FIRSTOHM

What FIRSTOHM does

FIRSTOHM (First Resistor & Condenser CO. LTD.) is a Taipei, Taiwan-based private electronics manufacturer founded in 1969 that specializes in thin-film MELF (Metal Electrode Leadless Face) resistors. The company has operated continuously for over 56 years and serves customers across power supply manufacturing, electric vehicles, smart metering, renewable energy, telecommunications, and medical equipment. It is family-led (Lee family) and operates with 11-50 employees.

Its core technology centers on thin-film deposition and MELF resistor construction, with a catalog of 810+ products spanning anti-surge, precision, stability, high-voltage, current-sense, automotive-grade, high-power, circuit-protection, fusible, jumper, high-frequency, and carbon-film variants. Differentiated offerings include patented SWM and SWMT series products. The firm holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, AEC-Q200 (automotive), RoHS, REACH, and VDE certifications, which qualify its parts for safety-critical automotive and industrial applications.

The business model is B2B component sales with direct customer engagement via website inquiries and a 12-language website, supplemented by recurring presence at international electronics trade shows (Electronica Munich, Shanghai, and India; Autotronics Taipei). The firm has no public funding history and does not disclose revenue. Recognition includes EE Awards Asia Best Product (2024) and Gold Selection (2025) for the SWM series, Taiwan Hidden Champion designation, and a 50+ Years Excellence in Business award (2024).

Name

FIRSTOHM

Legal name

First Resistor & Condenser CO. LTD.

Website

https://firstohm.com.tw

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FIRSTOHM is a 56-year-old Taipei-based manufacturer of thin-film MELF resistors serving power supply, EV, smart meter, renewable energy, telecom, and medical equipment OEMs globally through direct B2B sales.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Passive Electronic Components (Resistors)

NAICS

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

SIC

Electronic Components, Nec (3679)

akta.pro primary industry

Passive Components (Resistors, Capacitors, Inductors, Ferrites) (IMAGAJAA)

Keywords

• Thin film resistors
• MELF resistors
• Anti-surge resistors
• Automotive grade resistors
• Wire wound resistors

Headquarters

HQ city

Taipei

HQ country

Taiwan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Electronic Component Sales: B2B manufacturer selling resistor components to industrial customers. Products include MELF resistors, SMD resistors, metal film resistors, surge resistors, wire wound resistors, precision resistors, high voltage resistors, high power resistors, and related components. Sales conducted through direct inquiry, quotation requests, and trade show interactions rather than e-commerce transactions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Firstohm designs and manufactures thin-film MELF (Metal Electrode Leadless Face) resistors and related passive components, including anti-surge, precision, stability, high voltage, automotive-grade (AEC-Q200), high power, circuit protection, fusible, current sense, high frequency, jumper, and carbon film resistor series. The company serves B2B customers in automotive (including EVs), power supply, smart meter, renewable energy, telecommunications, and medical device industries through direct sales, customized design, and international trade show channels.

Product overview

Firstohm (First Resistor & Condenser Co. Ltd.) is a specialist manufacturer focusing on MELF (Metal Electrode Leadless Face) resistors, established in 1969 in Taiwan. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of resistor products organized into major categories: Anti-Surge Resistors (including the award-winning SWM wire wound series, SWMT fast-fuse, SWMX enhanced series, and various film-based surge resistors), Precision Resistors (metal film MELF resistors MM and MMP series with tight tolerances down to ±0.1%), Stability Resistors (EFP, EFR, SFP, SM series for long-term reliability), High Voltage Resistors (HVM, HVR, MVR, ESM series), Current Sense Resistors (CSM), Automotive Grade Resistors (AEC-Q200 certified MM102, MM(V), MMP(V), SFP(V), SRM, and SWM variants), High Power Resistors (MO, PWR, WA series), Circuit Protection Resistors (C3, C3M100, IG, ISC, ISW, SLC), Fusible Resistors (FGE, FM, SCP for safety fusing), Jumper Resistors (ZMM, ZOM zero-ohm jumpers), High Frequency Resistors (HFT), and Carbon Film Resistors (CM). The company's thin-film MELF resistors are its core specialization, offering superior heat dissipation, mechanical strength for vibration and thermal shock resistance compared to flat chip resistors, with applications spanning automotive, electric vehicles, power supply, smart meters, solar inverters, energy storage, communication equipment, and medical devices.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Anti-Surge Resistors (SWM, SWMX, SWMT, SWAT, SWA, SRM, SSR, PVM, PPR, MSD, MM(P)) Resistor family engineered to absorb surge events, pulse loads, voltage spikes, and fast-fuse overcurrent conditions in SMD circuits; includes patented wire-wound SWM/SWMT/SWMX series and thin-film MM(P), SRM, SSR variants used in power supplies, EV, motor start-up, capacitor charging, and surge protective devices.
• Precision Resistors (M, MM, MMP, MP, PMA) Metal film and MELF precision resistors with tight tolerances down to ±0.1% (MMP series), available in axial and cylindrical MELF packages, for high-accuracy instrumentation, metering, and industrial applications.
• Stability Resistors (EFP, EFR, SFP, SM) Enhanced and stabilized film power MELF and fixed resistors designed for long-term resistance stability in power applications, including smart metering and automotive-grade variants.
• High Voltage Resistors (HVM, HVR, MVR, ESM) High voltage and medium voltage MELF/fixed resistors plus ESD surge absorbers, designed for high voltage applications including PV inverter pre-charge and 800V HVDC bleeder circuits.
• Current Sense MELF Resistor (CSM) MELF-format current sense resistor for current measurement and sampling in power electronics and battery management circuits.
• Automotive Grade Resistors (MM102, MM(V), MMP(V), SFP(V), SRM, SWM) AEC-Q200 qualified thin-film MELF resistor line covering metal film, precision, stabilized film power, surge resistant, and anti-surge wire wound variants for automotive and EV applications including battery management, IGBT gate drivers, and load dump protection.
• High Power Resistors (MO, PWR, WA) Metal oxide film fixed, power metal film, and wire wound resistors for higher power applications requiring robust thermal handling.
• Circuit Protection Resistors (C3, C3M100, IG, ISC, ISW, SLC) Composite film ceramic composition resistors (through-hole and MELF), ignition fixed resistors, ignition noise suppression resistors (ceramic film composite and wire wound), and slug resistors for circuit and ignition protection.
• Fusible Resistors (FGE, FM, SCP) Fusible fixed and MELF resistors plus short circuit protection resistors providing overcurrent fusing functionality in safety applications.
• Jumper Resistors (ZMM, ZOM) Zero-ohm metal film MELF (ZMM) and zero-ohm metal film (ZOM) jumper resistors for PCB jumper applications in SMD and through-hole formats.
• High Frequency Resistor (HFT) High frequency resistor designed for RF and high-frequency electronic applications.
• Carbon Film MELF Resistor (CM) Carbon film MELF resistor for cost-effective general-purpose electronic applications.

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• EmersonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmerson collaborated with Firstohm on designing the exhibition stand for Electronica Shanghai. The partnership appears to be a booth design and exhibition coordination arrangement rather than a product or technology partnership.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• KOA Speer Electronics: Specialist manufacturer of thick-film and thin-film resistors, including MELF-style and anti-surge products serving automotive, industrial, and telecommunications markets. KOA Speer's portfolio overlaps substantially with Firstohm's resistor categories and customer segments.
• Ohmite Manufacturing: Specialist manufacturer of resistive products including wirewound, thick-film, and high-power resistors serving industrial, medical, and automotive markets. Ohmite's specialty positioning and product mix make it a relevant comparable for Firstohm's high-power and surge-resistant offerings.
• Stackpole Electronics: US-based specialist resistor manufacturer offering thick-film, thin-film, wirewound, and current-sense resistors with strong automotive and industrial focus. Stackpole's product breadth and customer segments overlap closely with Firstohm's catalog and applications.
• Susumu Co., Ltd. Japan-based specialist in thin-film resistors, including MELF, chip, and high-precision resistor products serving automotive, industrial, and measurement applications. Susumu is one of the closest direct niche peers to Firstohm in thin-film MELF specialization.

Broad incumbents

• Yageo Corporation: Taiwan-based global leader in passive components (resistors, capacitors, inductors, circuit protection) with massive scale and broad catalog. As a fellow Taiwanese resistor manufacturer with extensive MELF and chip resistor lines, Yageo is a direct head-to-head competitor for many of Firstohm's customers.
• Bourns, Inc. Global manufacturer of resistive products, circuit protection, and magnetics with significant presence in automotive and industrial markets. Bourns offers comparable resistor product lines (including surge-resistant and fusible types) and competes for similar design-in opportunities.
• Vishay Intertechnology: One of the world's largest manufacturers of discrete semiconductors and passive components, including a comprehensive portfolio of thin-film, thick-film, and wirewound resistors. Vishay competes with Firstohm across automotive, industrial, and telecom end-markets and is referenced by Firstohm as a comparable benchmark (e.g., SWMT comparable to VISHAY wirewound).
• TE Connectivity (Resistor Products): Global connectivity and sensor giant with a passive components portfolio that includes precision and power resistors for automotive, industrial, and aerospace applications. TE's scale and broad customer footprint make it a competitor for high-reliability resistor design-ins.
• ROHM Semiconductor: Japanese semiconductor and passive component manufacturer with a resistor portfolio including chip and MELF-style devices. ROHM competes in automotive and industrial markets and serves as a comprehensive component source for many of the same customers as Firstohm.
• Panasonic Industry (Passive Components): Division of Panasonic offering an extensive passive component portfolio including thin-film, thick-film, and MELF resistors for automotive and industrial applications. Competes with Firstohm across multiple end-markets as part of a much broader electronic components business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 FIRSTOHM