Flex: Transforming for a new era of technology innovation

From the family room to the board room

Founded in 1969 by Joe and Barbara-Ann McKenzie in Silicon Valley, Flextronics began as a family business making circuit boards. By automating construction, they provided faster, more reliable solutions. The company evolved into a contract manufacturer, adding materials procurement and design to enhance quality, volume production, and cost efficiency.

Expanding across the value chain — and the world

By 1981, Flextronics became one of the first U.S. service manufacturers to offshore, opening a facility in Singapore with high employment standards that attracted talent. The company experienced significant growth by introducing vertical integration to optimize the supply chain and expanding globally, positioning suppliers closer to manufacturing sites.

A shift in the manufacturing industry

During this period, a growing trend drove manufacturers to acquire the manufacturing facilities of original equipment manufacturers in the computer and telecoms sectors, leading to increased acquisitions for the company.

Flextronics’ corporate ownership shifts from public to private as markets faced the downturns of the late 80s and early 90s.

Rigorous quality standards and speed-to-market

In 1994, Flextronics went public on Nasdaq. By mid-1998, the company had 2.6 million square feet across 26 global locations and was attracting major clients in the Information and Communications Technology sector through its quality standards and efficient product launch capabilities.

Doubling global footprint through Dii Group acquisition

Through the 1999 acquisition of The Dii Group, Flextronics expanded by 2.9 million square feet and added 22 new locations globally, including facilities in Ireland, Germany, and the Czech Republic. Additionally, it enhanced its PC board assembly capacity in China, Malaysia, Mexico, Austria, and the U.S. The acquisition also strengthened the company’s U.S. manufacturing and design capabilities.

Establishing as diversified EMS leader and again, doubles global footprint through Solectron acquisition

In 2007, Flextronics purchased long-time competitor Solectron for $3.6 billion. The bold move put the company at the top of the U.S. market, expanding its global footprint to roughly 24.2 million square feet globally and broadening its domain expertise in computing and telecom.

Establishing the Flex main brand

In 2015, the company established Flex as its main brand — the name it is known by today. The change highlighted the company’s expanded capabilities beyond electronics manufacturing, signaling a shift from being primarily an EMS (Electronic Manufacturing Services) and supply chain solutions provider to a company focused on designing, building, and managing intelligent products for a connected world.

Moving beyond EMS

In 2017, Flex acquired the Power Modules business from Ericsson as the company’s initial investment in the power technology, expanding its offerings to the cloud and telecom data center markets.

Celebrating 50 years and welcoming a CEO to usher in a new era

In 2019, Flex appointed Revathi Advaithi as CEO, ushering in a new era for the company while celebrating five decades of manufacturing leadership. With her extensive leadership acumen and comprehensive expertise in engineering, manufacturing, and advanced supply chain management, Revathi embodied the vision that Flex needed to drive its future growth. Her two decades of experience in the power management sector further solidified her position as the ideal leader to guide the company toward continued success and innovation.

Establishing a comprehensive data center power and compute portfolio

From 2021 to 2025, Flex acquired Anord Mardix, expert in critical power solutions; Crown Technical Systems, known for its integrated power distribution and protection systems; and JetCool Technologies, maker of innovative liquid cooling products. These acquisitions and the 2017 acquisition of Power Modules enhanced the company’s leadership and established a comprehensive and differentiated data center power and compute portfolio in the industry. Flex is the advanced, end-to-end manufacturing partner of choice that helps a diverse customer base design, build, deliver and manage innovative products that improve the world. Learn more about us.