Arrow adds AirBorn to strengthen aerospace foothold; growth tied to inventory normalization

Arrow Electronics has expanded its IP&E components portfolio in North America and EMEA by adding AirBorn, a Molex company. The move deepens an existing collaboration with Molex and underpins Molex’s new aerospace and defense division, leveraging AirBorn’s advanced connectors and assemblies for high-spec applications. Strategically, the addition modestly increases Arrow’s exposure to aerospace and defense markets and complements its push into value-added integration and higher-margin services. A recent partnership with a virtualization vendor targeting cost and downtime reductions aligns with this services-focused strategy and can help unlock operating leverage as demand recovers. However, the change is incremental rather than transformative. Near-term performance still hinges on broader end-market dynamics: inventory destocking, customer purchasing patterns, and the pace of normalization across industrial and transportation sectors. Company guidance to 2028 targets roughly $35.2 billion in revenue and $734.1 million in earnings, implying about 7.3% annual revenue growth and an earnings uplift of roughly $267 million from current levels — assumptions that depend on demand recovery and margin stabilization. For investors and industry observers, the AirBorn addition strengthens product capability in aerospace but does not eliminate macro-driven revenue and margin risks.