The company provides numerous value-added services, including connector assembly and parts customization. It also supplies switches and supply-chain and logistics services.

Since relocating to a state-of-the-art, 77,000-square-foot manufacturing and warehousing facility in Swedesboro, N.J., in mid-2006, Powell has consolidated and improved its business operations. And after installing SAP software, the company is better able to offer supply chain services for its customers, executives said.

"The big trend we've seen is a greater demand for supply-chain resources and vendor-managed consigned inventory, and we've put in the most advanced materials-planning and logistics software to support that trend," said Ernest Schilling Jr., Powell's vice president of marketing.

While many companies have set their eyes on the Asia-Pacific, European and Latin American markets, Powell executives said it has chosen to maintain its focus on North American OEMs in the military, energy and transportation industries. Currently, the company operates out of nine locations in the United States.

This year, Powell expects to expand its inventory with existing parts manufacturers, including Amphenol, Honeywell, Tyco Electronics and AirBorn. Schilling said the company carries more than 200,000 specific SKUs, and the target is to expand to 1 million SKUs.