KEMET Corporation

KEMET Corporation was set up in 1919 and now is based in Simpsonville, South Carolina. The company produces many kinds of capacitors, such as tantalum, aluminum, multilayer ceramic, film, paper, polymer electrolytic, and supercapacitors. Capacitors are electronic components that store, filter, and regulate electrical energy and current flow. As an essential passive component used in most circuit boards, capacitors are typically used for coupling, decoupling, filtering, oscillating and wave shaping and are used in communication systems, data processing equipment, personal computers, cellular phones, automotive electronic systems, defense and aerospace systems, consumer electronics, power management systems and many other electronic devices and systems (basically anything that plugs in or has a battery). The company also manufacturers a variety of electronic components such as, AC line filters, EMI cores and filters, flex suppressors, relays, metal composite inductors, ferrite products, and transformers/magnetics. The product line consists of nearly 5 million distinct part configurations distinguished by various attributes, such as dielectric (or insulating) material, configuration, encapsulation, capacitance (at various tolerances), voltage, performance characteristics and packaging.

In 1919, KEMET Corporation was founded as a business of Union Carbide Corporation to manufacture component parts for vacuum tubes. In 1958, KEMET changed its market focus to tantalum capacitor. In 1969, the company entered the market of ceramic capacitors. In 1990, KEMET Electronics Corporation was acquired from Union Carbide and after two years, the company went public on the under the symbol KEM.

In its long developing history, KEMET acquired the tantalum business unit of EPCOS AG in 2007, Evox Rifa Group Oyj and Arcotronics Italia S.p.A. in 2008, Cornell Dubilier Foil, LLC and Niotan Incorporated in 2012.

In 2012, the company completed the acquisition of Cornell Dubilier Foil, LLC and Niotan Incorporated.

In 2017 the company announced the closing of a deal to purchase a controlling share of NEC Tokin. After the purchase by KEMET concludes on APril 10, 2017, NEC Tokin will be renamed "Tokin Corporation".