In an industry where businesses often sit at opposite ends of the spectrum – either specialised suppliers or massive, standardised multinationals – 2Connect and Components Express (CEI) are creating something different. Together, they are forging a mid-sized powerhouse that blends agility and engineering precision with global reach and operational resilience. Their story isn’t just one of growth, but of intentional transformation rooted in shared values, trust, and a commitment to long-term innovation.
For Clayton Webber, the journey began five years ago when he stepped into the role of Chief Operating Officer, and eventually President/General Manager at CEI. The US manufacturer and total solution provider for demanding connectivity, enclosure and mounting technology in the vision and industrial automation ecosystem was, of course, known for its technical capabilities, long-serving team, and entrepreneurial culture, but, while the company had built a reputation for excellence, it faced limits to its scalability.
“This was a company built on integrity, with a team that had clearly been invested in for the long-haul,” says Webber. “The average employee tenure was – and is – more than 15 years. During the pandemic, they didn’t lay anyone off. That told me a lot about what mattered here.”
Founded in 1992 by John and Ray Berst, CEI had matured into a respected US manufacturer of cables, enclosures, and mounting technology. Yet, it faced a crossroads: demand was increasing – particularly in Europe, which already accounted for 25% of business – and its US-centric operations were struggling to keep pace.
“We had a strong foundation and a high-performance team,” says Webber. “But we were capacity-constrained and geographically limited. We couldn’t serve Europe the way we needed to, especially with long lead times, time-zone challenges, and the environmental impact of shipping heavy materials, such as copper, overseas.”
A strategic fit, not just a financial one
CEI explored various options to address these scaling challenges – but Webber and the leadership team were determined to secure more than just a capital injection. “There were investors who were interested,” Webber recalls. “But it was clear to us early on: we weren’t looking for a transaction. We were looking for a transformation – one that respected who we were, and who could help us become who we wanted to be.”
That transformation began taking shape when conversations started with 2Connect, a Netherlands-based company that has been led by CEO Mark van den Heuvel since 2022. Like CEI, 2Connect had grown from entrepreneurial roots into a strategic global player, offering high-mix, low- to mid-volume custom cable assemblies for industrial, medical, semi-conductor, heavy duty vehicles, defense and robotic applications.
What followed was less a negotiation and more a courtship. The leadership teams met frequently, toured each other’s facilities, and held candid conversations about culture, values, and vision. “It was clear from the beginning that this wasn’t just about synergies – it was about shared DNA,” says Webber.
Van den Heuvel agrees: “When we walked CEI’s floor and met the people, we just knew… There was engineering talent, craftsmanship, and humility. It felt like family.”
Integration with integrity
The acquisition was finalised in 2023, but CEI’s cultural transformation had already begun. Despite the inevitable apprehension among long-serving staff, Webber made communication the cornerstone of the transition. “We were incredibly transparent,” he says. “We told people what was happening, why it was happening, and what it meant for them. Most importantly, we showed them that nothing about our core values was going to change.”
That clarity paid off: not a single employee left as a result of the acquisition, which is, of course, a rare outcome in mergers and acquisitions. “It is a huge point of pride for us,” Webber says. “And a testament to how well the teams meshed.”
The post-acquisition phase wasn’t about imposing systems, but integrating capabilities. CEI began manufacturing 2Connect’s products in the U.S., while production for CEI’s European customers ramped up at 2Connect’s facilities in Romania and the Netherlands. With production now closer to customers, lead times shrank, shipping costs dropped, and service quality improved.
“Our model is: ‘in the region, for the region’,” says Webber. “We don’t believe in centralising everything in one place. If a customer wants project management locally, that’s how we’ll do it – regardless of where the product is ultimately made.”
At 2Connect, van den Heuvel has formalised values that came naturally across the group: Customer Driven, Connect with Care, Grow and Learn, and Take Ownership. Notably, all of the four companies that have now been acquired by 2Connect were family-owned, which has helped strengthen this shared DNA of integrity and long-term thinking.
“For me, for example, ‘Connect with Care’ means creating a safe environment where people are challenged to grow, but supported if they stumble,” van den Heuvel says. “That’s how you build a team that can adapt and thrive.”
One of the key drivers of CEI’s success has always been its engineering culture. The company is a high-mix, low-volume specialist, with a heavy emphasis on custom solutions and early-stage design support. “Increasingly, we’re not really a catalogue company,” Webber explains. “We work closely with our customers’ engineers to create purpose-built assemblies that meet very specific environmental and performance standards.”
CEI continues to invest in its R&D division, which is actively contributing to industry standards such as USB Vision and CoaXPress (CXP). Its product roadmap includes longer-distance USB-C and high-flex coax cables designed for vision use and even higher speed future protocols – which offer far beyond what off-the-shelf consumer options can deliver.
“We serve customers in medical, defense, aerospace, robotics, and telecom,” Webber says. “These aren’t industries where you can cut corners. Every cable is tested for signal integrity, shielding, and durability under real-world conditions. We assume all applications are mission critical.”
A model for purpose-driven scale
Together, 2Connect and CEI now employ more than 600 people worldwide, with about 50 based at CEI’s headquarters and manufacturing facility in Woodridge, Illinois. While the company’s product mix is still about 70% standards-compliant assemblies and 30% custom designs, the custom side is growing fast – driven by demand for more integrated and application-specific solutions.
To support continued growth, the company has expanded manufacturing capacity, including the ability to set up dedicated assembly lines for strategic, high-volume customers. But Webber is quick to point out that CEI’s success isn’t just about throughput. It’s about thinking ahead.
“We often tell customers: bring us in early,” he says. “Interconnection solutions such as cables and connectors are usually one of the last things considered in system design. But if you think about connectivity from the start, you can save money, avoid headaches, and build something that performs better in the field.
“Cables are often an afterthought. But if we’re brought in early, we can influence performance, reliability, and cost in ways that surprise people.”
Van den Heuvel agrees. “We’re not just here to sell parts. We’re here to co-develop roadmaps. We want to understand your five-year vision and help make it possible.”
One brand, one team
As the integration matures, 2Connect is now moving toward a unified brand across all of its entities, with one website, one visual identity, and one customer experience – regardless of geography. This is supported by a dual operating model. Local entities remain focused on efficient production, while global business lines, such as vision systems or medical applications, manage strategy and customer engagement across regions. It’s a structure that combines the best of both worlds: local focus and global alignment.
Van den Heuvel emphasises that group growth isn’t the only metric. “We’re not expanding just for the sake of it,” he says. “We want sustainable partnerships, where we co-develop roadmaps and help our customers think three or five years ahead.”
“We don’t go into a region just because the sun is shining,” he says. “We go where we see real, sustainable opportunities – usually alongside a customer who’s growing with us.”
That sentiment is echoed by Webber: “This isn’t about getting bigger. It’s about getting better. Better systems, better teams, better service.”
Nearly two years into the partnership, the results speak for themselves: faster lead times, deeper technical collaboration, greater geographic reach, and a team that’s as engaged as ever. For Webber, the journey has been both personal and professional. “I’ve always believed that the best companies don’t just build great products – they build great people,” he says. “What we’ve done here is prove that you can scale without losing your soul.”
Two years into their partnership, 2Connect and CEI are not just scaling – you could say they’re scaling with soul. The result is an international connectivity powerhouse that’s as focused on relationships as it is on results. “We’re small enough to care, and strong enough to deliver,” van den Heuvel says. Webber echoes that sentiment: “We’re not just growing bigger – we’re growing better.”
