are designed for backlighting and illumination in automotive and other applications. Our LEDs include ultra-bright as well as small surface-mount packages, with
products available in all standard colors including white.
All of our Optoelectronic Components segment products are non-commodity or custom products. Approximately 25% of our annual Optoelectronic Components segment revenues
are generated by products that were developed in the previous five years.
Passive Components
Our passive components include resistors, inductors, and capacitors. Passive components are used to store electrical charges, to limit or resist electrical current,
and to help in filtering, surge suppression, measurement, timing, and tuning applications.
Resistors Segment
Resistors impede electric current. Resistors are basic components used in all forms of electronic
circuitry to adjust and regulate levels of voltage and current. Our Resistors business is our original business. We maintain the broadest portfolio of resistor products worldwide. Under current market conditions, the business is solid,
predictable, and growing at relatively stable selling prices. We are a market leader with a strong technology base, many specialty products, and strong brand recognition (such as our Dale, Draloric, Beyschlag, and Sfernice brands). We focus on
higher value markets in specialized industries, while maintaining a complete portfolio of commodity products. We do not aim to be the volume leader in commodity markets.
Resistors vary widely in precision and cost, and are manufactured from numerous materials and in many forms. Linear resistive components are classified as variable or
fixed, depending on whether or not their resistance is adjustable. Non-linear resistors function by varying in resistance under influence of temperature (thermistors) or voltage (varistors). They can be used in temperature-measuring applications or
as current or voltage-limiting devices. We manufacture virtually all types of fixed resistors, both in discrete and network forms, as well as many variable types.
Vishay resistor innovations include Power Metal Strip® technology. These resistors feature very low resistance and are used to measure changes in current flow
(current sensing) or divert current flow (shunting).
Commodity products generally comprise about 20% to 25% of our annual Resistors segment revenues. Non-commodity products generally comprise about 50% to 55% of our
annual Resistors segment revenues. Custom products generally comprise about 25% to 30% of our annual Resistors segment revenues. Approximately 15% of our annual Resistors segment revenues are generated by products that were developed in the
previous five years.
Inductors Segment
Inductors also impede electric current. Inductors use an internal magnetic field to change alternating
current phase and resist alternating current. While part of our traditional business, the inductors product line has grown significantly in recent years. We are a market leader with a strong technology base, many specialty products, and
strong name recognition (such as our IHLP® and HiRel Systems brands). We focus on higher value markets in specialized industries, such as the industrial, automotive, military, and medical end markets.
Inductor applications include controlling AC current and voltage, filtering out unwanted electrical signals, and energy storage. Vishay inductor innovations include
our patented IHLP low-profile, high-current inductor technology with industry-leading specifications. Our low-profile, high-current inductors save circuit board space and power in voltage regulator module (“VRM”) and DC to DC converter
applications. In addition, we are a worldwide leader in custom magnetic solutions focusing on high performance and high reliability.
Substantially all of our Inductors segment products are non-commodity or custom products. Approximately 20% of our annual Inductors segment revenues are generated by
products that were developed in the previous five years.
Capacitors Segment
Capacitors store energy and discharge it when needed. Our Capacitors business consists of a broad range of reliable, high-quality products. We have a strong presence
worldwide in specialty markets based on our product performance and reliability and strong brand recognition (including our Sprague, Vitramon, Roederstein, BCcomponents, and ESTA brands). We focus on higher value markets in specialized industries,
while maintaining a complete portfolio of commodity products. We do not aim to be the volume leader in commodity markets. Capacitors are used in almost all electronic circuits. They store energy and discharge it when needed. Important applications
for capacitors include electronic filtering for linear and switching power supplies; decoupling and bypass of electronic signals for integrated circuits and circuit boards; and frequency control, timing and conditioning of electronic signals for a
broad range of applications.
We manufacture products based on all major capacitor technologies: tantalum (molded chip tantalum, coated chip tantalum, solid through-hole tantalum, wet tantalum, and
polymer), ceramic (multilayer chip and ceramic disc), film, power, heavy-current, and aluminum electrolytic. Our capacitors range from tiny surface-mount devices for hearing aids and mobile devices to large power correction capacitors used in
renewable energy, heavy industry, and electrical power grids. We are a recognized technology leader in many product ranges, securing our strong position in military and medical markets, and in a wide range of industrial and automotive applications.
Our wet tantalum and MicroTan™ technologies are market leaders.
Commodity products generally comprise about 30% to 35% of our annual Capacitors segment revenues. Non-commodity products generally comprise about 45% to 50% of our
annual Capacitors segment revenues. Custom products generally comprise about 15% to 20% of our annual Capacitors segment revenues. Approximately 25% of our annual Capacitors segment revenues are generated by products that were developed in the
previous five years.
Military Qualifications
We have qualified certain of our products under various military specifications approved and monitored by United States government agencies, and under certain European
military specifications. Qualification levels are based in part upon the rate of failure of products. In order to maintain the classification level of a product, we must continuously perform tests on the product and the results of these tests must
be reported to the government agencies. If the product fails to meet the requirements for the applicable classification level, the product’s classification may be reduced to a lower level. During the time that the classification level is reduced
for a product with military application, net revenues and earnings attributable to that product may be adversely affected.
Manufacturing Operations
In order to better serve our customers, we maintain production facilities in locations where we market the bulk of our products, such as the United States, Germany,
and Asia. To optimize production efficiencies, we have whenever practicable established manufacturing facilities in countries, such as India, Israel, Malaysia, Mexico, the People’s Republic of China, and the Philippines, where we can benefit from
lower labor costs and also benefit from various government incentives, including tax relief.
One of our most sophisticated manufacturing operations is the production of power semiconductor components. This manufacturing process involves two phases of
production: wafer fabrication and assembly (or packaging). Wafer fabrication subjects silicon wafers to various thermal, metallurgical, and chemical process steps that change their electrical and physical properties. These process steps define
cells or circuits within numerous individual devices (termed “dies” or “chips”) on each wafer. Assembly is the sequence of production steps that divides the wafer into individual chips and encloses the chips in structures (termed “packages”) that
make them usable in a circuit. Both wafer fabrication and assembly phases incorporate wafer level and device level electrical testing to ensure that device design integrity has been achieved.
In the United States, our manufacturing facilities are located in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island,
South Dakota, Vermont, and Wisconsin. In Asia, our main manufacturing facilities are located in the People’s Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), India, and Malaysia. In Europe, our main manufacturing facilities are located in
Germany, France, and the Czech Republic. We have substantial manufacturing facilities in Israel. We also have manufacturing facilities in Austria, Dominican Republic, Japan, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Portugal, and the Philippines. Over the past
several years, we have invested substantial resources to increase the efficiency of our plants, which we believe will further reduce production costs.
All of our manufacturing operations have received ISO 9001 certification. ISO 9001
is a comprehensive set of quality program standards developed by the International Standards Organization.
Supply Chain
The production and sale of our products is reliant on a complex global interconnected supply chain of vendors, manufacturing facilities, third-party foundries and
subcontractors, shipping partners, distributors, and end market customers. Disruption in one part of the supply chain could cause disruption in all other parts of the supply chain. Global shipping impacts several parts of the supply chain and the
disruptions experienced in the recent years have, at times, negatively impacted our ability to manufacture products and to deliver them to customers.
Although most materials incorporated into our products are available from a number of sources, certain materials, including plastics and metals, are produced in only a
limited number of regions around the world or are available from only a limited number of suppliers. Suppliers periodically extend lead times, face capacity constraints, limit supplies, increase prices, experience quality issues, or encounter
cybersecurity or other issues that can interrupt or increase the cost of our supply. The unavailability or reduced availability of these materials could require us to temporarily cease or reduce production or incur additional costs.
Customer requirements and certain laws pertaining to the responsible sourcing of materials, including tantalum, tungsten, tin, gold, and cobalt, all of which are used
in the Company’s products, are increasing and becoming more stringent. Responsible sourcing efforts may result in increased prices and decreased availability of these materials.
Many of the metals used in the manufacture of our products, including gold, copper, and palladium, are traded on active markets and can be subject to significant price
volatility. To ensure adequate supply and to provide cost certainty, our policy is to enter into short-term commitments to purchase defined portions of annual consumption of the raw materials utilized if market prices decline below budget. If
after entering into these commitments, the market prices for these raw materials decline, we must recognize losses on these adverse purchase commitments. In certain circumstances, we also purchase precious metals bullion in excess of our immediate
manufacturing needs to mitigate the risk of supply shortages or volatile price fluctuations.
Our production can be disrupted by the unavailability of resources, such as water, energy, and gases. The unavailability or reduced availability of these resources
could require us to reduce production or incur additional costs.
We use third-party foundries and subcontractors for certain of our manufacturing activities, primarily wafer fabrication and the assembly and testing of finished
goods. Establishing third-party contract manufacturer relationships can be time consuming and costly, and the number of qualified providers is limited. Our agreements with these manufacturers typically require us to commit to purchase services
based on forecasted product needs, which may be inaccurate, and, in some cases, require us to recognize losses on these adverse purchase commitments. Our agreements may limit our ability to increase production, particularly during periods of
growing demand for our products.
Due to our global supply chain, we are impacted by global trade disputes. The governments of the U.S. and the People’s Republic of China remain in a trade dispute
that has resulted in tariffs and other trade restrictions including import / export prohibitions. Disruptions to global trade could result in customers seeking different sources of product or requiring us to seek different sources of supply. New
or revised trade agreements could require changes in operations in the long-term.
We remain cognizant of these supply chain challenges and seek to minimize their effects whenever possible. Despite our best efforts, there can be no assurances we
will be successful in mitigating these risks.
Inventory and Backlog
We manufacture both standardized products and those designed and produced to meet customer specifications. We maintain an inventory of standardized components and
monitor the backlog of outstanding orders for our products.
We include in our backlog only open orders that we expect to ship in the next twelve months. Many of our customers encounter uncertain and changing demand for their
products. They typically order products from us based on their forecasts. If demand falls below customers’ forecasts, or if customers do not control their inventory effectively, they may cancel or reschedule the shipments included in our backlog,
in many instances without the payment of any penalty. Therefore, our backlog at any point in time is not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for future periods.
Customers and Marketing
We sell our products to original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), electronic manufacturing services (“EMS”) companies, which manufacture for OEMs on an outsourcing
basis, and independent distributors that maintain large inventories of electronic components for resale to OEMs and EMS companies. See Note 15 to our consolidated financial statements for net revenues by customer type.
Our sales organizations are regionally based. While our sales and support procedures are typically similar across all regions, we remain flexible in our ability to
offer programs tailored to our customers’ specific support requirements in each local area. The aim of our sales organizations is supporting our customers across all product lines, developing new design wins, negotiating contracts, and providing
general commercial support as would normally be expected of a large multi-national sales force.
We have an established Strategic Global Account program, which provides each of our top customers with a dedicated Strategic Global Account Manager. Our Strategic
Global Account Managers are typically highly experienced salesmen or saleswomen who are capable of providing key customers with the coordination and management visibility required in a complex multi-product business relationship. They typically
coordinate the sales, pricing, contract, logistic, quality, and other aspects of the customer’s business requirements. The Strategic Global Account Manager normally is the focal point of communication between Vishay and our main customers. We
maintain a similar program for our strategic distributors as well.
We work with our customers so that our products are incorporated into the design of electronic equipment at the earliest stages of development and to provide technical
and applications support. In addition to our staff of direct field sales personnel, independent manufacturers’ representatives, and distributors, our Business Development group maintains teams of dedicated Field Application Engineers (“FAEs”) to
assist our customers in solving technical problems and in developing products to meet specific customer application needs using our entire product portfolio to provide support for our customers’ engineering needs. Organized by market segment, our
Business Development FAEs bring specific knowledge of component applications in their areas of expertise in the automotive, telecommunications, computer, consumer/entertainment, industrial, peripherals, digital consumer, and other market segments.
With the ultimate goal of a Vishay “design-in” – the process by which our customers specify a Vishay component in their products – this program offers our customers enhanced access to all Vishay technologies while at the same time increasing design
wins, and ultimately sales, for us. Most importantly, the process is closely monitored via a proprietary database developed by our Business Development group. Our database captures specific design activities and allows for real-time measurement of
new business potential for our management team.
Our top 30 customers have been relatively stable despite not having long-term commitments to purchase our products. With selected customers, we have signed longer term
(greater than one year) contracts for specific products. Net revenues from our top 30 customers represent approximately 70% of our
total net revenues. No single customer comprised more than 10% of our total net revenues for 2022.
In certain areas we also work with sales representatives. The commission expense for these sales representatives is not material.
Research and Development
Many of our products and manufacturing techniques, technologies, and packaging methods have been invented, designed, and developed by Dr. Felix Zandman, our engineers,
and our scientists. We maintain strategically placed design centers where proximity to customers enables us to more easily gauge and satisfy the needs of local markets. These design centers are located predominantly in the United States, Germany,
Italy, Israel, the People’s Republic of China, France, and the Republic of China (Taiwan).
We also employ research and development personnel and promote programs at a number of our production facilities to develop new products and new applications of
existing products and to improve manufacturing processes and technologies. This decentralized system encourages product development at individual manufacturing facilities, closer to our customers.
Competition
We face strong competition in various product lines from both domestic and foreign manufacturers. Our primary competitors by product type include:
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MOSFETs: Infineon, ON Semiconductor, Renesas, STMicroelectronics, Toshiba.
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Diodes: Diodes Inc., Nexperia, ON Semiconductor, Rohm, STMicroelectronics.
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Optoelectronic Components: Broadcom, ON Semiconductor, Renesas, Toshiba.
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Resistors: Bourns, KOA, Murata, Panasonic, Rohm, TDK-EPCOS, Yageo.
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Inductors: Bourns, Cyntec, Murata, Panasonic, Taiyo Yuden, TDK-EPCOS, Yageo.
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Capacitors: Kyocera, Murata, Nichicon, Panasonic, Taiyo Yuden, TDK-EPCOS, Yageo.
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There are many other companies that produce products in the markets in which we compete.
Our competitive position depends on our ability to maintain a competitive advantage on the basis of product quality, know-how, proprietary data, market knowledge,
service capability, technological innovation, business reputation, and price competitiveness. Our sales and marketing programs aim to compete by offering our customers a broad range of world-class technologies and products, superior global sales
and distribution support, and a secure and multi-location source of product supply.
There has been a considerable amount of consolidation activity in the electronic component industry, some of which involved our primary competitors. We view the
industry consolidation as an opportunity for us to gain business as an independent second-source supplier.
Patents and Licenses
We have made a significant investment in securing intellectual property protection for our technology and products. We seek to protect our technology by, among other
things, filing patent applications for technology considered important to the development of our business. We also rely upon trade secrets, unpatented know-how, continuing technological innovation, and the aggressive pursuit of licensing
opportunities to help develop and maintain our competitive position.
Our ability to compete effectively with other companies depends, in part, on our ability to maintain the proprietary nature of our technology. Although we have been
awarded, have filed applications for, or have been licensed under, numerous patents in the United States and other countries, there can be no assurance concerning the degree of protection afforded by these patents or the likelihood that pending
patents will be issued.
We require all of our
technical, research and development, sales and marketing, and management employees and most consultants
and other advisors to execute confidentiality agreements upon the commencement of employment or consulting relationships with us. These agreements provide that all confidential information developed or made known to the entity or individual during
the course of the entity’s or individual’s relationship with us is to be kept confidential and not disclosed to third parties except in specific circumstances. Substantially all of our technical, research and development, sales and marketing, and
management employees have entered into agreements providing for the assignment to us of rights to inventions made by them while employed by us.
When we believe other companies are misappropriating our intellectual property rights, we vigorously enforce those rights through legal action, and we intend to
continue to do so. See Item 3, “Legal Proceedings.”
Although we have numerous United States and foreign patents covering certain of our products and manufacturing processes, no particular patent is considered
individually material to our business.
Human Capital
As a global company, we collaborate internationally and celebrate the diversity of our local cultures. Employees are encouraged to bring their unique perspectives,
help identify opportunities to collaborate, and open themselves to the career development that comes from learning from others.
As of December 31, 2022, we employed approximately
23,900 full time employees worldwide. Reflecting our global
business, our executive management team and many leadership positions are dispersed throughout the world.
Employees by location are summarized as follows:
United States
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2,300
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People’s Republic of China
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7,600
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Germany
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2,300
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Israel
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2,400
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2,000
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Czech Republic
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1,200
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India
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1,100
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Other Europe
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1,600
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Other Americas
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1,400
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Other Asia
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2,000
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Total
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23,900
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Many of our employees outside the United States are members of workers councils or unions, or otherwise subject to collective bargaining agreements. Employees at one
small U.S. facility, representing less than 1% of our U.S. workforce, are represented by a trade union. We consider our relations with our employees to be good.
Our future success is substantially dependent on our ability to attract and retain highly qualified technical and administrative personnel.
In order to prepare for the future Vishay introduced ViTal, a talent management program. Every year a diverse cross-cultural, cross-regional and cross-functional
group of young individuals is being identified to prepare for higher leadership roles.
During 2022, we began the implementation of a global human capital management system, replacing diverse local systems throughout our organization, to
manage employee data more effectively and efficiently, allowing us to make better decisions related to our people.
To identify and develop future leaders Vishay established a global Vishay Academy. Employee development programs focus on offering individual and group learning to
maintain profitable business growth while also increasing speed and agility to meet customer demand. Global training and development programs include courses in leadership development, P&L management, business finance for non-finance leaders,
distance leadership / global matrix management. A robust succession plan for the top 200 positions in the organization and levels below has also been created. A specialist career model also provides development opportunities for technical roles
in parallel to management careers.
Vishay has accelerated a global continuous improvement program to ensure increase of efficiencies and product quality through employee participation.
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Vishay continued to deliver training and development courses. To protect our employees, courses were delivered online, including
live events for all employees. Communication from executive management has played an important role to regularly inform employees and keep them engaged.
As part of our executive transition effective January 1, 2023, we have implemented certain organizational and structural changes. As part of this
effort, we have flattened the organizational structure and re-defined some leadership roles. We are pushing down decision making into the organization to empower our leaders and to facilitate timely action, and are aligning incentive
compensation to better correspond to personal and company growth and profitability initiatives.
Regulatory Compliance
We are required to comply with numerous regulations that are normal and customary to businesses in our industry and the jurisdictions in which we operate. These
regulations relate to, among other things, environmental health and safety, procurement integrity, export control, government security regulations, employment practices, accuracy of records and the recording of costs, anti-corruption, and privacy.
See Item 1A, “Risk Factors,” for additional discussion of such regulations and the potential consequences for non-compliance.
Environmental Health and Safety
We have adopted an Environmental Health and Safety Corporate Policy that commits us to achieve and maintain compliance with applicable environmental laws, to promote
proper management of hazardous materials for the safety of our employees and the protection of the environment, and to minimize the hazardous materials generated in the course of our operations. This policy is implemented with accountability
directly to the Board of Directors. In addition, our manufacturing operations are subject to various federal, state, and local laws restricting discharge of materials into the environment.
We are involved in environmental remediation programs at various sites currently or formerly owned by us and our subsidiaries both within and outside of the U.S., in
addition to involvement as a potentially responsible party (“PRP”) at Superfund sites. Certain obligations as a PRP have arisen in connection with business acquisitions. The remediation programs are on-going and the ultimate cost of site cleanup is
difficult to predict given the uncertainties regarding the extent of the required cleanup, the interpretation of applicable laws and regulations and alternative cleanup methods. See Item 3, “Legal Proceedings.”
We are not involved in any pending or threatened proceedings that would require curtailment of our operations. We continually expend funds to ensure that our
facilities comply with applicable environmental regulations. While we believe that we are in material compliance with applicable environmental laws, we cannot accurately predict future developments and do not necessarily have knowledge of all past
occurrences on sites that we currently occupy. More stringent environmental regulations may be enacted in the future, and we cannot determine the modifications, if any, in our operations that any such future regulations might require, or the cost
of compliance with such regulations. Moreover, the risk of environmental liability and remediation costs is inherent in the nature of our business and, therefore, there can be no assurance that material environmental costs, including remediation
costs, will not arise in the future.
With each acquisition, we attempt to identify potential environmental concerns and to minimize, or obtain indemnification for, the environmental matters we may be
required to address. In addition, we establish reserves for specifically identified potential environmental liabilities. We believe that the reserves we have established are adequate. Nevertheless, we have in the past and may in the future inherit
certain pre-existing environmental liabilities, generally based on successor liability doctrines. Although we have never been involved in any environmental matter that has had a material adverse impact on our overall operations, there can be no
assurance that in connection with any past or future acquisition we will not be obligated to address environmental matters that could have a material adverse impact on our operations.
Company Information and Website
We file annual, quarterly, and current reports, proxy statements, and other documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) under the Securities Exchange
Act of 1934. The SEC maintains an Internet website that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers, including us, that file electronically with the SEC. The public can obtain any documents that we
file with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov.
In addition, our company website can be found on the Internet at www.vishay.com. The website contains information about us and our operations. Copies of each of our
filings with the SEC on Form 10-K, Form 10-Q, and Form 8-K, and all amendments to those reports, can be viewed and downloaded free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after the reports and amendments are electronically filed with or
furnished to the SEC. To view the reports, access ir.vishay.com and click on “SEC Filings.”
The following corporate governance related documents are also available on our website:
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Corporate Governance Principles
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Code of Business Conduct and Ethics
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Code of Ethics for Financial Officers
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Audit Committee Charter
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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Charter
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Compensation Committee Charter
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Executive Stock Ownership Guidelines
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Director Stock Ownership Guidelines
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Hedging-Pledging Policy
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Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee Policy Regarding Qualifications of Directors
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Related Party Transactions Policy
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To view these documents, access ir.vishay.com and click on “Corporate Governance.”
Any of the above documents can also be obtained in print by any stockholder upon request to our Investor Relations Department at the following address:
Corporate Investor Relations
Vishay Intertechnology, Inc.
63 Lancaster Avenue
Malvern, PA 19355-2143