Qmicro expects growth acceleration in gas analysis under Swiss ownership

By joining forces, Swiss sensor manufacturer Sensirion and Enschede-based Qmicro aim to accelerate the technological and commercial development of the latter’s online gas composition analysis technology.

Etulipa’s next-gen electrowetting displays shine in full color

After getting acquainted with electrowetting in the Philips Research labs, Hans Feil and a few of his colleagues decided they wanted to dive deeper into the technology. Two decades and two spinoffs later, Feil’s Etulipa is ready to show what its fully colored and very low-power EWD technology can do.

First sale puts Nearfield Instruments on the path to maturity

Nearfield Instruments’ scanning probe microscope is capable of sensing challenging 3D semiconductor structures, at a sufficiently high speed to be used in chip mass production. How did a small startup manage to carve out a place for itself in a highly competitive market?

“Start with system functions and think beyond the boundaries of your own discipline”

High-tech development processes are becoming so complex that organizations cannot avoid thinking and working in a multidisciplinary way. This requires understand each other’s jargon. VDL ETG T&D sends its technicians on a course at High Tech Institute so that they can train that skill.

ASML’s first customer

Cees Krijgsman gave ASML a push at decisive moments in the 1980s. Behind the scenes, he put the pre-ASML stepper team in contact with its first customer. Later, he himself signed the contracts for the first litho machines from Veldhoven.

In other news

Bits&Chips podcasts: Jon Holt

René Raaijmakers talks to the innovators driving the high-tech industry. Listen to researchers, developers and decision-makers speak about trends, technology, business and their motivations. In edition 3 of the Bits&Chips podcast, model-based systems engineering specialist Jon Holt.

Prepare for the worst

As the future is fundamentally unpredictable, companies need to protect themselves from themselves by balancing efficiency and preparedness, conducting scenario planning to have clear playbooks to use and investing in innovation.

Smart industry: vision and reality

Many SMEs are working on aspects of digitalization. But to be honest: most SMEs aren’t. They simply cannot afford to build a brand new Industry 4.0 factory. They have to take small steps, one by one, overcoming all kinds of hurdles at every turn.