Neways leverages electronics assembly expertise in photonics domain

Neways is expanding into the budding integrated-photonics industry. The company is leveraging its decades-long experience in electronics manufacturing services (EMS) and high-precision manufacturing to address the growing demand for photonic integration in low- to medium-volume, high-performance applications.

Founded over fifty years ago, Neways employs around 2,900 people worldwide and reports an annual revenue of approximately 620 million euros. The firm stands out from its peers by a high ‘engineer density’ – 20 percent of its workforce is engineer, compared to about 5 percent at most competitors. This reflects the niche that Neways has carved out for itself in the EMS realm: the specialty market for complex products that aren’t mass-produced. Famously, the company is involved with the electronics of the F-35 fighter pilot helmet – a 1+-million-euro piece of equipment that obviously isn’t produced by the millions.

Neways’ core expertise is increasingly needed in integrated photonics. As a nascent industry, universities, research institutes and a growing number of companies are working on new applications. As these mature, the transition from prototype to manufacturable product emerges as a new challenge. This is where Neways sees new opportunities for itself. “We like to think of ourselves as a technology partner. As such, we’re well-positioned to help bridge the gap between R&D and real-world applications,” says Michiel van der Maat, chief commercial officer at Neways.

Both technical and commercial choices arise at this crucial stage of product development. “We can help with standardization, design for manufacturing, cost considerations and choosing the right materials, for example. We believe we can be the link in the industry that’s still missing,” says Freek Deelen, corporate head of strategy and communications at Neways.

The firm’s expertise in the electronics realm largely carries over into the assembly and packaging of integrated photonics, Deelen assures, although assembly of the latter typically requires an even higher degree of precision. Neways has already started investing to add this skill set to its repertoire. In addition to overlapping proficiencies, the partial acquisition of Dutch chip packaging specialist Sencio last year has been a catalyst for its new ambitions as well.

The expansion into integrated photonics is fully self-financed, underlining Neways’ confidence in the technology’s long-term potential. Van der Maat: “There’s no doubt in my mind that integrated photonics will be vital in sensing, communications and data applications in a range of markets, including automotive, defense, healthcare and industrial automation.”

In line with embracing a new business, Neways has thrown its support behind Photondelta, the Dutch growth accelerator that has been cultivating the Dutch and European integrated-photonics ecosystem by internationalization, innovation, talent and funding. This has helped create the conditions for the integrated-photonics industry to grow, allowing it to evolve to a point where the entry of an established firm like Neways makes sense. It’s a sign of a maturing industry that’s edging toward production, which brings with it a whole new set of challenges that need to be tackled for integrated photonics to reach its full potential.

This article was written in close collaboration with Photondelta. Top image credit: Neways