What International Manufacturing Services does

International Manufacturing Services (IMS) is a privately held specialty passive electronic component manufacturer founded in 1974 and headquartered in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. The company designs, develops, and manufactures thick and thin film chip resistors, fixed and variable attenuators, thermal management devices, broadband power splitters, resistive couplers, and planar dividers, serving customers in defense, aerospace, medical, communications/telecom, and instrumentation industries.

IMS's technology stack centers on proprietary thick and thin film processes using ceramic substrates — Aluminum Nitride (AlN) for high-thermal-conductivity applications and Alumina (Al2O3) for general-purpose use. The product range spans resistance values from under 1 ohm to over 1 Trillion ohms, operating frequencies up to 40GHz, and power ratings up to 640W. Differentiated technologies include the trademarked ThermaBridge™ and ThermaPlane™ thermal management devices (6KV dielectric withstand), Ultra Leach Resistant (ULR) non-magnetic metallization for MRI and cryogenic use (withstands 720+ seconds in 60% Sn solder at 260°C), SZG power terminations combining high frequency response to 6.65GHz with 200W power handling, and first-to-market Teraohm chip resistors up to 1TΩ.

IMS operates a hardware-sales business model on a quote-based pricing structure with minimum order quantities of 100 pieces (1,000 for tape and reel packaging). Go-to-market combines direct sales through the company website, a global network of independent sales representative firms covering North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and the Middle East, and regional distributors including IMCA in Turkey and Equipements Scientifique in France. The company holds AS9100D and ISO 9001:2015 certifications qualifying it for aerospace and defense supply chains, and maintains a core technology partnership with Modelithics for EDA simulation model development across Keysight ADS, NI AWR, ANSYS HFSS, Cadence Spectre RF, and Sonnet Suites. Robert G. Behlman serves as Chief Executive Officer.

Name

International Manufacturing Services

Legal name

International Manufacturing Services, Inc.

Website

https://ims-resistors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

International Manufacturing Services is a privately held, 50-year-old specialty passive electronic component manufacturer (chip resistors, attenuators, thermal management, RF/microwave devices) based in Portsmouth, Rhode Island, serving defense, aerospace, medical, communications, and instrumentation customers globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Passive Electronic Components

NAICS

Capacitor, Resistor, Coil, Transformer, and Other Inductor Manufacturing (334416)

SIC

Electronic & Other Electrical Equipment (No Computer Equip) (3600)

akta.pro primary industry

EMI/EMC & Filtering Components (Common-mode chokes, filters, shielding materials) (IMAGAJAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Power Management & Power ICs (HDAHAAAE), Embedded & Compute Modules (SoMs, COM Express/SMARC, industrial SBC modules) (IMAGAJAK)

Keywords

• Passive electronic components
• Thick film chip resistors
• Thin film resistors
• RF microwave attenuators
• Thermal management devices

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Passive Electronic Components Sales: Manufacturing and sale of thick and thin film chip resistors, terminations, attenuators, couplers, thermal management devices (ThermaBridge, ThermaPlane), planar dividers, and planar filters. Products sold in various sizes (0402 to 6227) with ranges from under 1 ohm to over 1 Trillion Ohms.
2. Custom Component Design: Custom design and manufacturing services for customer-specific passive electronic component requirements, including EM modeling, S-Parameter requests, and product selection assistance.
3. Engineering Kits and Samples: Sale of engineering kits and sample quantities for prototype and development purposes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

International Manufacturing Services (IMS) designs, develops, manufactures, and sells thick and thin film passive electronic components including chip resistors, fixed and variable attenuators, thermal management devices (ThermaBridge™ and ThermaPlane™), broadband power splitters, resistive couplers, and planar dividers. Products serve aerospace, defense, medical, communications, and instrumentation applications with values ranging from under 1 ohm to over 1 Trillion Ohms, operating frequencies up to 40GHz, power ratings up to 640W, and voltage ratings up to 3kV continuous. The company offers custom design capabilities, engineering kits, samples, and S-parameter/EM modeling support for customer-specific requirements.

Product overview

International Manufacturing Services (IMS) is a passive electronic component manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of thick and thin film chip resistors, attenuators, thermal management devices, and RF microwave components. The product line includes: Wraparound Thick Film resistors (RCX, RXI, HCX series), Wraparound Thin Film resistors (LCI, TPI series), Wraparound Metal Foil resistors (MLI series), Single Sided Thick Film resistors (IMS Series, IMS Power Series), Power Chip resistors (N-Series with AlN substrate up to 640W, Super RCX Series), and Advanced Chip resistors (RCX PW, TFI, HVI series for high voltage to 3kV). The attenuator portfolio spans Fixed Attenuators (A-Series thin film to 40GHz, V-Series power attenuators, IAX/IMA series) and Variable Attenuators (AV-0805, AV-0607). Thermal management products include ThermaBridge™ and ThermaPlane™ using Aluminum Nitride ceramic for electrically isolated heat transfer. RF components include IPS/IPT broadband power splitters, IMK Series resistive couplers, and planar dividers. Notable innovations include Teraohm chip resistors, first-to-market AlN components, Ultra Leach Resistant (ULR) non-magnetic terminations, and SZG power terminations for high frequency applications up to 6.65GHz with 200W power handling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ThermaBridge™: Specialty thick film component for thermal management of electronic devices, providing electrical isolation while conducting heat between components
• ThermaPlane™

Products and services

• RCX Series Resistors

Quantifiable outcome

• ULR metallization withstands 720+ seconds in 60% Sn solder at 260°C, compared to 35 seconds for standard PtAg materials
• +2 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered regional and core.

• IMCA (Istanbul Chamber of Commerce - Defense and Aerospace Cluster)regionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 May 2024Turkish distributor and organizer of SAHA Expo, Turkey's leading international defense and aerospace exhibition. SAHA Istanbul is the biggest defense and aerospace cluster in Turkey and Europe with over 1,000 member organizations including 26 universities.
• Equipements ScientifiqueregionalChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 22 May 2024French distributor representing IMS at European Microwave Week 2024 in Paris. European Microwave Week is the largest RF and microwave trade show in Europe.
• Modelithics (Expansion)coreTechnology or Integration · 14 March 2023Expanded 6-year collaboration commitment (2023-2029) continuing development of simulation models for additional IMS device families. IMS renewed Sponsoring MVP status. J.J. Silvia III stated: 'High tech customers design with high tech tools that are supported by Modelithics' software.'
• ModelithicscoreTechnology or Integration · 30 April 2018Six-year collaboration (2018-2024) for development of simulation models for IMS resistor and attenuator families. IMS is a Sponsoring Modelithics Vendor Partner (MVP), sponsoring free 90-day trials of all available Modelithics models for IMS components. Models developed for EDA tools including Keysight ADS, NI AWR, ANSYS HFSS, Sonnet Suites, and Cadence Spectre RF. Collaboration extended for additional 6 years in March 2023.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Stackpole Electronics: Specialized resistor manufacturer offering thick film chip resistors, thin film resistors, and power resistors in overlapping case sizes (0402 to 2512+) with comparable resistance ranges—a direct competitive overlap with IMS's RCX, HVI, and N-Series product lines.
• Ohmite Manufacturing: Long-established manufacturer of resistive products including chip resistors, power resistors, and attenuators serving industrial, military, and aerospace markets—overlapping IMS's high-power, high-reliability passive component positioning.
• TT Electronics: Global manufacturer of electronic components including precision thick and thin film resistors, chip attenuators, and thermal management devices serving aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial markets—a near-direct comparator to IMS in target verticals and product categories.
• Vishay Intertechnology: One of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors and passive components, including a broad portfolio of thick and thin film chip resistors, attenuators, and thermal management solutions serving the same aerospace, defense, medical, and communications customers as IMS.
• Caddock Electronics: Niche US manufacturer of high-precision, high-voltage, and high-power resistors (including non-magnetic variants) targeting medical, military, and industrial instrumentation—a focused specialty competitor mirroring IMS's high-voltage (HVI) and precision positioning.
• Bourns: Manufacturer of resistive products, circuit protection, and magnetics, including chip resistors and trimming potentiometers serving automotive, industrial, and communications end markets—directly overlapping IMS's passive component portfolio.
• KOA Speer Electronics: Major passive component manufacturer producing thick and thin film chip resistors, current sense resistors, and attenuators across a similar resistance range and case size spectrum, with deep presence in automotive, industrial, and telecom—the closest direct head-to-head competitor to IMS.
• Riedon: Manufacturer of precision resistors, current shunts, and thick film chip products serving industrial, medical, and aerospace customers—a small specialty competitor with comparable custom and high-reliability passive component capabilities.
• Susumu: Specialized Japanese manufacturer of thin film chip resistors and high-frequency attenuators, particularly known for precision and high-frequency performance—a direct technology competitor to IMS's thin film (LCI, TPI) and A-Series attenuator lines.

Broad incumbents

• Yageo: One of the world's largest passive component manufacturers (resistors, capacitors, inductors) with a broad portfolio spanning commodity through specialty tiers—competes with IMS in standard chip resistors and attenuators while serving similar end markets at much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Manufacturing Services