EPP Europe: ViTrox was founded in Penang in 2000, celebrated its 25th anniversary last year, and has been represented in Germany since 2019 through its own subsidiary, which is now based in Lohr am Main. How many employees does ViTrox have worldwide today, and how large is the team in Europe specifically?
Langbridge: ViTrox currently employs over one thousand staff, with the majority based in Penang, Malaysia. The European team is relatively small, with three direct staff members and is supported by regional sales partners and distributors.
EPP Europe: The sales structure in Germany has changed over the years—from exclusive representation by Hilpert electronics in 2014 to its own GmbH. What is the current setup for the DACH region, and what role does your office play in this?
Langbridge: The GmbH structure will continue. Further investment in the EMEA region will include additional ViTrox technical staff and, potentially, a ViTrox technology and demonstration centre in a central European location. ViTrox will also continue to work with leading sales channel partners that can deliver excellent customer support, with ViTrox providing back-up technical and applications expertise to partners and customers when required.
EPP Europe: You most recently worked at Nordson Test & Inspection. What motivated you to switch to ViTrox—and what do you see as the greatest opportunity for ViTrox in the European market?
Langbridge: I was really impressed with the culture at ViTrox and the mission to be the world’s most trusted technology company. This mission is based on a series of values, including compassionate innovation and placing the customer at the forefront of all activities. All ViTrox team members (ViTroxians) contribute enthusiastically to the company‘s core mission and are completely committed to supporting customers and partners. The company also invests heavily in R&D and employee education, creating a really positive environment that supports both employee and business success.
EPP Europe: ViTrox offers SPI, AOI, and AXI as a complete inline portfolio. Which system is currently in highest demand in the European market—and why?
Langbridge: ViTrox offers much more than SPI, AOI, and AXI. The product portfolio includes wafer AOI, vision tray handlers, ARV’s (Automatic Robot Vision) and Smart Cameras. ViTrox is also at the forefront of AI implementation and software solutions to control the entire inspection process. This includes programming, defect review, and yield enhancement. ViTrox is also an industry leader in 3D AXI. The recent launch of the QX1 AXI system has resulted in record-breaking sales for a new product, and the system is in very high demand.
EPP Europe: The V510Ai DST AOI inspects the top and bottom of an assembly simultaneously, without flipping. What are the concrete benefits for the user?
Langbridge: The main benefits of dual-sided AOI are throughput and line space. Inverters or flippers are not required to inspect the second side of the PCB; therefore, overall throughput increases. The V510Ai DST has a top-side clearance of 100mm and a bottom-side clearance of 50mm. This enables inspection of most tall components on the top side and either SMT or THT inspection on the bottom side, improving system flexibility and ROI.
EPP Europe: With V-ONE, ViTrox offers its own MES-integrated platform for manufacturing data, traceability, and AI-supported process control. How deeply does V-ONE integrate into existing production line environments?
Langbridge: Very deep. V-One is a complete factory-wide solution for the entire manufacturing process. It enables users to consolidate factory-wide production, process, yield, and predictive maintenance information into a single location. The data can then be displayed or reviewed on real-time dashboards, and production systems can be updated or controlled from a central control tower. Information is optimised with images and clear reporting for fast analysis of issues, minimising production downtime and significantly improving yield.
EPP Europe: What sets ViTrox’s inspection solutions apart from those of its competitors?
Langbridge: AI features to minimise set-up time and total cost of ownership, plus an extensive product range supporting nearly every aspect of PCBA and back-end Semiconductor manufacturing. Product version strength is another major competitive advantage. ViTrox offers many variants for every product, ensuring that most customer requirements, such as large PCB dimensions or very high image resolution, can be supported by one of its products.
EPP Europe: AI-supported programming, automatic defect evaluation, CAD-free setup: Which of these features is most interesting to your customers in practice?
Langbridge: AI-supported programming is the most popular feature, but customers increasingly look to add other AI modules once they experience the general value and reliability of AI.
EPP Europe: Who is your typical target audience in the DACH region: small to medium-sized EMS providers or large OEMs?
Langbridge: ViTrox is a strategic partner to most of the largest Global EMS companies, resulting in a large installed base of systems in Eastern Europe. Large OEMs and small to medium-sized EMS companies throughout Europe will find value in ViTrox solutions; they are both part of our target audience.
EPP Europe: Which industries are currently driving the strongest demand for your products in Europe, and where do you see the greatest growth potential?
Langbridge: The AI revolution is driving significant demand for our products generally, and the EU chip act is also providing growth opportunities. I believe mid- and back-end semiconductor manufacturing has the largest growth potential for ViTrox in Europe, as our inspection solutions for this market segment are relatively unknown here. The increased adoption of 3D AXI for advanced applications should also be a major area of growth.
EPP Europe: You are currently building an engineering team in Europe and actively seeking specialists with SPI, AOI, and AXI experience. Does ViTrox also plan to establish its own development capabilities in Europe?
Langbridge: Initially, we will focus on customer-supporting roles such as technical sales and applications Engineers. In the future, we may consider more specialist roles depending on emerging technologies or potential partnerships and acquisitions.
EPP Europe: In October 2026, EFX—the new world’s leading trade fair for electronics manufacturing—will take place in Stuttgart. Will ViTrox be there, and what do you plan to showcase?
Langbridge: Yes, ViTrox is planning to exhibit at the EFX Exhibition. We will showcase our unique v510AiR system that features a 6-Axis robot and angled 3D inspection. If available, we will also exhibit the industry-leading QX1 high-resolution/high-speed 3D AXI system. (fr)
