Supply Chain · Profile from Supply Chain Research Companion
Jabil
The St. Petersburg, Florida electronics manufacturing services (EMS) company, founded near Detroit in 1966, that builds other companies' products — from phone casings and smart-home devices to insulin pens, car electronics, packaging and, increasingly, AI data-centre racks — in ~100 plants around the world on single-digit margins. Its supply-chain story is managing customer concentration: Jabil grew in the 2000s and 2010s on Apple (casings and mechanical parts after it bought Taiwan's Green Point in 2006, reported), suffered the swings that came with it, diversified into healthcare and packaging with Nypro (2013, ~$665m, reported), and in 2023 sold its mobility business — much of it Apple-related — to BYD Electronic for ~$2.2bn, cutting Apple from roughly a fifth of revenue to about a tenth (secondary summary, verify). By fiscal 2026 (year to 31 August 2026) revenue had rebounded to ~$36.0bn (+21%) with a 5.8% core operating margin, driven by cloud and AI data-centre infrastructure for hyperscalers in Mexico, India and the US, and Jabil guided to ~$44.5bn for fiscal 2027 (company release, 30 September 2026). The new concentration risk is the same lesson in a different industry: a handful of hyperscalers and AI buyers.
At a glance
- Founded
- 1966, as Jabil Circuit, in the Detroit area of Michigan, by William E. (Bill) Morean and James Golden — the name joins "James" and "Bill" (company history, reported); moved headquarters to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1983 (reported, verify)
- Headquarters
- St. Petersburg, Florida
- Ownership / structure
- Public: Jabil Inc. (NYSE: JBL; listed 1993, reported; renamed from Jabil Circuit, Inc. in 2017, reported). The Morean family was a long-time large holder (reported, verify current stake)
- Leadership (2026)
- Mike Dastoor, CEO (interim from 19 April 2024 after CEO Kenny Wilson was placed on paid leave on 15 April 2024 pending an investigation into corporate-policy matters unrelated to financial reporting; named permanent CEO later in 2024 when Wilson's departure was announced — exact date verify); Greg Hebard, CFO (from 2024, reported). Earlier CEOs: Tim Main (2000–13, reported), Mark Mondello (2013–23, reported), Kenny Wilson (2023–24)
- Segments
- Regulated Industries (healthcare, packaging, automotive and transportation, renewable energy), Intelligent Infrastructure (cloud and data-centre infrastructure, networking and communications, capital equipment such as semiconductor tools) and Connected Living & Digital Commerce (consumer devices, warehouse and retail automation) — reorganised in fiscal 2025 (reported, verify names and dates)
- Scale
- Net revenue ~$34.7bn (FY2023, reported), ~$28.9bn (FY2024, reported), $29.8bn (FY2025) and $35.95bn (FY2026, +21%); FY2026 core operating income ~$2.07bn (5.8% margin vs 5.4%), GAAP operating income ~$1.70bn, core diluted EPS $13.09; adjusted free cash flow ~$1.53bn; ~$1.06bn of share repurchases (company release, 30 September 2026); ~140,000 employees at ~100 sites in ~25–30 countries (company, reported, verify)
- Network
- Large campuses in Mexico (Guadalajara, Chihuahua and others), China (several sites, reduced after the mobility sale), India (Pune and others), Malaysia (Penang), Vietnam, Hungary, Poland, Ireland, Brazil and the US (St. Petersburg, Memphis, Auburn Hills and others) (reported, verify current list)
- Signature moves (incl. failures)
- Founding and Florida move (1966–83); Green Point and Apple casings (2006–) and the volatility of concentration; 2008–09 downturn and goodwill impairment; Nypro (2013); mobility sale to BYD Electronic (2023, ~$2.2bn); CEO's leave and departure (2024); AI data-centre infrastructure growth (2024–26); 2025–26 tariffs, US investment and footprint
8 strategic moves analysed
Each one gets a full strategy file in the companion: context, the decision, the financing, what happened, and the lesson.
1966
Founding and the St Petersburg Move
Founding
2006
Green Point and the Apple Casing Concentration
Acquisition; customer contract (concentration risk)
2008
Downturn Impairment and Restructuring
Restructuring (failure — a loss year driven by demand collapse and write-downs)
2013
Nypro Acquisition
Acquisition or merger
2023
Mobility Sale to BYD Electronic
Divestment
2024
AI Data Centre Infrastructure Growth
Strategy pivot; network build (cloud and AI data-centre infrastructure capacity in Mexico, India and the US)
2024
CEO Departure and Leadership Reset
Regulatory, customs or legal action (corporate governance investigation and leadership change)
2025
Tariffs US Investment and Footprint
Sourcing shift or factory move