<PAGE>

                                                                    Exhibit 10.9

                         MANUFACTURERS' SERVICES LIMITED

                        2000 EMPLOYEE STOCK PURCHASE PLAN

SECTION 1. PURPOSE OF PLAN

         The Manufacturers' Services Limited 2000 Employee Stock Purchase Plan
(the "Plan") is intended to provide a method by which eligible employees of
Manufacturers' Services Limited, a Delaware corporation ("MSL"), and such of its
Subsidiaries as the Board of Directors of MSL (the "Board of Directors") may
from time to time designate (MSL and such Subsidiaries being hereinafter
referred to as the "Company") may use voluntary, systematic payroll deductions
to purchase shares of common stock, $.001 par value of MSL (such common stock
being hereafter referred to as "Stock") and thereby acquire an interest in the
future of MSL. For purposes of the Plan, a "Subsidiary" is any corporation that
would be treated as a subsidiary of MSL under Section 424(f) of the Internal
Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (the "Code"). The Plan is intended to qualify
under Section 423 of the Code and shall be construed accordingly.

SECTION 2. OPTIONS TO PURCHASE STOCK

         Under the Plan, there is available an aggregate of not more than
[_________] shares of Stock (subject to adjustment as provided in Section 15)
for sale pursuant to the exercise of options ("Options") granted under the Plan
to employees of the Company ("Employees") who meet the eligibility requirements
set forth in Section 3 hereof ("Eligible Employees"). The Stock to be delivered
upon exercise of Options under the Plan may be either shares of authorized but
unissued Stock or shares of reacquired Stock, as the Board of Directors may
determine.

SECTION 3. ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES

         Except as otherwise provided below, each Employee who has completed
[six] months of employment for the Company will be eligible to participate in
the Plan; provided, however, that the Board of Directors may grant "prior
service credit" or otherwise waive all or any part of the waiting period imposed
by this sentence in its sole discretion.

         (a) Any Employee who immediately after the grant of an Option would own
(or pursuant to Section 423(b)(3) of the Code would be deemed to own) stock
possessing 5% or more of the total combined voting power or value of all classes
of stock of the employer corporation or of its parent or subsidiary
corporations, as defined in Section 424 of the Code, will not be eligible to
receive an Option to purchase Stock pursuant to the Plan.

         (b) No Employee will be granted an Option under the Plan that would
permit his or


<PAGE>

her rights to purchase shares of stock under all employee stock purchase plans
of the employer corporation and parent and subsidiary corporations, as defined
in Section 424 of the Code, to accrue at a rate which exceeds $25,000 in fair
market value of such stock (determined at the time the Option is granted) for
each calendar year during which any such Option granted to such Employee is
outstanding at any time, as provided in Section 423 of the Code.

         (c) The following categories of Employees shall not be eligible to
participate in the Plan: (i) Employees whose customary employment for the
Company is twenty (20) hours or less per week, (ii) Employees whose customary
employment for the Company is for not more than five (5) months in any calendar
year, or (iii) Employees who are both (A) an officer of MSL within the meaning
of Rule 16a-1(f) (or any successor rule) promulgated under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and (B) "highly compensated employees" within
the meaning of Section 414(q) of the Code. For purposes of determining an
Employee's eligibility to participate in the Plan under this Section 3, an
Employee's service with (i) a Subsidiary, prior to the acquisition of the
Subsidiary by the Company, or (ii) a trade or business, prior to the acquisition
of such trade or business by the Company, shall be included as service in the
employ of the Company.

SECTION 4. METHOD OF PARTICIPATION

         The periods January 1 to June 30 and July 1 to December 31 of each year
will be termed "Option Periods." Each person who will be an Eligible Employee on
the first day of any Option Period may elect to participate in the Plan by
executing and delivering, at least 15 days prior to such day, a payroll
deduction authorization in accordance with Section 5. Such Employee will thereby
become a participant ("Participant") on the first day of such Option Period and
will remain a Participant until his or her participation is terminated as
provided in the Plan.

SECTION 5. PAYROLL DEDUCTION


                                       2
<PAGE>

         The payroll deduction authorization will request withholding at a rate
(in whole percentages) of not less than 1% nor more than 10% from the
Participant's Compensation by means of substantially equal payroll deductions
over the Option Period from payroll periods ending in the Option Period. For
purposes of the Plan, "Compensation" means all compensation paid to the
Participant by the Company and currently includible in his or her income;
including bonuses, commissions and other amounts includible in the definition of
compensation provided in the Treasury Regulations promulgated under Section 415
of the Code, plus any amount that would be so included but for the fact that it
was contributed to a qualified plan pursuant to an elective deferral under
Section 401(k) of the Code, but not including payments under stock option plans
and other employee benefit plans or any other amounts excluded from the
definition of compensation provided in the Treasury Regulations promulgated
under Section 415 of the Code. A Participant may change the withholding
rate of his or her payroll deduction authorization by written notice
delivered to the Company at least 15 days prior to the first day of the
Option Period as to which the change is to be effective. All amounts withheld
in accordance with a Participant's payroll deduction authorization will be
credited to a withholding account maintained in the Participant's name on the
books of the Company. Amounts credited to the withholding account shall
belong to the Company and shall not be required to be set aside in trust or
otherwise segregated from the Company's general assets.

SECTION 6. GRANT OF OPTIONS

         Each person who is a Participant on the first day of an Option Period
will be granted, as of such day and for such Period, an Option entitling the
Participant to acquire shares of Stock equal in number to the lesser of:

                  (a) the whole number (disregarding any fractional share
         amount) determined by dividing $[12,500] by the fair market value of
         one share of Stock on the first day of the Option Period; and

                  (b) the number (rounded down to the nearest whole number)
         determined by dividing (i) the balance credited to the Participant's
         withholding account on the last day of the Option Period, by (ii) the
         purchase price per share of the Stock determined under Section 7.

MSL will reduce, on a substantially proportionate basis, the number of shares of
Stock purchasable by each Participant upon exercise of his or her Option for an
Option Period in the event that the number of shares then available under the
Plan is insufficient. Option grants under this Section 6 shall be automatic and
need not be separately documented.


                                       3
<PAGE>

SECTION 7. PURCHASE PRICE

         The purchase price of Stock issued pursuant to the exercise of an
Option will be 85% of the fair market value of the Stock at (a) the time of
grant of the Option or (b) the time at which the Option is deemed exercised,
whichever is less. Fair market value will mean the Closing Price of the Stock.
The "Closing Price" of the Stock on any business day will be the last sale
price, regular way, with respect to such Stock, or, in case no such sale takes
place on such day, the average of the closing bid and asked prices, regular way,
with respect to such Stock, in either case as reported in the principal
consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities listed or
admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange; or, if such Stock is not
listed or admitted to trading on the New York Stock Exchange, as reported in the
principal consolidated transaction reporting system with respect to securities
listed on the principal national securities exchange on which such Stock is
listed or admitted to trading; or, if such Stock is not listed or admitted to
trading, the last quoted price with respect to such Stock, or, if not so quoted,
the average of the high bid and low asked prices in the over-the-counter market
with respect to such Stock, as reported by the National Association of
Securities Dealers, Inc. Automated Quotation System or such other similar system
then in use; or, if on any such date such Stock is not quoted by any such
organization, the average of the closing bid and asked prices with respect to
such Stock, as furnished by a professional market maker making a market in such
Stock selected by the Board of Directors in good faith; or, if no such market
maker is available, the fair market value of such Stock as of such day as
determined in good faith by the Board of Directors.

SECTION 8. EXERCISE OF OPTIONS

         If any Employee is a Participant in the Plan on the last business day
of an Option Period, he or she will be deemed to have exercised the Option
granted to him or her for that Period. Upon such exercise, the Company will
apply the balance of the Participant's withholding account to the purchase of
the number of whole shares of Stock determined under Section 6 and as soon as
practicable thereafter will issue and deliver certificates for said shares to
the Participant and will return to him or her the balance, if any, of his or her
withholding account in excess of the total purchase price of the shares so
issued; PROVIDED, that if the balance left in the account consists solely of an
amount equal to the value of a fractional share it will be retained in the
Account and carried over to the next Period. No fractional shares will be issued
hereunder.


                                       4
<PAGE>

         Notwithstanding anything herein to the contrary, MSL's obligation to
issue and deliver shares of Stock under the Plan will be subject to the approval
required of any governmental authority in connection with the authorization,
issuance, sale or transfer of said shares, to any requirements of any national
securities exchange applicable thereto, and to compliance by MSL with other
applicable legal requirements in effect from time to time.

SECTION 9. INTEREST

         No interest will be payable on withholding accounts.

SECTION 10. CANCELLATION AND WITHDRAWAL

         A Participant who holds an Option under the Plan may at any time prior
to exercise thereof under Section 8 cancel all (but not less than all) of his or
her Options by written notice delivered to the Company. Upon such cancellation,
the balance in the Participant's withholding account will be returned to the
Participant.

         A Participant may terminate his or her payroll deduction authorization
as of any date by written notice delivered to the Company and will thereby cease
to be a Participant as of such date. Any Participant who voluntarily terminates
his or her payroll deduction authorization prior to the last business day of an
Option Period will be deemed to have canceled his or her Option.

SECTION 11. TERMINATION OF EMPLOYMENT

         Except as otherwise provided in Section 12, upon the termination of a
Participant's employment with the Company for any reason, he or she will cease
to be a Participant, any Option held by him or her under the Plan will be deemed
canceled, the balance of his or her withholding account will be returned, and he
or she will have no further rights under the Plan.


                                       5
<PAGE>

SECTION 12.  DEATH OF PARTICIPANT

         A Participant may elect that if death should occur during an Option
Period the balance, if any, of the Participant's withholding account at the time
of death will be applied at the end of the Period to the exercise of the
Participant's Option and the shares thereby purchased under the Option (plus any
balance remaining in the Participant's withholding account) will be delivered to
the Participant's designated beneficiary or beneficiaries. If the Participant
has more than one designated beneficiary, the Company will determine the
allocation among them and its determination will be final and binding on all
persons. For purposes of the Plan, a Participant's designated beneficiary(ies)
shall be (i) such person or persons as are treated as the Participant's
beneficiary(ies) for purposes of the Company group life insurance plan
applicable to the Participant, or (ii) in the absence of any beneficiary
determined under clause (i), the Participant's estate.

SECTION 13.  EQUAL RIGHTS; PARTICIPANT'S RIGHTS NOT TRANSFERABLE

         All Participants granted Options under the Plan with respect to any
Option Period will have the same rights and privileges. Each Participant's
rights and privileges under any Option granted under the Plan will be
exercisable during the Participant's lifetime only by him or her and except as
provided at Section 12 above may not be sold, pledged, assigned, or transferred
in any manner. In the event any Participant violates or attempts to violate the
terms of this Section, any Options held by him or her may be terminated by the
Company and, upon return to the Participant of the balance of his or her
withholding account, all of the Participant's rights under the Plan will
terminate.

SECTION 14. EMPLOYMENT RIGHTS


                                       6
<PAGE>

         Nothing contained in the provisions of the Plan will be construed as
giving to any Employee the right to be retained in the employ of the Company or
as interfering with the right of the Company to discharge any Employee at any
time.

SECTION 15. CHANGE IN CAPITALIZATION

         In the event of any change in the outstanding Stock of MSL by reason of
a stock dividend, split-up, recapitalization, merger, consolidation,
reorganization, or other capital change, the aggregate number and type of shares
available under the Plan, the number and type of shares under Options granted
but not exercised, the maximum number and type of shares purchasable under an
Option, and the Option price will be appropriately adjusted.

SECTION 16. ADMINISTRATION OF PLAN

         The Plan will be administered by the Board of Directors, which will
have the right to determine any questions which may arise regarding the
interpretation and application of the provisions of the Plan and to make,
administer, and interpret such rules and regulations as it will deem necessary
or advisable. Reference to the Board of Directors in connection with its
administrative function under the Plan shall include its delegates.

SECTION 17. AMENDMENT AND TERMINATION OF PLAN

         MSL reserves the right at any time or times to amend the Plan to any
extent and in any manner it may deem advisable, by vote of the Board of
Directors; PROVIDED, that any amendment that would be treated as the adoption of
a new plan for purposes of Section 423 of the Code and the regulations
thereunder will have no force or effect unless approved by the shareholders of
MSL within twelve months before or after its adoption.

         The Plan may be suspended or terminated at any time by the Board of
Directors. In connection therewith, the Board of Directors may either cancel
outstanding Options or continue them and provide that they will be exercisable
either at the end of the applicable Option Period as determined under Section 4
above or on such earlier date as the Board of Directors may specify (in which
case such earlier date shall be treated as the last day of the applicable Option
Period).

SECTION 18. APPROVAL OF SHAREHOLDERS

         The Plan and the exercisability of Options granted hereunder will be
subject to the approval of the shareholders of MSL obtained within twelve months
before or after the date the Plan is adopted by the Board of Directors.


                                       7