As seen in Forbes & Fortune
Velocity. Agility. Capacity.
From custom silicon chips to classified programs, Spirit Electronics delivers high-reliability solutions for aerospace, defense, and new space innovators.
In the Spirit Electronics’ Phoenix headquarters, a nearly finished jigsaw puzzle sits on a table. Surrounding it are engineers pausing between meetings, shifting pieces into place while debating wafer yields, board redesigns, or satellite payload requirements. On the walls, more than 20 completed puzzles are framed, because at Spirit Electronics solving puzzles is a way of thinking.
Since 2017, owner and CEO Marti McCurdy, a U.S. Air Force veteran, has shaped the company from its origins as a passive distribution company into a mission-critical electronics and manufacturing partner serving the aerospace and defense sectors. The reason for this shift? As she puts it, “The industry doesn’t need another distributor. It needs a partner that can solve what others can’t.”
One way Spirit Electronics solves pain points is through its supplier relationships. As aerospace and defense companies adopt AI-driven systems, many are moving beyond catalog components and designing application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs)—custom chips built for a specific mission—to gain greater control over performance and supply chains. Through its unique foundry services with Texas Instruments (TI), Spirit Electronics guides those designs from concept through fabrication and integration into finished systems.
“Historically, TI foundry provides silicon primarily for its own products,” says McCurdy. “Now aerospace and defense companies finally have a pathway to fabricate their own custom silicon at the leading U.S. foundry trusted for their radiation tolerance, signal fidelity, and long lifecycle support. This heritage enables us to support modern defense platforms to achieve resilient, low power, and highly reliable radio frequency and analog performance at scale.”
Mission Accomplished
And there’s more. As the industry pushes to bring more manufacturing back to the United States, Spirit Electronics supports programs from bare die through final assembly via a wafer-processing and assembly operation in Ohio affiliated with Lorain County Community College. For aerospace and defense customers navigating supply-chain disruptions and geopolitical risk, that level of control has become increasingly valuable.
Vertically integrated capabilities also extend into closed programs. McCurdy says Spirit Electronics has trusted facility clearance and cleared personnel supporting sensitive government initiatives. While the details of those programs cannot be discussed publicly, they sit at the center of next-generation defense and space platforms.
With more of the design and manufacturing process under one roof, McCurdy says, “Spirit is moving at the pace today’s space companies demand.”
Its integrated model is especially valuable in the fast-moving private satellite and launch sector, known as “new space,” which operates on compressed timelines and rapid design cycles. While many prototype manufacturers and commercial electronics firms can act quickly, few combine speed with the high-mix, low-volume manufacturing strategy and certifications required to support aerospace and defense programs—including ITAR, AS9100, ISO 9001, DLA Land and Maritime Laboratory Suitability, and emerging CMMC standards.
Larger defense contractors that hold those credentials often struggle to move quickly through engineering changes. “Spirit,” says McCurdy, “was built to do both.”
She credits much of the company’s agility to its multidisciplinary team of engineers, supply-chain specialists, and quality experts, saying, “We can pass an audit off the couch.”
Compliance and quality are built into the company’s daily operations. Ultimately, since Spirit Electronics operates with fewer layers and makes decisions faster than larger defense contractors, it can respond without delays. “This work carries a personal weight,” iterates McCurdy. Several employees are veterans, and two have recently been recalled to active duty. “It’s a real responsibility,” she says. “We must build it right, protect, and deliver.”
About Spirit Electronics
Spirit Electronics is a vertically integrated electronics design and manufacturing solutions provider. We own BOM architecture and time-to-market outcomes—from ASIC design through post-foundry services, advanced packaging, comprehensive screen and qualification, and on-shore assembly and test from a certified partner made in the USA, for the USA. Spirit provides the velocity, agility, and capacity to accelerate your program while eliminating supply chain risk. Our trusted facility is AS9100, ISO9001, CMMC Level 2, DLA Lab certified, and purpose-built for high-reliability applications. Spirit is a veteran-owned, woman-owned, small business headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona in the heart of the Silicon Desert.
Visit www.spiritelectronics.com for more information.
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Media Contact:
Spirit Communications Team
pr@spiritelectronics.com
480-998-1533
