Evolving Into a T-Shaped Company

Interview with Wilfried Baumann, President of ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE GmbH Evolving into a T-shaped company

It is one of the largest, independent manufacturers of electromechanical components world- wide, and has just merged with another global player specialized in automotive infotainment. Alps Electric is creating an integrated group with Alpine Electronics dedicated to enriching people’s lives through advanced electronics and communication solutions. The company’s Eu- ropean head office, ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE GmbH, is based near Munich and forms an inte- gral part in transforming the Group into a T-shaped company that combines the technological depth of one partner with the competence breadth of the other.

ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE is a navigation, communication, cock- subsidiary of Alps Alpine Co., pit display and drive assist sys- Ltd. headquartered in Tokyo, Ja- tems. “Alps Electric was founded pan. Having merged in January in Japan in 1948 and started de- 2019, the group consists of two veloping internationally at an early industry leaders: the electronic stage,” Wilfried Baumann, Presi- components supplier Alps Electric dent of ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE and the automotive infotainment describes the beginnings. “The specialist Alpine Electronics. German operations were estab- Together, they comprise a global lished in 1979. Today, we operate network of 100 group companies, as the Group’s European head over 42,000 employees and con- office and have manufacturing solidated sales of 858 billion YEN, plants in Dortmund, the Czech or approximately 6.8 billion EUR. Republic and Ireland. We have Operating as independent busi- a ‘Made in market’ philosophy, ness units, both group members meaning that we produce where

Our ‘Made in market’ philosophy has made us develop faster than the market. are committed to ‘perfecting the our customers are. This strategy art of electronics’. Alps designs has made us develop faster than and produces high-quality elec- the market, together with our President Wilfried Baumann (above) and Alps Electric at Munich’s electronica, one tronic components for automotive strong focus on the automotive of the world’s largest electronics exhibitions applications, mobile devices, sector.” consumer electronics, medical munication modules and multi energy harvesters. “Our products technology and industrial equip- Alps offers over 40,000 different control devices to aspherical glass are designed for three major, ment. Specialized in automotive electronic components, ranging lenses, power inductors, current complementary technology areas: infotainment solutions, Alpine of- from sensors, switches, encoders, sensors, toroidal coils, actuators, Connectivity, Human Machine fers next-generation audio-visual, potentiometers, connectors, com- printers, touch input devices and Interface (HMI) and Sensoring,”

EUROPEAN business www.european-business.com ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE GmbH Alps Company Business Ohmstrasse 4 85716 Unterschleissheim Germany  +49 89 3214210  +49 89 321421205  [email protected]  www.alps.com

explains Mr. Baumann. “We pro- ufacturing including competitive vide everything from individual logistics and supply chain ser- components to fully integrated, vices.” ALPS ELECTRIC EUROPE ready-to-assemble modules and has a particularly strong position cover the entire spectrum from in the automotive industry that ac- Tier 1 and Tier 2 through to Tier counts for 90% of the company’s 3 customers. This differentiates European turnover. “We are us from many competitors.” concentrating on the premium Alps delivers highly engineered manufacturers like Audi, BMW,

By evolving into a T-shaped company, we combine the strengths of Alps and Alpine.

solutions for today’s increasingly Daimler, Jaguar Land Rover and connected world, for Industry 4.0 Volvo,” says Mr. Baumann. “At industrial manufacturing applica- the same time, we are develop- tions and the Internet of Things, ing new, fast evolving markets, for smartphones and wearables, including energy, healthcare, the for healthcare devices and smart Internet of Things and Industry Alpine Company Business energy meters, and for high-tech 4.0 manufacturing technologies.” connectivity and communication solutions for autonomous driving In addition to its strong local and e-mobility. “As ALPS ELEC- presence in Europe, backed by that combines the strengths of tems, systems integration and TRIC EUROPE, we are focused the resources of a globally op- Alps Electric and Alpine Electron- services,” explains Mr. Baumann. on the demands of our European erating group, and high-quality, ics. “The vertical ‘I’ stands for “Together, we will expand into the customers,” states Mr. Baumann. ‘made-in-market’ products, ALPS the former Alps Electric and its CASE markets – connected cars, “In addition to sales and market- ELECTRIC EUROPE sets itself technological knowledge depth, autonomous driving, sharing and ing, we provide engineering sup- apart by the newly formed Alps and the horizontal ‘I’ for Alpine services, and electric vehicles – port and product development Alpine Group’s evolution into an Electronics and its competence and into the EHI markets: energy, and, most importantly, local man- innovative ‘T-shaped company’ breadth in applications and sys- healthcare and industry.”