IDC – a new Business Area
Beijer
Electronics acquired Swedish, industrial data communications company Westermo in
late-2007. This acquisition was a key strategic step in the Beijer Electronics
group’s continued development. Data Communications is
playing
an increasingly central role in industrial automation
solutions. The company formed a new business area within the group, called IDC
(Industrial Data Communications).
Westermo’s
broad program of products and high organic growth complement and thus enhances
Beijer Electronics’ overall automation offering. Westermo – founded in 1975 – is
an international company. In 2007 the company’s sales was 223 Million SEK and it
had 148 employees. Westermo is a
niche data communications player with specialized know-how in industrial
applications. This segment has especially stringent demands for robust products
in harsh environments, which require high reliability and
safety.
Essentially, Westermo offers products developed in-house
like switches, routers, fiber-optic modems, and modems for LANs and wireless
communication. The company is highly development intensive,and last year 15 per
cent of the total revenue was invested in product development. The company has
its own manufacturing facility in Stora Sundby, outsideEskilstuna, west of Stockholm where PCB cards are assembled and
tested into final products.
Westermos’
standard products generate 85 per cent of sales. Custom products constitute of
the remaining 15 per cent. The company’s communication products can be found in
several applications, such as;
·
Information
and surveillance of railroad transports, control of signals, alarm transmission,
etc.
·
Remote
control and remote surveillance in water, waste-water and heating
plants.
·
Network
solutions for public transport and traffic control with ticket control,
passenger information, surveillance of traffic flow, remote control of traffic
signals, alarms, etc.
·
Network
solutions for manufacturing facilities as communication between control systems
and surveillance.
·
Communications
solutions in the marine and offshore sectors.
Marketing
and sales is carried out under its own brand. Westermo has sales offices in
Sweden, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Singapore as well as approx. 30
distributors around the world. The Nordic countries stands for approx. 20 per
cent of sales and the rest of Europe for 70 per
cent of the company’s sales. The remaining 10 per cent is mainly from sales in
Asia.
Read
more about business area IDC at www.westermo.com
