Assembléon: 'We will introduce a new solution at Productronica'

With a new investor also came a new management. Did Assembléon also change direction? No. In fact, the change of ownership from Royal Philips Electronics, who actually still own 20% of our company shares, to H2 Equity Partners made clear that our emphasis on value adding products is still the right strategy for Assembléon. Our recent move towards the semiconductor back end industry is a good example. Our parallel placement technology results in highly reliable placement quality, suitable for applications like Systems-in-Package and memory module manufacturing. Combined with its high placement speed, our Hybrid brings something more than traditional machines in this segment. Next to that, we will introduce a new solution at Productronica which is the result of the same philosophy of bringing added value to our customers. I cannot say much about it, but it makes our high quality pick & place performance available to electronic manufactures in a high mix environment that are looking for ways to optimize their productivity.

"We are not affected and we will make sure that we have prepared the right scenario ready for every occasion imaginable to stay a healthy company." Ton Cornelissen, General Manager Europe / Assembléon

Asia – and here specifically China – is a huge market for the SMT equipment manufacturers. How will you continue? The Asian manufacturers have different needs than our customers in Europe of the USA. In China, high speed and low-cost manufacturing still go hand in hand. Our A-Series machines perform really well there. Because of its predictable output and its effective production technology the AX-501 is still seen as a reliable working horse. For which there is still quite a lot demand. And since the Chinese manufacturing environment is maturing too, also solutions like software, service and support are becoming more important. We are promoting this at the moment too. And unlike a few years ago, these items now have gained their own place on the agenda during sales talks. The market share in Europe. Where is it and what is planned? If you look for instance at the market of machines in the medium volume category, a huge market in Europe, almost one third of every product is an Assembléon product. Think of successful Opal, Topaz and, more recently, the M-Series products. But it is not only about the amount of machines that you put on the market. It is about servicing these products and keeping customers happy. Providing them with solutions for better business performance so that they can stay competitive. So at Assembléon we rather focus on our customers, to pursuing partnerships that result in sustainable and healthy business for both them and us. And if executed effectively, this will automatically lead to respectable market shares. But we plan to stay an important player in Europe and our presence at Productronica will support this objective. You will see in November. Europe is riddled with financial problems. Is Assembléon affected? What do you do to avoid major problems? The only thing we can do is to follow and react to the developments when they happen. Since the outlook on 2012 is like looking in a crystal ball. We are not affected and we will make sure that we have prepared the right scenario ready for every occasion imaginable to stay a healthy company. Which geographical regions offer the greatest potential for Assembléon? Our product portfolio is quite divers, so we can supply to any possible demand. From high volume to low volume, you name it. The most important fact for a supplier in the electronics manufacturing industry is to keep an eye on the developments that happen and react to these in the smartest way possible. Europe, for instance, plays still an important role in producing quality products. Companies have to innovate to keep their competitive advantage, and this flows back into the electronics value chain. So supplying companies like Assembléon have to innovate too to stay in the game. Not isolated, but in cooperation with partners in that value chain. Industries in Europe and the USA are very well equipped to accommodate this, so that’s what we are concentrating on. ----- Note: All images © Assembléon