More power for a global electronics solution provider

Not really, we know the Rohwedder Group and Joachim Rohwedder and we share a similar understanding of this business. Well, for a company of 600 it’s a challenging task to integrate another 400 staff globally. However, the merger now brings the EPS Division to a very high level in this industry, and provides us with all the skills, expertise and manpower to gain and maintain an excellent position in terms of the global market and the competition. So, there will be many benefits from this acquisition and it will enable us to serve all the relevant manufacturing markets worldwide including the automotive, telecommunications, industrial and consumer electronics and medical technology industries. We see many synergies between the different companies in the group, and there are no barriers between them. We have open communication in order to meet the customers‘ requirements for an optimum project solution. The incorporation of JOT Automation is not finalized yet, but we are proceeding at the right pace and making good progress. There is guidance and feedback to ensure that we are on the right track, and we have involved the key accounts, technology development and other areas of interest.

We deliver leading-edge solutions for all areas of automation and testing in electronics manufacturing. The automation area includes all kinds of user-friendly material processing and handling modules and equipment such as conveyors, turning units, shuttles, stackers and complete automation turn-key solutions. The customers can supplement these solutions with different marking or barcode reader units or depanelizers in order to optimize the solution and at the same time increase quality and accuracy. For electrical testing we can provide high-precision, high-throughput handlers for in-circuit and functional test stations, as well as dedicated test boxes for specific products and test fixtures. There are now intelligent handset test modules available in the R&D segment not only for phones but for all devices of this kind such as game terminals, PDAs, etc. to efficiently resolve indispensable verification tasks at this product stage. This has become mandatory since these handsets will be produced in their millions and a company can make profits or miss the goal, the margins are very small now. We provide helpful tools for a successful business.

Of course, we do have such assembly automation platforms, especially for highly sophisticated mechanical tasks. We can also implement process-specific applications on the shop floor, based on our efficient platform technology. Our process and automation specialists advise the customers on how to find the optimum solution in terms of costs, efficiency, quality/yield and throughput. We have many experienced specialists with high level expertise, and we can also resolve the customer’s R&D issues to get the best fitting solution: for design for manufacturing (DfM), design for test (DfT), test development, integration and equipment modification. Customers can rely upon our expertise to resolve all of their production and test issues. We work in close partnership with our customers and offer scalable services, from delivering just a single piece of equipment to taking responsibility for the design of an entire manufacturing solution for a product or production line. Our aim is to reduce manufacturing costs and the time-to-volume ratio. We achieve this by reusing proven assembly methods and test concepts, and optimize the process and test strategy to enhance R&D and manufacturing. As a result of frequent product introductions, short time-to-market has become indispensable. We stand for careful project management, as well as efficient concurrent engineering of production processes and test reusage by utilizing standards and worldwide capacity implementation resources.

Our mission is to be the global market leader in productivity solutions across the whole value chain in the electronics industry. We are not only talking of the production area but of the entire value chain strategy from R&D up to logistics, from component purchase to the delivery of final products to global customers. With our very wide global service and sales network – the newest office is in Chennai, South of India – we have presence everywhere in this industry. The company values are based on innovation, technology, quality, efficiency, reliability and open communication. With this in mind the EPS Division is set to become the leader in the production automation industry, delivering total solutions. We are a highly customer-focused organization, providing outstanding solutions based on the customers‘ requirements. We continue investment in strong R&D to broaden and update our product portfolio. We are now more proactive in terms of sales and offer other ways to purchase, lease or rent equipment. Since we also have a strong focus on response and lead times, this area is also being optimized. The clear vision for EPS is being a top-leading company in the global automation segment. Our products and services portfolio and projects support each other. We have been the technology leader in the past and now we want to be in this position again. The competence and the skill sets are unique; the different company sites work closely together to support our customers. In addition, we will develop economies of scale in sourcing, R&D, sales and marketing, manufacture and administration for a successful business. Thanks to the merger, with our combined forces we are now globally stronger than ever before, and can provide our global customers with even more service and support at their international sites.

The main manufacturing sites are in Radolfzell/Germany, then Tallinn/Estonia and Beijing/China. R&D locations are also located in the same countries.

No, just the opposite is true. We continue with the proven reputable JOT Automation brand within the Rohwedder Group with all former JOT staff. There were no lay-offs with this merger that included the complete acquisition of brand, staff and technology. We still invest a great deal in R&D and product design, and continual investments are made in the Asian markets where the China operations in Beijing are now the head office for production, R&D and service & support. We are open to further expansion into the Asia-Pacific Rim as soon as we see opportunities. We will also start producing from the new location in Mexico. In Eastern Europe we are currently conducting some studies on how we can expand our activities. We have around 130 in R&D and product design, and about 60 people in service and support. This is twice as many as average in this industry. So, JOT Automation is eager to return to its previous strength under the Rohwedder umbrella. All this will happen in close relationship with our key accounts.

As you can see Rohwedder and JOT, which were already global players, in combination are now even stronger with regards to global presence. We are available and contactable wherever our customers are in order to deliver uncompromising service and support. We talk about automation in production and test, which is located in the core of the Rohwedder Group, and strongly focused on customer’s needs. From this combined strength and strategy you can expect more than 10 new products just this year, some of which will be introduced at Productronica in Munich. In addition to the recently introduced intelligent handset testers and our traditional material automation solutions, we are also focusing on packaging configuration and distribution, featuring for example an X-ray machine which verifies everything in a closed package to make sure all is in place and error-free product parcels are distributed to reduce complaints because of wrong or missing parts. We are also now levering our expertise from the industrial high-volume production into the R&D area to bridge the gap to market-conforming products free of design flaws. With the global distribution of our staff’s skills, thinking and understanding, we have the best conditions for perfect design and manufacture of our solutions. In a nutshell: we have to plan globally but realize the solutions locally. (Interviewer: Gerhard B. Wolski)

EPP Europe 402

The Rohwedder Group with around 1,000 employees is a leading provider of complex system solutions for automation technology in the Mechatronics Production Solutions (MPS) and Electronics Production Solutions (EPS) divisions. The Group serves its customers directly in the three growth markets Europe, Americas and Asia. Rohwedder automation lines are mainly used in the following industries: Automotive supplies, telecommunications and electronics industry as well as medical technology. Rohwedder AG stock (ISIN DE0007057705) is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in the Prime Standard segment.

JOT Automation, as a part of Rohwedder´s EPS division designs branded production equipment for the electronics manufacturing industry. The JOT Automation brand incorporates assembly, material processing, material handling and manufacturing test equipment.

Productronica, Stand A5.232