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In 2001, electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers began winning a larger role in fiber-optic equipment production by investing in optical facilities, engineering and testing capabilities. Networking companies that once kept this specialized work in-house were more willing to outsource it, often starting with prototypes or limited regional assignments before expanding a supplier’s remit.
Why EMS providers moved into fiber optics
Two forces converged: networking OEMs were under pressure to cut costs during a weak U.S. economy, and EMS companies were building the technical capabilities needed to take on more than routine circuit-board assembly. Dedicated optical facilities, optronics laboratories and optical competency centers helped persuade OEMs that outside manufacturers could handle specialized products.
The change also raised the value of the work. Rather than only placing components on boards, EMS providers pursued optical-component assembly, module production, testing, optical-electronic integration and systems work. As Michael Schneider, an analyst at Robert W. Baird & Co., put it in the 2001 report, optical components and modules were “ripe for outsourcing.”
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How OEMs tested outsourced manufacturing
Trust was not automatic. Celestica senior vice president and chief technology officer Dan Shea said OEMs needed to gain confidence in EMS companies. A common approach was to begin with a prototype or a regional assignment, evaluate the provider’s engineering and production performance, and then consider a broader transfer.
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That progression made qualification and operational readiness central to the relationship. Providers needed to demonstrate that they could manufacture and test optical equipment consistently, support customer requirements, and scale when a limited engagement became volume production. The 2001 report described OEMs asking specifically about providers’ optical-assembly competency.
What the providers were doing
| Provider | Optical-market activity reported in 2001 |
|---|---|
| Solectron | Acquired manufacturing assets from Cisco’s Columbia, South Carolina optical-module and subassembly operation. A two-year contract covered production and testing of Cisco dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM) equipment. |
| Celestica | Reported 20 fiber-optics customers and expected to serve as many as 30 the following year. JDS Uniphase also selected Celestica to manufacture optical amplifiers. |
| Plexus | Entered a strategic design partnership with Applied Micro Circuits for high-speed optical-network interface chips. |
| Manufacturers’ Services | Operated optical sites in Chicago, Arden Hills, Valencia and Salt Lake City, and established an optronics lab for optical-component manufacturing, testing and board-level assembly. |
| Flextronics | Acquired Wave Optics and Fico Fiber Optics for $100 million to help form a photonics business. |
| SMTC | Acquired Qualtron Teoranta to strengthen its optical-networking capability. |
These examples show different routes into the market: contract manufacturing, design collaboration, laboratory investment and acquisitions. Thomas Weisel Partners analyst Jim Savage described the opportunity as involving multiple approaches, including component assembly and systems.
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What Cisco transferred—and what it kept
Cisco’s agreement with Solectron illustrates that outsourcing could be selective rather than all-or-nothing. Cisco sold Solectron the manufacturing assets at its Columbia, South Carolina operation, which made optical modules and subassemblies. Solectron’s two-year contract covered production and testing of Cisco DWDM equipment.
Cisco retained its optical test and assembly plant in Salem, New Hampshire. A company spokeswoman said the Salem optical capabilities would remain within Cisco as part of its virtual-manufacturing strategy. The arrangement therefore moved a defined production operation and its associated contract to an EMS provider while preserving other optical work in-house.
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How large the opportunity looked in 2001
The market figures cited at the time were forecasts and estimates, not measures of present-day market size. AMR Research analyst David Cahn put the optical-networking market at $20 billion and estimated that EMS providers had 20% penetration, equivalent to $4 billion in EMS revenue. He also cited an expectation of $28 billion in optical-networking revenue with 20% outsourced, and forecast a $34 billion market in 2002 with 25% EMS penetration, or $8.5 billion in EMS revenue. These figures reflect the article’s 2001-era estimates and should not be read as current market statistics.
What current evidence does—and does not—show
Diodes Incorporated’s 2024 annual report lists fiber optics among communications applications, which accounted for 14% of the company’s 2024 product revenue. It also reports that direct sales and EMS customers together represented 37% of net sales. The filing notes that customers may require lengthy qualification and audits.
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Those disclosures show that fiber optics remains a relevant application and that EMS customers remain part of a semiconductor supplier’s sales channels. They do not establish a current global EMS share of fiber-optic manufacturing, nor do they update the 2001 market forecasts.
Did EMS firms do more than board assembly?
Yes. The 2001 examples encompass design work, optical-component and module assembly, manufacturing, testing, and broader systems capabilities. Dedicated labs and optical sites were part of the effort to meet OEM expectations; the strategic aim was to move into more technically demanding work rather than remain limited to board stuffing.
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