Sensata, a global industrial technology company, engages in the development,
manufacture, and sale of sensors and controls. We produce a wide range of sensors
and controls for applications such as thermal circuit breakers in aircraft,
pressure sensors in automotive systems, and bimetal current and temperature
control devices in electric motors.
Our sensors are customized devices that translate a physical phenomenon, such
as pressure or position, into electronic signals that microprocessors or computer-based
control systems can act upon. Our controls are customized devices embedded within
systems to protect them from excessive heat or current. Underlying these sensors
and controls are core technology platforms—thermal and magnetic-hydraulic
circuit protection, micro electromechanical systems, ceramic capacitance, and
monosilicon strain gage—that we leverage across multiple products and
applications, enabling us to optimize our research, development, and engineering
investments and achieve economies of scale.
We are a leading provider of bimetal electromechanical controls, thermal and
magnetic-hydraulic circuit breakers, power conversion and control products,
industrial sensors, and interconnection products. We market and manufacture
a broad portfolio of application-specific products, including motor and compressor
protectors, circuit breakers, pressure sensors and switches, temperature sensors
and switches/thermostats, linear and rotary position sensors, semiconductor
burn-in test sockets, solid state relays, and power inverters. Our control products
are sold into industrial, aerospace, military, commercial, medical device, and
residential end-markets. We derive most of our Sensing Solutions business revenue
from products that prevent damage from excess heat or current in a variety of
applications within these end-markets, such as internal and external motor and
compressor protectors, circuit protection, motor starters, thermostats, switches,
semiconductor testing, and light industrial systems. Our industrial sensors,
including pressure sensors, temperature sensors, and linear and rotary position
sensors, provide real time information about the state of a specific system
or subsystem, so control adjustments can be made to optimize system performance.
We believe that we are one of the largest suppliers of controls in the majority
of the key applications in which we compete.
Sensors are customized devices that translate a physical phenomenon, such as
pressure or position, into electronic signals that microprocessors or computer-based
control systems can act upon. The market is characterized by a broad range of
products and applications across a diverse set of end-markets. We believe large
OEMs and other multinational companies are increasingly demanding a global presence
to supply sensors for their key global platforms.
Automotive and HVOR sensors are included in the Performance Sensing business
results, while industrial sensors are included in the Sensing Solutions business
results. Refer to the Sensing Solutions Business Markets section for discussion
of industrial sensors.
Automotive and HVOR Sensors
Revenue growth from the global automotive and HVOR sensor end-markets, which
include applications in powertrain, tire, air conditioning, and chassis control,
is driven, we believe, by three principal trends. First, global automotive vehicle
unit sales have demonstrated moderate but consistent annual growth since the
global recession in 2008 and 2009 and are expected to continue to increase over
the long-term due to population growth and increased usage of cars in emerging
markets. Second, the number of sensors used per vehicle has expanded, driven
by a combination of factors including government regulation of safety, emissions,
and greater fuel efficiency, consumer demand for new applications, and productivity
for HVOR applications. For example, governments have mandated sensor-intensive
technologies in Europe for TPMS. Finally, revenue growth has been augmented
by a continuing shift away from legacy electromechanical products towards higher-value
electronic solid-state sensors.
We are a leading provider of bimetal electromechanical controls, thermal and
magnetic-hydraulic circuit breakers, power conversion and control products,
industrial sensors, and interconnection products. We market and manufacture
a broad portfolio of application-specific products, including motor and compressor
protectors, circuit breakers, pressure sensors and switches, temperature sensors
and switches/thermostats, linear and rotary position sensors, semiconductor
burn-in test sockets, solid state relays, and power inverters. Our control products
are sold into industrial, aerospace, military, commercial, medical device, and
residential end-markets. We derive most of our Sensing Solutions business revenue
from products that prevent damage from excess heat or current in a variety of
applications within these end-markets, such as internal and external motor and
compressor protectors, circuit protection, motor starters, thermostats, switches,
semiconductor testing, and light industrial systems. Our industrial sensors,
including pressure sensors, temperature sensors, and linear and rotary position
sensors, provide real time information about the state of a specific system
or subsystem, so control adjustments can be made to optimize system performance.
Sensing Solutions products include controls, which are customized devices that
protect equipment and electrical architecture from excessive heat or current,
and sensors, which measure specific fluid based system parameters, including
pressure and temperature. Our products help our customers systems run safely
and in an energy efficient and environmentally friendly manner. Our product
lines encompass bimetal electromechanical controls, thermal and magnetic-hydraulic
circuit breakers, power conversion and control products, interconnection products,
and industrial sensors, each of which serves a highly diversified base of customers,
end-markets, applications, and geographies.
Bimetal Electromechanical Controls
Bimetal electromechanical controls include motor protectors, motor starters,
thermostats, and switches, each of which helps prevent damage from excessive
heat or current. Our bimetal electromechanical controls business serves a diverse
group of end-markets, including commercial and residential HVAC systems, lighting,
refrigeration, industrial motors, household appliances, and commercial and military
aircraft. In developed markets such as the U.S., Europe, and Japan, the demand
for many of these products, and their respective applications, tends to track
to the general economic environment. In emerging markets, a growing middle class
and rapid overall industrialization is creating growth for our control products
in electric motors, consumer conveniences such as appliances and HVAC, and communication
infrastructure.
Thermal and Magnetic-Hydraulic Circuit Breakers
Our circuit breaker portfolio includes customized magnetic-hydraulic circuit
breakers and thermal circuit breakers, which help prevent damage from electrical
or thermal overload. Our magnetic-hydraulic circuit breaker business serves
a broad spectrum of OEMs and other multinational companies in the telecommunication,
industrial, recreational vehicle, HVAC, refrigeration, marine, medical, information
processing, electronic power supply, power generation, over-the-road trucking,
construction, agricultural, and alternative energy markets. We provide thermal
circuit breakers to the commercial and military aircraft markets. Demand for
these products tends to pace the general economic environment.
Power Conversion and Control
Power conversion and control products include power inverters, and with the
acquisition of CST, solid state relays.
Our power inverter products allow an electronic circuit to convert direct current
("DC") power to alternating current ("AC") power. Power
inverters are used mainly in applications where DC power, such as that stored
in a battery, must be converted for use in an electrical device that runs on
AC power. Specific applications for power inverters include powering applications
in utility/service trucks or recreational vehicles and providing power backup
for critical applications such as traffic light signals and key business/computer
systems. Demand for these products is driven by economic development, the need
to meet new energy efficiency standards, and a growing interest in clean energy
to replace generators, which increases demand for both portable and stationary
power.
Industrial Sensors
Industrial sensors employ similar technology to automotive sensors discussed
in the Performance Sensing Business section above, but often require greater
customization in terms of packaging, calibration, and electrical output. Commercial
and industrial applications in which our industrial sensors have historically
been widely used include: multiple HVAC and refrigeration systems, where refrigerant,
water, or air is the sensed fluid media used to optimize performance of the
heating and cooling application; discrete industrial equipment applications
that have a fluid-based subsystem (e.g., air compressors and hydraulic machinery
such as molding and metal machining); and applications such as pumps and storage
tanks, where measurement of pressure and temperature is required for optimum
performance.
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