Rutronik & Radiant in distribution deal

On 1 January 2006 the two companies signed a franchise agreement for Central Europe, including Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux and France, Southern Europe (Italy, Spain) and all Eastern Europe. URT is placed fourth in the Taiwanese LCD ranking, making it a big player in the hotly contested LCD market. The partnership with broadliner Rutronik is aimed at giving the decisive drive to URT's penetration of the European market. Hitherto, the company confined itself primarily to the markets in Asia and the U.S. Now its strategy envisages a far stronger marketing commitment in Europe. For Rutronik the distribution agreement heralds synergies and an expansion of its Displays & Embedded Boards product portfolio. Like the Active, Passive and Electromechanica l divisions, Displays & Embedded Boards features a broad product range, enabling customers to design their applications without depending on any one manufacturer. The technical point man for URT at Rutronik is Michael Marks, Marketing Manager, Displays & Embedded Boards. He is an industry specialist who has been familiar with URT since its beginnings and produced numerous designs. URT has been established in the passive LCD segment since 1990. Its product portfolio covers standard LCD modules through to customised solutions (turnkey solutions) which form the company's focus. It was already involved in an earlier development phase in the design-in. Modules these days are principally state-of-the-art design in COF (Chip on Film) or COG (Chip on Glass). URT also offers older production methods such as COB (Chip on Board), TAB (Tape Automated Bonding) or SMT (Surface Mount Technology) on request. It was certified to ISO 9001 in 1995. Further certifications, such as ISO 9000 and ISO 1400, followed. The magic number of 1,120 highly qualified and responsive employees ensures strict compliance with ISO standards, resulting in short production times, consistent quality and market-driven prices. URT underwent a paradigm shift at the turn of the millennium, signalling the beginning of large investments in complementary technology such as DSTN (Double Super Twist), ECB (Electrically Controlled Birefringence), CSTN (Colour STN) und SSCT (Surface Stabilized Cholestric Texture). Since then, it has also produced touch panels.