EPP Europe: Perhaps you could start off by providing some background on Protavic and its products?
Robert Moor: Protavic specializes in the development and manufacturing of resins, glues and inks for electronics. Headquartered in France, we operate business entities in Europe, the US, South Korea and China, and have three production sites and three laboratories for product design and development.
Protavic products are used in the automotive electronics market, in smart card modules, and in sensors and passive components such as MLCC capacitors.
Can you go into more detail about which products are used during which of the various stages of electronics production and assembly?
Our products are employed in many different ways. Besides standard applications such as conductive and non-conductive die attach, underfill, dam and fill, glob-top, and potting, we are also developing tailor-made solutions to help our clients differentiate their offerings from those of their competitors. For instance, we developed an underfill resin with extremely low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) and fine granulometry for narrow gap filling which has now become the standard for demanding underfill applications.
How do your potting compounds differ from those of your competitors?
We are investing a great deal of research and development into the area of potting. Our view is that it is important to develop high value resin formulations when there are very specific or niche requirements or components. For instance, the latest generation of semiconductor dies for power module requires an encapsulation resin with a unique set of performance characteristics including: high ionic purity, low CTE, medium to low modulus and short curing time. This is an area in which we are developing new products to replace conventional silicon gels which are no longer adapted to the requirements of the new generation of power modules.
How can these products be applied?
The encapsulation resins we design can be applied in power modules used to control electrical generators in the areas of mobility and renewable energies.
New semiconductors like SiC and GaN are being developed which make it possible for devices to operate at a higher frequency and voltage than with simple silicon. Encapsulation solutions developed for silicon do not work for these new wide band gap semiconductors. With the emergence of new chemistry, it is necessary to develop a resin with better thermomechanical properties, such as higher temperature holding (200°C continuous and 250°C peak); better heat dissipation to avoid hot spots; and better fire resistance to avoid aggravation in case of short circuit or incident.
We are seeing a strong demand from customers – who work in different industrial sectors – for products that protect electronic components from external aggressors. Unlike with standard potting resins for electrical insulation, these kinds of encapsulation compounds come into direct contact with the components. This means they must be ultra-pure in order to avoid corrosion of connection elements such as bonding wires or soldering. In addition to this, they have properties that allow them to deform homogeneously with other electronic components in order to minimize mechanical stress in the event of large temperature variations.
What sustainability measures do you take to protect the environment?
We are aware of the need to reduce our carbon footprint. We believe it is important to keep our industrial establishments in areas where HSE regulations are among the most demanding in the world, and thus ensure our finished products remain in compliance with international and regional regulations. We also support our customers if our products become obsolescent.
How have requirements changed in the electronics sector?
The approval processes for new products are becoming extremely lengthy, cumbersome and costly. At the same time, it is of the utmost importance to keep up with the increasing pace of material and technical developments. These two contradictory trends are not easy to reconcile yet we believe that we, as a supplier, are able to help the industry overcome these challenges. The fact that we belong to a well-established chemical company makes our product offering even more sustainable – particularly when considering the regulatory constraints experienced by the electronics industry.
How have recent world events such as the Covid-19 pandemic or the war in Ukraine affected you? Many companies are experiencing shortages of components and skilled workers, and facing rising energy prices…
As for most businesses, the pandemic was long and painful. Since it was impossible to visit customers during lockdowns, we ensured we maintained close relationships with them via other communication channels such as video meetings, webinars, by sending multiple samples, and so on. The cohesion of our sales and R&D teams in this particular context was appreciated by our customers.
Like many manufacturers, we also faced problems with raw material supply, rising prices and logistical constraints. While the pandemic was not necessarily a good time to start new projects, we sincerely hope that it will now be possible to work with players in the automotive and power electronics industry to continue to advance technologies through the development of new products.
Regarding the war in Ukraine, the major impact so far has been the availability of raw materials. Luckily, we have been able to secure our main raw materials, however the rising cost of energy is not helping to stabilize market prices for raw materials or for finished products. Despite all the headwinds, however, we have been able to maintain supply to all our customers.
Do you fear competition?
We do not have any direct competitors in France since our position in the market is very specific.
Having competitors is necessary though. It is an emulation.
What will be the future trends in the electronics sector?
We are starting to hear more or more about the recycling of the electronics circuits. For us, this means adding new features (such as reworkability to allow easy dismantling) to products, but also bio-based and even biodegradable products whose carbon footprint is limited. We do not have such products on our lab bench yet but, like everywhere else, the pull from the industry will come.
Are you prepared for the future?
Yes, of course. The sales team works to anticipate market demand and we pay attention to scientific research in the field of electronics. At its core, Protavic is an independent French manufacturer committed to its values and driven by an entrepreneurial spirit. As we are able to combine a wide range of high added value products with the responsiveness and flexibility of a small business, we see ourselves as the French alternative.
