Autron and Assembléon announce partnership

Autron and Royal Philips Electronics' subsidiary Assembléon have announced a partnership formed with the aim of growing their Asia-Pacific business.

Under the agreement, Autron will be Assembléon's partner and will take over its sales and service operations in Asia, selling the company's products under the Assembléon brand. As a result of this, a majority of Assembléon employees will transfer to Autron.

The two companies will also set up a joint research and development centre in Singapore, while Autron, a fully integrated supplier of assembly equipment and services to the electronics industry, will increase its manufacturing facilities to better meet the global demand for various components and parts of the Assembléon product.

The deal will see Autron transformed from an equipment distributor into a fully integrated solutions provider with sales, support and services, and access to the manufacturing and research and development facilities of Assembléon.

Cor Scholten, Assembléon chief executive officer, comments on the new partnership: "Our continued focus on Asia-Pacific recognises the fact that by 2006, more than half the world's electronic production will revolve around the region. We are therefore very happy to partner Autron, which is the undisputed leader in the region for the supply of capital equipment to the electronics industry, and particularly in the SMT sector. Autron's network and knowledge, and its fast-moving, diversified customer base in Asia, provide Assembléon with a good avenue for growth in this region."

Autron is already the largest systems integrator and exclusive distributor of surface mount technology (SMT) hardware and software to multinational and local corporations in the Asia-Pacific. It has the most comprehensive network in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and India.

"This new direction for Autron will put the company in a unique position to ride the up swell in the Asia-Pacific electronics industry which is expected to kick in by the second half of 2002", comments Autron Corporation group managing director Mr Tan Cheng Leong.