IPTE:  Two decades of automation solutions for the electronics and mechanics industry

12 Ocotber 2012 - Back in 1992, five enterprising engineers founded a small company specializing in the automation of electronics tests (ITE) in Belgium, and in doing so they laid the foundations for what later became IPTE Factory Automation (FA), Integrated Production and Test Engineering. This small company has in the meantime developed into a globally active provider of systems for individual and flexible high-tech automation solutions. To date, IPTE employs a worldwide staff of some 550 people and reached revenues of up to 77 million Euros in business year 2011.

The portfolio of solutions and products has been continually developed and expanded by the company's own engineered equipment innovations, as well as by carefully selected company acquisitions since 1992. The product offering encompasses universally applicable solutions for the entire fields of factory and manufacturing automation and for board and product tests. What has, of course, remained especially strong throughout is the focus on company goals, defined by co-founder and majority owner Huub Baren: “We will perform as the leading independent global automation partner for the electronics and mechanics industry, whereby we escort and support our customers worldwide at their company sites”.

IPTE FA has attained a strong position in the world market as a premium automation and test solutions partner for leading electronics manufacturers in many areas of industry. The company has achieved this by investing heavily in research, development and support. “Our presence on the world market has been acknowledged by our clientele and underlines our firm promise to have a direct presence close to our customers“, explains Hubert Baren, general manager at IPTE FA.

Initially, the business concept was mainly based on the idea of just offering universally applicable solutions for the automation of tests. Over the years, the group has been more broadly positioned, whereby the firm objective of producing universally suitable equipment has remained. Since 1998, the equipment portfolio has also covered the area of manufacturing automation. And in the interval between 1999 and 2009, IPTE NV became operational in the field of electronics manufacturing services (EMS). Nevertheless, the automation business unit was separated from the IPTE group at the beginning of 2010 and sold off to the IPTE founders and managers Huub Baren and . Since then, the company has been operating under the name of IPTE Factory Automation (FA). IPTE FA has installed a large global sales and service organization for its customers, with more than 15 sites in Europe, the Americas and Asia.

In the business of equipment for factory automation and production machinery IPTE FA is certainly one of the market leaders. The corporation designs turn-key automation systems for the industrial areas of manufacturing, testing and processing PCBs and loaded printed-board assemblies, as well as for final assembly and testing of electronics, electrical and other highly sophisticated devices. In total, IPTE FA now runs twelve engineering and production locations in Belgium, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain, Mexico, Estonia, Romania and China. Customers include many renowned manufacturers of telecommunication and consumer electronics, industrial and automotive electronics, and in the vehicle-subcontracting businesses, assembly technology and processing industries.