The announcement in January 2024 that Kontron AG would become the majority shareholder of the listed company KATEK SE caused quite a stir in the industry. In March 2024, Kontron AG acquired KATEK SE and all associated companies. With beflex electronic, Kontron gains a highly specialized partner for electronic prototyping within the Group and supplements its service portfolio, particularly in prototyping and new product launches for electronic assemblies.
To give us and our customers an overview: What services does beflex electronic offer? In which industries is the company active?
Jens Arnold:
beflex electronic is an EMS service provider that specializes in small quantities, especially electronic prototyping. We act as a development partner that can support a product with several services, from idea to series production, such as layout design, obsolescence management, NPI, supply chain, rapid prototyping, low-volume production, and test equipment construction. Since beflex electronic was founded in 1999, we have aimed to supply companies from all industries with fast, high-quality prototypes. This has not changed to this day.
Why is electronic prototyping so crucial in the development process?
Bernd Lauterwasser:
With a new development, the entire project team is under enormous pressure, as the competition in the industry never sleeps. The finished product must be brought to market faster than the competition. However, unforeseen events or inadequate planning can quickly lead to delays. Prototyping plays a key role in testing ideas and concepts early and realistically before a product is manufactured. The advantages are numerous: time and costs are saved, and product quality is improved directly from the beginning. Communication between the service provider and customer is more effective, creates a shared vision for the project, and enhances collaboration in the long term. Finally, the potential risk of a delayed market launch is minimized, which means that bad investments can be avoided.
Jens Arnold:
We aim to shorten the time-to-market, i.e. the time it takes to launch a product. We achieve this by minimizing the number and duration of iteration loops. It is not only our rapid prototyping that helps enormously, but also our other services. For example, our in-house obsolescence management enables us to check the availability of the components to be used to determine component alternatives directly if necessary or to initiate a required layout redesign as quickly as possible.
beflex electronic is one of many providers of electronic prototyping. What distinguishes beflex from its competitors?
Bernd Lauterwasser:
One of the biggest differences between beflex electronic and other prototype manufacturers is the comprehensive service throughout the full product launch process. Does the customer need a data review? No problem! Is a layout change required after an obsolescence check? We take care of that directly. To summarize, the combination of our service portfolio and our flexibility makes a decisive difference.
Jens Arnold:
Flexibility is the right keyword, Bernd! Thanks to our numerous subsidiaries and our exclusive one-face-to-the-customer principle, we can guarantee this flexibility.
The term ‘one-face-to-the-customer principle’ has just been mentioned. What exactly does that mean? And more importantly, what advantages does it offer the customer?
Jens Arnold:
In many manufacturing companies, each process step of a project is performed by different specialist departments, which often leads to delays and inflexibility. At beflex electronic, on the other hand, our customers have a customer-specific project manager who oversees the entire process from inquiry to delivery and beyond in after-sales service. This system affords customers the advantage of expeditious response. The project manager knows the customer's products inside out so that requirements can be recognized and problems solved at the start of the project.
What is the importance of layout design in the prototyping process?
Bernd Lauterwasser:
The layout of an assembly is crucial for the further processing and use of the product. My job as layout designer is to adapt or create new customer layouts in compliance with current design guidelines so that the assembly can be produced and used in the long term. Layout design is becoming increasingly important, especially given the miniaturization of components and the associated complexity of assemblies. Layouts for electronic assemblies must be designed in such a way that they guarantee signal integrity by correctly routed conductor paths and, interference is minimized. Thermal management through the correct placement of components on the PCB also plays an important role. To summarize, we can say that a well-thought-out layout is the prerequisite for a sustainably functional circuit.
Jens Arnold:
Depending on customer requirements, aspects such as producibility, testability, specific quality requirements, and costs can also be considered so that the layout of the assembly can ultimately be optimized for series production. If these requirements are met, prototyping in combination with layout design and obsolescence management, for example, can significantly shorten the time-to-market. This is what we understand by NPI (New Product Introduction) processes.
We have already talked a lot about your services. But what role will beflex electronic play in the Kontron Group and the Electronics² service brand?
Jens Arnold:
Sooner or later, every hardware development requires our services. The same applies to Kontron, which develops and manufactures both customized and proprietary products, as it does to our existing customers. In close co-operation, we shorten the time-to-market of Kontron's own products and thus create a competitive advantage.
Under the Electronics² service brand and with the claim ‘Powerhouse for your Electronics Solutions’, Kontron presents its comprehensive range of development and production services as well as innovative products. In this network of leading electronics service providers, beflex plays a central role in the customer's development process to help a product reach market or series maturity more quickly and efficiently.
What opportunities do you see for beflex electronic in this group of companies?
Jens Arnold:
I see a great opportunity to build up new expertise in prototyping for IoT projects and thereby establish ourselves as a long-term development partner for this type of product.
What future challenges are emerging for electronic prototyping? And how does beflex electronic plan to meet them?
Jens Arnold:
As Bernd Lauterwasser has already mentioned, the miniaturization of components is one of the biggest challenges we face both in layout design and in the assembly of modules. The constant miniaturization of components, the combination of several technologies on one board and the multi-layered structure of PCBs lead to more complex projects with more specific requirements. This requires state-of-the-art equipment, professional expertise, and impeccable technical cleanliness. With our experienced employees, modern machinery, and class 8 cleanrooms in all beflex plants, we are ideally equipped to continue to master these challenges.
The business area of beflex electronic is complex and plays a decisive role in product development. Where can we meet you in person shortly to find out more about your services?
Jens Arnold:
Personal dialogue is particularly important in the field of electronic prototyping. This allows us to understand exactly what our customers need and at the same time clarify what services we can offer. We are always open to personal discussions and look forward to meeting you soon. If you are at embedded world 2025, why not visit us in hall 3 at Kontron booth 3-159, where you can find out more about our services? For appointments with our colleagues on site, please get in touch using our contact form: https://beflex-electronic.com/en/contact/
We look forward to numerous visits and interesting discussions!
Jens Arnold has been Managing Director at beflex electronic since 2017. With the help of his many years of experience in the electronics environment and his professional background from his studies in International Business, he continues to lead and develop beflex electronic as a ‘specialist for small and medium quantities’ in the EMS industry.
Bernd Lauterwasser is an extremely accomplished layout designer with over 30 years of experience in the EMS industry. He has been contributing his extensive expertise to beflex electronic since the beginning of 2022, supporting customers as Head of Layout Design in setting up or optimising their PCB designs to be EMC-compliant and IPC-compliant.
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