Supplement of Czech Business and Trade
CZECH Electrical Engineering and Electronics
3/
2006
CZECH ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND ELECTRONICS
CZECH ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND ELECTRONICS Supplement of: Czech Business and Trade 05-06/2006
CONTENTS: 3
INTRODUCTION Growth of the Electrical Engineering Industry Continues
4
ANALYSIS Strong Position of the Electrical Engineering Industry in the Czech Republic
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LEGISLATION Duties in Electrical Waste Handling in the Czech Republic Czech and Moravian Electrical and Electronic Association Contributes to Innovation and Ecological Procedure
INVESTMENT 10 New Innovation Platform Is Being Born in CzechInvest EDUCATION 12 STROM Centre Arranges University Student Research ENTREPRISE 14 Czech Number One in Telecommunications WE ARE INTRODUCING 16 TTC TELEKOMUNIKACE – Your Partner in Safe Communication CZECH TOP 18 Human Resources – Forte of Panasonic Automotive Systems Czech 20 Most Modern Television Receivers for Europe 22 Clever Electronics and Project of Support to Young Professionals RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT 24 Czech Engineers Are Scoring Points in Applications for the Automotive Industry 25 Honeywell Prague Laboratory – World Standard in Research and Development 26 Expert on Integrated Circuit Design SURVEY 28 Poll of Successful Firms Operating in Electrical Engineering and Electronics INFORMATION 30 Exhibitions and Trade Fairs in the Czech Republic in 2006 30 Important Contacts
PRESENTATION OF COMPANIES: 2 7 31 32
VAPE spol. s r.o. PRAKAB – Pražská kabelovna a.s. MediCom, a.s. Praha POLYPROFIL spol. s r.o.
Cover photo: www.orangedisc.cz
ARKYS, s.r.o., ELEKTROTECHNICKÝ ZKUŠEBNÍ ÚSTAV, s.p., ELMET s.r.o., EMP Centauri s.r.o., Identcode s.r.o., KMB systems s.r.o., KUVAG CR s.r.o, OEZ s.r.o., OK technik-emc, s.r.o., PBT Rožnov p. R., s.r.o., SCHURTER, společnost s ručením omezeným, Sopo, s.r.o., TES VSETÍN, s.r.o., Wendell Electronics, a.s., ZPA CZ spol. s r.o. Trutnov, ZPA Pečky, a.s. MK ČR E 6379 This bi-monthly magazine is published by the Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Czech Republic in cooperation with the Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic six times a year in English, German, French, Spanish, and Russian, as a supplement to the economic bi-monthly issued in English (Czech Business and Trade), German (Wirtschaft und Handel in der Tschechischen Republik), French (Industrie et commerce tchèques), Spanish (Empresas y negocios en la República Checa), and Russian (óe¯cÍafl Úop„o‚Îfl Ë Ôe‰ÔËÌËÏaÚeθcÚ‚o). Managing Editor: Jana Vápeníková Editor: Naďa Vávrová Graphic Design: Helena Dvořáková, Miloslav Bucvan Address: PP Agency, s.r.o., Myslíkova 25 110 00 Praha 1, Czech Republic Phone: +(420) 221 406 623, 221 406 626 Fax: +(420) 224 934 383 E-mail:
[email protected] www.ppagency.cz www.mpo.cz/eng Deadline: 31/03/2006 Attitudes expressed by the authors of articles in this magazine are not necessarily consistent with the viewpoint of the Publisher. PP Agency Company with the ISO 9001 certified quality management system for publishing services
Growth of the Electrical Engineering Industry Continues Karel Tureček, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Industry and Trade, e-mail:
[email protected], www.mpo.cz
The electrical engineering industry now belongs to one of the main sectors of the manufacturing industry. Its products include office machines and computers, electrical machinery and equipment, electronic components, and apparatus and automating equipment. In 2005, exports from the electrical engineering industry amounted to EUR 13 583.1 million and accounted for 21.6 % of the goods production of the Czech Republic. The 2005 share of the electrical engineering industry in the total revenues of the manufacturing industry was 14.5 %. Growth in the revenues in electronics was mainly due to computer manufacture. Computers account for more than 50 % of high-tech products export from the Czech Republic.
Foreign Direct Investment – Positive Development of Electrical Engineering New electrical engineering manufacturing centres were constructed in the Czech Republic between 2000 and 2005 with the involvement of foreign direct investment. Foreign direct investment into more than sixty projects amounted to EUR 2 254 million and had a good influence on electrical engineering production.
Programmes of Support to Electrical Engineering The Ministry of Industry and Trade supports the introduction of technically complicated manufacturing with incentives and Technology Centres programmes. The Ministry also has programmes for industrial research, and support to participation in international trade fairs. ■
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A N A LY S I S
Strong Position of the Electrical Engineering Industry in the Czech Republic Pavel Říha, Electronics and Electrical Engineering Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade, e-mail:
[email protected], www.mpo.cz
The products of the electrical engineering industry belong to the groups of subsection DL "Manufacture of electrical and optical equipment" stated further on. According to the classification of economic activities (NACE), it is the manufacture of office machines and computers, electrical machinery and equipment, electronic components and equipment, and the manufacture of apparatus and automating equipment. The manufacture of electrical and optical equipment does not include repairs and maintenance of office machines and computers, the manufacture of electrical appliances for households, the manufacture of electronic games, and services connected with the delivery of computers.
Position of the Electrical Engineering Industry The development of electrical engineering production in the Czech Republic depended on foreign direct investment of companies which transferred production to this advantageously situated country with an adequate infrastructure and available human resources. The transformation of industry in the Czech Republic has brought significant changes. New centres of electrical engineering production were constructed due to foreign direct investment in the Czech Republic between 2000 and 2005. New production capacities were added in 2005. Foreign direct investment into more than sixty projects in NACE DL totalled EUR 2 254.6 million. The share of electrical production in revenues from the sale of products and services of the manufacturing industry in 2005 was 14.5 % (in current prices). The 2005 growth in industrial production was mainly due to electrical production. The share of computer production in the 2005 revenues from the sale of products and services in electrical production was 28.5 %. Manufacture of
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Graph 1 – Shares of sectors in revenues from the sale of products and services in 2005 DN 3.4 %
DA 10.3 %
DB 2.5 % DC 0.2 % DD 1.9 %
DM 19.3 %
DE 4 % DF 3 % DG 6 %
DH 6.4 %
DL 14.5 % DK 8.4 %
DJ 15.1 %
DI 5 %
Note: data in current prices Source: Czech Statistical Office
electrical equipment for vehicles accounted for 10.9 %, electricity distribution equipment for 9.8%, and consumer electronic apparatus for 9.6 %. The share of the electrical engineering industry in the 2005 revenues from the sale of products and services of the
manufacturing industry (in current prices) is shown in Graph 1. The 2005 exports from the electrical engineering industry amounted to EUR 13 583.1 million and accounted for 21.6 % of goods production in the Czech Republic. Computers were the most important
Table 1 – Share of industrial sectors in 2005 exports NACE
Share in exports (%)
DA
15 and 16
Manufacture of food products, beverages, and tobacco products
3.0
DB
17 and 18
Manufacture of textiles and textile products
4.2
DC
19
Manufacture of leather and leather products
0.5
DD
20
Manufacture of wood and wood products
1.4
DE
21 and 22
Manufacture of pulp, paper, and paper products; publishing and printing
2.8
DF
23
Manufacture of coke, refined petroleum products, and nuclear fuel
1.1
DG
24
Manufacture of chemicals, chemical products, and man-made fibres
5.8
DH
25
Manufacture of rubber and plastic products
4.9
DI
26
Manufacture of other non-metallic mineral products
3.3
DJ
27 and 28
Manufacture of basic metals and fabricated metal products
12.8
DK
29
Manufacture of machinery and equipment
13.0
DL
30 to 33
Manufacture of electrical and optical equipment
21.6
DM
34 and 35
Manufacture of transport equipment
18.1
DN
36
Manufacturing n.e.c.
Source: Czech Statistical Office; NACE – Statistical Classification of Economic Activities
3.7
CZECH ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND ELECTRONICS
commodity of electrical engineering exports in 2005. Computers for EUR 4 088.5 million were exported and accounted for 30.1 % of electrical engineering exports. The competitiveness of electrical engineering products can be quantified by comparison of the position of the countries with transition economy (CEFTA) on the EU market. In 2005, exports of computers from the Czech Republic to the EU countries accounted for 49.2 % of computer exports of the CEFTA countries. More than 50 % of high-tech exports are computers. The shares of the different sectors of the manufacturing industry in 2005 goods exports are shown in Table 1. The 2005 share in revenues from the sale of products and services from the electronic and electrical engineering industry are shown in Table 3.
Table 2 – Prominent entrepreneurs in the electrical engineering sector in the Czech Republic in 2005 Name
Manufacture
Website
FOXCONN CZ, Pardubice
computers
www.foxconn.cz
Panasonic AVC Networks CZ, Plzeň
colour TV receivers
www.matsushita.cz
FIC CZ, Rudná u Prahy
computers
www.fic.cz
Siemens VDO Automotive
electronic parts for automobiles
www.siemensvdo.cz
Panasonic Automotive CZ
radio-receivers for car
www.panasonic.cz/factory
Celestica CZ, Ráječko
motherboard PC
www.celestica.com
Siemens elektromotory
electric motors
www.siemens.cz
Automotive Lighting
electrical equipment for car
www.al-ghting.com
Delphi Packard Electric CZ
motor vehicle accessories
www.delphi.com
STROM Telecom
electronic communication networks
www.stromtelecom.cz
Celestica CZ, Kladno
mobile phone sets
www.celestica.com
LG.Philips Displays Technology Center
CRT TV screens
www.lgphilipsdisplays.com
KOSTAL CZ
motor vehicle accessories
www.kostal.cz
ABB CZ, Praha
electricity distribution equipment
www.abb.com/cz
TYCO Electronics CZ, Kuřim
electrical equipment for car
www.tycoelectronics.cz
KIEKERT CZ, Pardubice
automobile safety systems
www.kiekert.cz
ASUS CZ, Ostrava
computers
www.asus.com
Foreign Trade
Yazaki Wiring Technologies CZ
automobile electronic equipment
www.siemens.cz
Electronic and electrical engineering products for EUR 13 583 131 000 were exported in 2005 and accounted for 21.6% of goods exports from the Czech Republic. The share of exported computers was 6.5% and gave a boost to this country’s surplus in the trade balance.
AUTOBATERIE
automobile batteries
www.varta.cz
Moeller Elektrotechnika, Praha
electricity distribution equipment
www.moeller.com
Siemens, Praha
electronic communication networks
www.siemens.cz
Draka Kabely, V. Meziříčí
cables
www.drakakabely.cz
Andrew Communication, Brno c
cable systems, aerials
www.andrew.com
PRAKAB PRAŽSKÁ KABELOVNA
cables
www.prakab.cz
HELLA AUTOTECHNIK
motor vehicle accessories
www.hella.cz
MLS Holice
electric motors
www.leroy-sommer.com
Prospects of Electrical Engineering Development
AVX CZ, Lanškroun
tantalum chip capacitors
www.avxcorp.com
TYCO Electronics EC Trutnov
switchboards
www.tycoelectronics.com
The law on investment incentives has created conditions for a trustworthy environment for investors in the Czech
Schneider Electric, Písek
switchboards
www.schneider-electric.cz
Vishay Electronic, Přeštice
electronic components
www.vishay.com
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A N A LY S I S
Republic. The following inflow of foreign investment had a favourable influence on electrical engineering manufacturing. New centres for computer manufacturing were constructed in the Czech Republic between 2000 and 2005. Investment projects by companies include FOXCONN CZ in Pardubice, Panasonic AVC Networks CZ in Plzeň, FIC CZ in Rudná near Prague, Siemens VDO Automotive CZ in Brandýs nad Labem, Panasonic Automotive Systems CZ in Pardubice, Celestica CZ in Ráječek near Blansko, Siemens Elektromotory in Mohelnice, Automotive Lighting in Jihlava, Delphi Packard Electric CZ in Česká Lípa, and Celestica CZ in Kladno. The next stage was the creation of prerequisites for the development of technology centres and strategic services centres. The framework programme for their establishment was adopted by a government resolution. The confidence of investors, good experience, and references were important for attracting projects to these centres. The project to enlarge the technology centre for the development of colour television receivers by Panasonic AVC Networks CZ in Plzeň was one of the first projects in high-tech centres in the Czech Republic. ON Semiconductor CZ in
Commodities of the following sub-sections of the Harmonised System (HS) had the largest share in the 2005 exports of electronic and electrical engineering products: (data in thousand EUR) Automatic data processing equipment, units, readers etc. Insulated electrical wires, cables, optical fibre cables Television receivers, including combined Electric apparatus for protection of el. circuits up to 1000 v Parts of typewriters, computers; automatic data processing Electric motors, generators (excluding generator sets) Switchboards and other electrical switching apparatus Electronic integrated circuits, micro-systems Electric lighting equipment, windscreen wipers etc. for motor vehicles, bikes TV and radio transmission apparatus, TV cameras Electrical capacitors, fixed, variable, or adjustable Parts of TV and radio transmitters, receivers Parts of electric apparatus for protection of el. circuits, switchboard etc. Electric transformers, static converters, inductors Cathode tubes, camera tubes Electric accumulators including separators Electric apparatus for telephony, wire telegraphy Parts of electric motors, generators, generator sets Radiotelegraphy, radiotelephony, radio receivers Apparatus for measuring, control of flow, pressure etc, of liquids and gases Diodes, transistors Optical fibres, lenses, prisms Electrical signalling apparatus acoustic, visual (bells etc.) Regulation, control and automatic apparatus Medical, surgical, dental, veterinary instruments Insulating fitting for electrical machines/apparatus/equipment
Table 3 – Share in 2005 revenues of electrical engineering branches NACE
Commodity
3001 3002 30 3110 3120 3130 3140 3150 3160 3161 3162 31 3210 3220 3230 32 3310 3320 3330 3340 3350 33 DL
Manufacture of office machines Manufacture of computers processing equipment Manufacture of office machinery and computers Manufacture of electric motors, generators, and transformers Manufacture of electricity distribution equipment Manufacture of wire and cables Manufacture of accumulators, primary cells, and primary batteries Manufacture of lighting equipment and electric lamps Manufacture of other electrical equipment Manufacture of electrical equipment for vehicles Manufacture of other electrical equipment Manufacture electrical machinery and equipment Manufacture of electronic components Supplies of electronic communication systems Manufacture of consumer electronics Manufacture of electronic components and equipment Manufacture of medical apparatus Manufacture of measuring and regulating apparatus Supplies of automation systems Manufacture of optical instruments Manufacture of watches and clocks Manufacture of apparatus and automation equipment Manufacture of electrical and optical equipment
Organisations with 20 and more employees Source: Czech Statistical Office
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Share in revenues (%) 0.1 28.5 28.6 6.9 9.8 4.8 1.7 2.7 0.4 10.9 1.9 39.0 5.9 8.3 9.6 23.8 1.6 5.1 1.0 0.8 0.05 8.5 100.0
3 431 946 1 313 336 971 280 794 826 756 580 522 715 432 974 411 016 407 204 369 795 330 325 308 763 299 080 229 992 208 691 204 539 203 503 199 766 185 436 110 947 107 196 106 930 102 625 89 715 89 305 84 427
Rožnov pod Radhoštěm plans to enlarge its development centres in order to focus on the optimisation and transfer of manufacturing processes. The ALPS group intends to move its development activities, which are conducted for European factories in United Kingdom, to the company ALPS Electric CZ in Boskovice. This centre develops and innovates TV tuners and satellite converters. AMI Semiconductor CZ in Brno is a development centre of a multinational group focused on the design, development and testing of custommade and standard integrated circuits. ABB CZ wants to enlarge its centre in Brno, which develops high-tension switchboards, and Bang & Olufsen plans the construction of a technology centre in Kopřivnice to develop audio-video equipment. Tyco Inter national is expanding its research with a centre in Brno to develop electronic equipment for fire systems and wireless communication.
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L E G I S L AT I O N
Duties in Electrical Waste Handling in the Czech Republic Markéta Grünerová, Waste Department, Ministry of the Environment, e-mail:
[email protected], www.env.cz
The handling of electrical equipment and electrical waste in the Czech Republic is addressed by the law on waste and the relevant implementing decree. The extent and competence, and groups of electrical and electronic equipment included in the amended law on waste, are in accordance with EU directives. The regulations are to prevent electrical waste, and minimise its part in unsorted refuse, and increase recycling and other uses of electrical waste.
Main Duties
The handling of electrical waste and electrical equipment in the Czech Republic is guided by strict rules
arrangement and manner of separate collection, and separately state contribution to historical electrical equipment if the manufacturer did not do so. Ultimate sellers who are not manufacturers of the particular equipment must pass on the producer’s information about the recovery of electrical equipment, separate collection of electrical waste, and places of collection, and possible harmful influences of dangerous substances. They must ensure that the buyer can return used electrical equipment to the place of sale or delivery by "piece for piece" exchange. The sellers must state separately the contribution to historical electrical equipment if the manufacturer did not do so.
Collective Systems The fulfilment of duties in electrical waste
Selected collection systems operating in the Czech Republic Company Elektrowin a. s. EKOLAMP s.r.o. ASEKOL s.r.o. RETELA s.r.o.
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E-mail
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
Website www.elektrowin.cz www.ekolamp.cz www.asekol.cz www.retela.cz
handling in the Czech Republic is facilitated by the formation of "collective systems" for ten categories of electrical and electronical equipments : large and small household appliances, information technologies and telecommunication equipment, consumer equipment, lighting equipment, electrical and electronic instruments (except large stationary industrial devices), toys, leisure time and sports equipment, medical apparatus, monitoring and control apparatus, and vending machines. The collective systems in the form of joint-stock or limited liability companies are established on the basis of contracts between collection places, processors, manufacturers, and importers. They make contributions according to their share on the market, and put into the joint fund the negotiated amount for every piece of sold electrical equipment. The general system of handling used electrical equipment and electrical waste in the Czech Republic was launched by the entry of manufacturers and especially the operators of collection systems in the List of Electrical Equipment Manufacturers.
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photo: Karel Kopáč
The initial duty in electrical waste handling in the Czech Republic is entry in the List of Electrical Equipment Manufacturers. The duties in electrical waste handling do not apply only to electrical equipment manufacturers, but also its distributors, ultimate sellers, consumers (households), final users (other than households), processors, and operators of facilities for the recovery of electrical equipment, separate collection, use, and liquidation of electrical waste. The main duties of electrical equipment manufacturers are the financing of separate collection, take-back system from private household, recovery, processing, use, and liquidation of waste from electrical equipment of their mark. Manufacturers must provide information about the identification of components and materials to simplify electrical waste handling, and mark electrical and electronic equipment appropriately to prevent their disposal in refuse bins. Distributors who are not manufacturers of the particular equipment must provide information about the places,
CZECH ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND ELECTRONICS
Czech and Moravian Electrical and Electronic Association Contributes to Innovation and Ecological Procedure František Hýbner, Director of the Czech and Moravian Electrical and Electronic Association, e-mail:
[email protected], www.electroindustry.cz, www.retela.cz
The Czech and Moravian Electrical and Electronic Association is a business and employer union associating corporate bodies and natural persons mainly of the electronic and electrical engineering industry, and also medical equipment, information services, and companies with related production or commercial interests. Association members form a lobby to support their interests in state bodies and employer relations. The present Association activities are focused on competitiveness in European and other countries. The topical themes include innovation and industrial development and e n v i ro n m e n t a l m a t t e r s d i re c t l y influencing the electrical engineering sector.
related legislation from the last few years has been markedly influencing the activities of member organisations and thus also the secretariat of the association. The Association does not stop at the provision of information. Within the framework of the European Social Fund, it has been built, together with B-support, s.r.o., a consulting and realisation centre for eco-design, the re g i s t r a t i o n , assessment, and permitting of chemical substances, and the handling of electrical waste. The
Association has established the nonprofit subsidiary RETELA s.r.o., which operates a collection system of the recovery of electrical equipment and its liquidation in accordance with the amended law on waste. The Association asserts the interests of member organisations at the international level through its foreign partners – it is a member of ORGALIME (The European Engineering Industries Association) and the international association INTERELEKTRO. ■
Association Participates in Sector Development The Association, together with the Confederation of Industry, provides i n f o r m a t i o n a b o u t E u ro p e a n a n d national programmes of support to science and research. An example of success in this is OEZ s.r.o., which has completed the project "New Compact Circuit Breakers" for three- and fourpole breakers. Its original solution is immediately passed on to clients. Another example is VUES Brno, a.s. which coped with high-torque motors for a broad range of applications. The s o l u t i o n s w e re n e w a n d h a d a favourable environmental effect. For example, the elimination of the mechanical gearbox and reduction of the oil filling inspired a new design of devices which are environmentally friendly. An EU Directive describes this as eco-design. The Association helps its members in this, as environment-
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INVESTMENT
New Innovation Platform Is Being Born in CzechInvest What is the situation in the qualification of Czech staff, is there interest in the study of microelectronic specialisations?
Tomáš Bohrn The Czech Republic has a chance to become the Central European centre for the development of integrated circuits and systems for air and space programmes, and medical equipment. Conducive to this is to be a joint project of the CzechInvest Agency and the world’s leading firms operating in microelectronics, called ChipInvest.
What is the ChipInvest project which you introduced for the first time at the Electronic Development and Production in the Czech Republic conference in 2005? ChipInvest is to create an innovative platform for growth in our development potential in integrated circuits, control and navigation systems. It will mainly provide access to the most advanced design envirenment, funding, and markets. On the one hand, it is to serve Czech firms or development teams by providing complex support to the realisation of their projects, and on the other hand investors who are focused on the early stages of the development of firms or the transfer of new technologies. The task of CzechInvest will be facilitate the alignment of the private and public interests and funding. The objective is a network of centres to integrate specific knowledge to increase the competitiveness of the Czech Republic in a particular sector, in this case microelectronics. The task of ChipInvest as a partner is to offer innovative ideas to investors and secure their commercial use. Large investors will find ChipInvest advantageous as a valuable source of newly incubated development teams to be included in the structure of multi-national companies. On the contrary, it can help small companies with focusing the innovation potential on the achievement of the best possible position for the negotiation of strategic capital involvement.
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The Czech Republic has a large potential in view of the interest of foreign investors to transfer their development activities. A long-term purpose of ChipInvest is to help overcome this different orientation of the labour market and universities. ChipInvest should be the strong partner capable of convincing universities of the need to expand some branches of study, in our case microelectronics. We also want to create in the framework of this project a sort of exchange of grants provided by top companies to give students from the Czech Republic an opportunity to spend some time with the world’s best companies and not only with them. They could attend courses in the USA or other places where specific knowledge is at the highest level, and to use this knowledge in the Czech Republic. This could also be served by the establishment of a centre for super-standard education. Besides graduates in microelectronics, it will be oriented on professionals of other branches such as the air and space industry, medical facilities, industrial automation, forming machines, and machine tools.
A year has elapsed since the project was introduced. What is the present stage of ChipInvest? The infrastructure, especially incubation areas and teaching laboratories, is being completed so that development programmes with the first companies and research teams could get going in June 2006. Applications for participation in the development programme of Czech sub-suppliers of microelectronics will be accepted in May 2006 when it will be launched. The immediate objective is the use of the favourable spring impulse and commence the technological development of Czech companies so that they become direct suppliers to strategic projects such as the Galileo satellite system. The next step will be the creation of conditions for the Czech Republic to enter the European Space Agency (ESA) which would open access to the most prestigious orders for Czech enterprises.
Petr Beneš and Naďa Vávrová thank Tomáš Bohrn, Head of the Department of Strategic Services and New Technologies, CzechInvest, for the interview
more info: www.czechinvest.cz
E D U C AT I O N
STROM Centre Arranges University Student Research Boris Šimák, Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, e-mail:
[email protected], www.cvut.cz
Specialised Orientation of Teams STROM centrum research and activities are divided into several groups. The group of digital signal processing deals with the losses of packets in the VoIP systems to analyse the received packets and bring to the maximum the quality of voice degraded by these losses. The group of diagnostics and testing studies the methods of product testing and their implementation with a view to the quality and technical and economical parameters
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STROM telecom helps improve teaching and research at the Electrical Engineering Faculty of the Technical University in Prague
of the suggested solutions. The technical solution should include the implementation of processes with consideration for the requirements of final testing in the entire process - from the specification of the new product and its development up to serial production with emphasis on the automation and reuse in the created tests. The team for mobile technologies studies the development of mobile communications in the "classical" area (GSM, UMTS) and in particular the trends of the future applications, technologies, and services with a view to all areas of mobile communication including the convergence of networks. The main task of the Hardware research group is the collection of information about the solutions of peripheral connections of telecommunication equipment including their possible applications, testing of their properties, and the implementation of specified blocks of electronic telecommunication equipment from the circuit design up to functional samples. The Software group deals with effective mechanisms and protocols for the collection of operational
and diagnostic information, the implementation of special application protocols, and the analysis of communication protocols.
Co-operation Based on Mutual Advantageousness The co-operation of STROM telecom with experts and students of the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT-FEL) brings benefits to both parties. STROM telecom offers interesting topics for students’ qualification works and involves undergraduate ansd post-graduate students in research and development. The STROM telecom financial and material support to different projects is important for the improvement of telecommunication technologies education and research at the ČVUT-FEL. The supervision of research and development, the documentation of projects etc. enables students to master the methods of research and acquire new skills close to the conditions in the industry. ■
photo: STROM telecom archives
In the Czech Republic, a boost is being given to research at universities and conditions are being developed for applied research in co-operation with partners in the industry. Important for the stability of the research programme is a strategic partner in this co-operation. This was why STROM telecom, a.s. and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague agreed to set up an association for the establishment and operation of the Research and Development Centre (hereafter "STROM centrum", www. stromcentrum.cz). Its task is the research and development of new equipment, applications, and services in modern telecommunication technologies and support to education, research, and development at the Czech Technical University in Prague (ČVUT). The STROM centrum activity is based on the work of teams of designers headed by ČVUT specialists in co-operation with professionals from the STROM telecom company. The different projects are mainly in the hands of the undergraduate and post-graduate students of the ČVUT, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, who are supported by scholarships. STROM centrum is managed by a four-member Board of Directors and a six-member Executive Committee, and the director of the centre is responsible for its operation. In 2005, 12 undergraduate and 15 postgraduate students participated in STROM centrum projects, and their number is expected to rise in 2006.
ENTREPRISE
Czech Number One in Telecommunications
munication operators worldwide. For many years, the company has been among the 100 best Czech firms in the Comenius rating. During its existence, 2N has been awarded by many prestigious awards such as the award "Most Innovative Product" at the ExpoChannel in Birmingham.
Can you give a brief description of the company beginnings? We manufactured the first PBX in "garage conditions" in 1991. The number of lines in the sold 2N PBXs amounted to 100 000 in 1993. Soon after, 2N, already with a hundred employees, moved to a new complex. In 1998, we introduced a new generation of PBXs, 2N OMEGA, and completed an important project of a state administration voice network. 2N appeared on the list of the 100 best Czech companies the first time in 1997. A milestone came in 2000 when we exhibited at the CeBIT international fair in Hannover, which is the largest telecommunication exhibition all over the world. This paved our path to Europe and countries throughout the world. The certification of products for world markets is complicated, but we do hold the the ISO 9001:2000 quality control system including certification. The successful trend in exports continues and we have been exporting more than 80% of products to the whole world for several years.
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What were your biggest successes in 2005? We sold more than 8 000 2N EasyGates in 2005. This model was introduced on the market in September 2004 and its total sale was a record in 2N history. The sale of so many GSM Gateways in one year shows that the product is moving to the area of consumer electronics. Our partners are now requiring deliveries of some thousand gateways. Due to the response on markets in dozens of European and extra-European countries, and in expectation of massive sales, we made our first investment into a casing of our own design and large-series manufacture. The first sales surprised us and showed that our door to large-scale production was open. The GSM Gateway can serve almost anybody. It is connected to the external line port of any PBX which directs calls to the GSM network via the gateway. The usage of the GSM Gateway reduces calls to GSM networks by up to 30%.
Do you co-operate with development centres? External development has proved useful in many cases, and not only by the expansion of capacity. For example, software teams receive with the assignment the primary idea and functions required by the client. They are usually confronted with the client who logically does not mind where they write the software. Surprisingly, these people can leave their special world of objects and
2N OMEGA Lite – new exchange with direct link to the analogue ISDN, GSM and VoIP networks
photo: 2N TELEKOMUNIKACE archives
Oldřich Stejskal
2N TELEKOMUNIKACE a.s. is a purely Czech company with a wide portfolio of telecommunication products and technologies. The main series of products include PBXs, GSM and UMTS Gateways, Door and Lift communicators. Nowadays, 2N is exporting to more than 100 countries worldwide and successful distributor chains have been created in most European countries. Its main customers are mobile and alternative telecom-
CZECH ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND ELECTRONICS
methods, look at the future product with an ordinary eye and put into it their own ideas. This improves the overall ergonomics of our products and frequently gives rise to new functions which become a hit in sales. In many cases, the development centre becomes our strategic partner. An example is RYSTON Electronic.
You place emphasis on human resources. How is this reflected in practice? The 2N environment which we have created with our colleagues and collaborators makes it possible to achieve the best performance in NETSTAR – Digital branch exchange of a new generation which supports the VoIP technology a creative and friendly atmosphere. This is why we are not afraid to invest into development projects which our specialists regard as their own opportunity and which they support. This environment and the care we also devoted to door communicators. We are placing on the devote to the education of our employees allow us to tell each market the new series 2Entry Helios designed by the prominent of them that their work is important for us. Consequently, the Czech artist Ivan Dlabač. productivity of labour has been on the rise in all departments, from manufacture to marketing and dealers. What are your future objectives? In addition to the customary vertical structure of managers, Our plans are connected with the potential of our employees. divisions, and departments, our company has a strong position The 2N turnover is to increase by more than 60% in 2006 and with its project managers, who bring their product and are exceed EUR 34 million in 2008, and this depends on the responsible for its success on the market. We invested over EUR performance of employees and the productivity of labour. 72 000 into care for employees in 2005. I dare say that the Investment must go into technology and the environment of the 2N success rests on each of the 120 employees, who have linked whole company. At the beginning of 2006, the sales division their career with the idea and success of 2N. moved into our modern premises in the recently completed DVAN complex, which was opened by President Václav Klaus What novelties are you planning to introduce in during his visit in October.
2006? There are many. The innovation of all series of our products is connected with the use of IP telephony. We are introducing the new PBX 2N NETSTAR. The successful series of the 2N OMEGA PBX for small firms has been innovated and more than 10 000 had been sold before the beginning of this year. Attention was
Naďa Vávrová thanks Director General Oldřich Stejskal for the interview
www.2n.cz 15 |
WE ARE INTRODUCING
TTC TELEKOMUNIKACE – Your Partner in Safe Communication Alena Máchová, Marketing Manager, TTC TELEKOMUNIKACE, s.r.o., e-mail:
[email protected], www.ttc.cz
The history of TTC TELEKOMUNIKACE, s.r.o., a developer and manufacturer of transmission and switching devices, dates back to 1953, the year of the founding of the Telecommunications Research Institute. Following its privatisation in 1992, the Company modernised its production and established a number of subsidiaries in the next decade.
TTC Holding
Major Company Projects Telecommunication equipment supplied by the TTC Holding is used by the networks of enterprises and telecommunication operators. The most significant projects include supplies to Český Telecom, the Czech and Slovak power distribution companies, Czech Railways, Transgas, Slovtransgaz, the Army of the Czech Republic, the Army of the Slovak Republic, the Tax Administration, the Italian Railways, the Lithuanian Telecom and other clients. Cooperation with these companies is on a long-term basis. In recent years, TTC
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IP Touch Call – modern communication developed by the company
TELEKOMUNIKACE has been increasingly focusing on providing its clients with comprehensive solutions. An example of this effort is the TTC Teleport independent collocation centre (www.ttc-teleport.cz) which has been operating since 2001. It offers connectivity to the networks of all major national and inter national telecommunication operators. Operative formation of lines and access to the services of different operators and Internet Service Providers (ISP) is made possible by means of PoP points of access to the networks of Český Telecom (www. telecom.cz), Radiokomunikace (www. cra.cz), ČEZnet (www.ceznet.cz), Casablanca (www.casablanca.cz), GTS Novera (www.gtsnovera.cz), net4net (www.net4net.cz), New Telekom (www. newtelekom.cz), Selfservis (www. selfservis.cz), T-Systems PragoNet (www.pragonet.cz) and UPC ČR (www. upc.cz).
progressive tactical switching technology compatible with NATO standards. It has passed inter national tests of interoperability. In 2001, the National Security Office issued a certificate granting TTC TELEKOMUNIKACE access to classified intelligence up to the "confidential" level. TTC TELEKOMUNIKACE may thus obtain and acquaint itself with such information, or give rise to it.
Novelties for 2006 In 2006, TTC TELEKOMUNIKACE has been introducing to the market several novelties that support IP communication. A portfolio of solutions based on the IP TouchCall terminal can be used for the management of technological processes, production, storage and transport, mass communication of information, the handling of critical situations, and for preparing, organising and holding voice conferences.
Switching Technology Compatible with NATO Standards TTC TELEKOMUNIKACE is a developer of
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photo: TTC TELEKOMUNIKACE archives
The subsidiaries specialise in various areas of telecommunications and electronics. They formed the TTC Holding in 2002. The most important of the subsidiaries is TTC MARCONI s.r.o., established in 1993 as a joint venture of TTC TELEKOMUNIKACE and Marconi S.p.A. of Italy (now a part of the Ericsson group). During the twelve years of its operation on the European market, it has acquitted itself well as a system integrator and supplier of transport and access technology. In addition to the Prague headquarters, it has branches in Bratislava, Moscow, and Kiev. The Praguebased TTC TELSYS, a.s. is an important exporter of special electronic devices for lifts and measuring equipment. The TTC Holding also has agencies abroad – in Slovakia, the Russian Federation, and the Ukraine. It exports to these countries as well as to countries of the EU, Bulgaria and Romania. Almost one-quarter of its output is exported.
C Z E C H TO P
Human Resources – Forte of Panasonic Automotive Systems Czech Radek Kňava, Panasonic Automotive Systems Czech, s. r. o., e-mail:
[email protected], www.panasonic.cz/factory
Panasonic Automotive Systems Czech, s. r. o. was established in March 2001 as a subsidiary of Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., Ltd. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. The Company manufactures car radios of the Panasonic trademark - a guarantee of top quality around the globe.
Factory in a Modern Guise Manufacture in the Pardubice factory was launched in March 2002. The factory was built in the industrial zone at the cost of EUR 38.4 million. Its modern equipment includes the automated component placement department with almost 20 machines for surface mount assembly of printed circuit boards. The planned manufacture of automobile navigation systems will require a further expansion of technology.
The car radio division is a part of the Automotive Systems Europe group, which supplies audio equipment to the renowned automobile manufacturers like Toyota, VW, Audi, Honda, Suzuki, Porsche, the DaimlerChrysler concern, and newly to the TPCA automobile factory in Kolín. The annual output of the Pardubice factory is almost two million car radios. The development and testing centre is located in Neumünster, Germany, whilst the management and commercial department are based in Munich.
Employer of the Region The Pardubice factory has over one thousand employees. Many of them are highly qualified workers and past employees of former electrical engineering enterprises in the region. The Company has thus continued in the tradition of the electrical engineering industry and by training up a new generation of professionals, it partakes significantly in shaping this dynamic branch. Panasonic Automotive Systems
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Car radio manufactured for the TPCA automobile factory
Czech ranks among major employers in the region as confirmed by its third place in the 2004, 2005, and 2006 Employer of the Region rating.
Education - Company Priority The Company management lays great emphasis on education. Its latest project is an educational programme for middle managers that focuses on soft skills, English, the company culture of the
Matsushita group, and so on. This fivemonth programme includes outdoor training focused on team co-operation. The course has led to a significant rise in the motivation of its participants. In the area of technical education, the Company cooperates with the Vocational School of Electrical Engineering. 20 of its employees attend the school twice a month. Lessons include laboratory work. ■
History of Panasonic Automotive Systems Czech November 2000 – application is filed for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) licence March 2001 – Matsushita Communication Industrial Czech, Ltd., a joint venture of Matsushita Communication Industrial Co. Ltd. and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. is established March 2001 – the Company is awarded the EIA licence July 2001 – manufacture of car radios is launched on provisional premises at Opočinek near Pardubice August 2001 – the first car radio delivery is exported March 2002 – building approval and official opening of new factory April 2002 – the first supplies of GD75 mobiles phones to BOUYGUES June 2003 – the Company was renamed Panasonic Mobile & Automotive Systems Czech, s. r. o. (PMACZ) May 2006 – the Company renamed Panasonic Automotive Systems Czech, s. r. o. (PASCZ)
photo: Panasonic Automotive Systems Czech archives
Automotive Electronic Division (AED) – Car Radios
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Most Modern Television Receivers for Europe Noriyuki Yasuo, Managing Director, Panasonic AVC Networks Czech, s.r.o., e-mail:
[email protected], www.pavccz.panasonic.com
financed from the European Social Fund (ESF) and Panasonic resources. The twoyear programme has three modules focused on foremen, supervisors, and managers.
Panasonic AVC Networks Czech, s.r.o. in Plzeň (PAVCCZ) ranks among the largest and most important investments in the Czech Republic and among the largest m a n u f a c t u re r s o f T V re c e i v e r s worldwide. The factory is a subsidiary of Matsushita Electric Industrial based in Osaka. It is the second biggest Panasonic TV set manufacturer in the world after the Osaka plant.
The Japanese company has invested over EUR 143 million into the Plzeň factory since 1996. ■
Decade of the TC Receiver Factory in the Czech Republic
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products, the company is changing its technological p ro c e d u re s and management systems. It replaced the classical line manufacture with the m o re e ff e c t i v e c e l l m a n u f a c t u re . At p re s e n t , 98% of products are designed for export, mainly, to the United Kingdom, Germany, and West and East Europe.
Panasonic School PAV C C Z h a s b e e n increasing production and together with it the number of jobs. It has 3 200 employees at present and noticeable growth is expected. To s e c u re the qualification of its senior s t a ff , t h e c o m p a n y launched its own internal educational p ro g r a m m e called Panasonic School. PAVCCZ has joined t h e p ro g r a m m e "Employee in the Electrical Industry" which is co- The popular PDP and LCD television receivers manufactured by Panasonic
photo: Panasonic AVC Networks Czech archives
The main reasons for this investment in t h e C z e c h R e p u b l i c w e re a n advantageous logistic situation, qualified labour, and the planned accession of the Czech Republic to the European Union. A very important role in its realisation was the obliging investment policy of the Czech Republic and local authorities. Negotiations between the investor and Czech authorities were followed by the establishment of PAVCCZ in March 1996. The factory with a footprint of 166 000 sq. m was built within one year and was officially opened early in April 1997. The first TV set deliveries were exported to Germany. The company established its R e s e a rc h and Development Department in 1999. S e r i e s p ro d u c t i o n w a s g r a d u a l l y changed to meet demand on the market, i.e. from the original simple models (in 1997 only 25 models, 14" and 21") to the latest wide-screen sets (165 models in 2005). The production capacity increased from the initial 200 000 sets in 1997 to 1 500 000 in 2005. In response to demand, the company modified its production programme and manufactured PDP and LCD TV sets as of April 2004. The change to the popular PDP and LCD sets further increased sales. The 2005 revenues exceeded EUR 1 billion. PAVCCZ plans to double production to 2.2 million sets (PDP and LCD together) in 2006. Early in 2006, the company terminated the manufacture of vacuum sets and reoriented itself on new types of television receivers. Together with the new
C Z E C H TO P
Clever Electronics and Project of Support to Young Professionals Lenka Střálková, Public Relations Manager, ON Semiconductor, e-mail:
[email protected], www.onsemi.com
The multinational concer n ON Semiconductor is a global supplier of integrated circuits and discrete semiconductor devices, which are used in various electronic devices. The company offers innovative solutions especially in high efficiency power management for notebooks and PCs and is the industry leader in the development of edge circuit protection devices that enable the integration of highbandwidth video into portable consumer devices.
Fifty-year Tradition in the Czech Republic
Circuits for the Microsoft X-box 360 Game Console A hit of the 2005 winter season was the Microsoft X-box 360. ON Semiconductor was the chosen supplier of power management circuits for this game console and five of them are manufactured in Rožnov. The iSuppli Company estimates their 2006 sale at 10 million pieces. Another example of Rožnov production is the five-fold power stabiliser for the SONY PlayStation2,
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Visual output control of silicon plates with integrated circuit chips
which was designed in Rožnov in 2002 and is manufactured there.
Help with the Education of Young Professionals for the Semiconductor Industry The company has been systematically developing contacts with universities. One of the significant projects of the last period was the opening of a new laboratory for the design and application of integrated circuits at Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Electronics and Telecommunications. The laboratory was opened in the autumn of 2005 and ON Semiconductor supplied all of the hardware. The opening of the laboratory launched ChipInvest – a joint project of CzechInvest, the Investment and Business Development Agency and foreign firms operating in micro-
electronics. Its purpose is to contribute to the development of integrated circuit research and to the education of future professionals. The students under professional guidance will acquaint themselves with the technological process of designing semi-conductor components and learn the design of microelectronic components with the use of advanced software. The main purpose of the laboratory is to encourage talented students to work with them systematically and thus to educate the best professionals in the field of advanced microelectronic design. Company experts are participating in the education of students at several Czech universities, including Brno University of Technology, Masaryk Univesity in Brno, and Pardubice University. ■
photo: ON Semiconductor archives
The Czech companies in the ON Semiconductor group are based in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm, where they continue the more than 50-year tradition of electronic production in the former companies of Tesla Rožnov, Tesla Sezam, and Terosil. ON Semiconductor is the only company in the Czech Republic which is focused on research and development, designing new components, manufacture of silicon monocrystals and silicon wafers, and its own production of integrated circuits. ON Semiconductor supplies power management integrated circuits to many prominent blue chip companies such as Bosh, Dell, Delta, Delphi, Intel, LG, Microsoft, Nokia, Philips, Sony Ericsson, Siemens, and Samsung. With its more than 1 200 employees, ON Semiconductor Rožnov ranks among the biggest employers in the region.
RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Czech Engineers Are Scoring Points in Applications for the Automotive Industry Ivan Skalka, Director of the Czech System Center, Freescale Semiconductor ČR s.r.o., e-mail:
[email protected], Martin Mienkina, Technical Marketing Engineer, Freescale Semiconductor ČR s.r.o., e-mail:
[email protected], www.freescale.com
Co-operation with the Automotive Industry Our Czech engineers are also directly involved in the design of future studies and system concepts. The most important has been the development of "x-by-wire" demonstrations of real automotive applications. Such modern automotive subsystems (including braking, steering,
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suspension/reaction control and throttle control) are expected to result in the gradual replacement of most hydraulic lines and mechanical cables with wire-based networks, sensors, and motors. Freescale Semiconductor, BMW, DaimlerChrysler, and Philips have been working in alliance since 2000 to help to speed the adoption of FlexRay TM , a communication protocol designed to handle the growing number of digital
integration, and by preparing functional demonstrations of the "x-by-wire" subsystems.
Company Development The excellent team work and customer focus have ensured that the FCSC is considered to be one of the most advanced application teams of Freescale Semiconductor Inc. Although the Center has been gradually growing, the dominant
Functional Demonstration of the Brake-by-Wire Subsystem
elements that make up a 21st-century automobile. Over the past three years, other automotive companies, such as Bosch, General Motors, Ford, Volkswagen, Audi, and Siemens VDO have joined these leaders in an effort to make FlexRayTM the de facto standard for advanced applications in the automotive industry. Freescale Semiconductor has developed the standalone MFR4200 FlexRayTM communication controller and is currently completing the integration of the FlexRayTM communication module into S12X microcontrollers. Rožnov engineers are contributing to this effort by writing the software implementation of the FlexRayTM protocols, developing special FlexRay TM hardware modules of high
strengths are still application development and technical support for clients. Through the recently established technical marketing team, Rožnov began to play an important role in the demand creation activities of Freescale Semiconductor in the Central and East European countries. This has given our marketing engineers a unique chance to get closer to customers and to be able to listen carefully to their technical requirements. The technical requirements thus discovered together with the knowledge of the Rožnov application engineers have already been responsible for successful driving of the development of several new products of Freescale Semiconductor Inc. ■
photo: Freescale Semiconductor archives
The research and development initiatives of Freescale Semiconductor Inc., formerly known as Motorola Semiconductor Product Sector, began in the Czech Republic with the opening of the Freescale Czech System Center (FCSC) in Rožnov pod Radhoštěm in 1995. The primary activities of the FCSC, formerly known as Motorola Czech System Laboratories (MCSL), were mainly in the areas of motor control and reference designs. Thanks to the exemplary technical background and application knowledge of Czech engineers and the enthusiastic and business-oriented American and later European management, the MCSL gained in a very short time a strong position across all Motorola product sectors. The integration of the laboratories culminated in December 1997, when they were recognised as a "Motorola Worldwide Motor Control Center of Excellence". In 2004, Motorola decided to spin off the Semiconductor Product Sector, and a new independent company was formed: Freescale Semiconductor Inc. The new history of the FCSC thus began. At present the FCSC employs 65 engineers, whose activities by far exceed those of the original motor control. In addition to motor control topics, they are working in other areas such as modern connectivity, embedded software, automotive and safety systems. The goal of each technical project is not only the development of a working prototype, but also the writing of an application note, or reference design, which summarises all design steps and could serve as a starting point for the development works of our clients.
CZECH ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND ELECTRONICS
Honeywell Prague Laboratory – World Standard in Research and Development Jaroslav Doležal, Manager, Prague Honeywell Laboratory, e-mail:
[email protected], www.honeywell.com
The laboratory opened operations in 1993, as Honeywell’s first research and development activity outside the USA. The founders on the Czech side were the Academy of Sciences Institute of the Theory of Information and Automation (www.utia.cas.cz) and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague (www.fel.cvut.cz). The Laboratory is currently focused on advanced industrial applications including both process control level and supervisory level applications. The combination of theoretical knowledge and the application of specific domain knowledge are highly appreciated in the corporation, and the Laboratory is widely recognised in statistical decision support and model-based predictive control. Most of the original ideas of the Laboratory staff are already patented in the USA and elsewhere throughout the world. These include the „Cautious optimisation strategy for emission reduction, combustion optimisation with inferential sensor, visualisation and exploitation of multi-dimensional data sets."
and advanced solutions for oil, gas, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries.
Co-operation with Schools of Technology The Prague Laboratory devotes extraordinary and constant attention to technical education. Throughout its existence, it has been co-operating with the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague. This co-operation includes joint research, applied projects, and even personal links with its Department of Control Engineering and the Centre of Machine Perception of the Department of Cybernetics. Laboratory employees also serve on consultative bodies of the faculty, give lecture courses,
and lead master and doctoral thesis or supporting thesis reviews. Many students have already participated in internships with Honeywell, with several of them later joining the Laboratory as employees. The overall aim is to promote and support technical education and to motivate more young people to enter universities of technology and to choose a life-long engineering career. This high quality of technical skills and technical education were the main factors in the final decision of Honeywell to become involved in the Czech Republic. This very important factor which differentiates the Czech Republic must form the foundations of new creativeness. ■
Orientation of the Prague Laboratory An integrated solution package for power and energy applications was developed by the Laboratory team in close cooperation with Honeywell business units and its major clients. The Laboratory also coordinated the implementation and customer support phases and was given the task of fostering product development and new technology transfer to the USA and other regions. Honeywell is planning further expansion of the Prague Laboratory activity to speed up innovative product development and extend its operations to cover other application areas including energy management for buildings, intelligent video signal processing,
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RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT
Expert on Integrated Circuit Design Ondřej Hruška, Marketing Manager, ASICentrum s.r.o. Praha, e-mail:
[email protected], www.asicentrum.com
ASICentrum s.r.o. (the name is derived from Application Specific Integrated Circuits) was established in 1992. It has expanded its original focus on the designing, testing, and manufacture of integrated circuits to all other services in this area and to the development of integrated circuit applications and the sale of Mentor Graphics EDA tools. Early in 2001, ASICentrum became a part of the international SWATCH GROUP through a share acquired by E M M i c ro e l e c t ro n i c S A , a S w i s s company established in 1975 and at present a full subsidiary of SWATCH GROUP. EM Microelectronic Marin is an important manufacturer of integrated circuits. It has drawn on the experience it has in the design and manufacture of ultra-low power circuits for a number of applications for computer peripheries, automobile systems, telecommunications, industry, and health care. The annual output of EM Microelectronic Marin amounts to hundreds of millions of chips for over 150 customers in 35 countries of the world.
Specialist in Integrated Circuit Design
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Inner structure of the custom-made integrated circuit MSFF028 (technical drawing)
cryptography, process-ors, communication circuits, audio applicat-ions, and many other areas of micro-electronics. ASICentrum is also the design centre and distributor of EDA SW products developed by Mentor Graphics, a US company, in the Czech and Slovak Republics. It provides technical support for the different products and trains the development staff of various companies to use these design tools. Together with other prominent European development centres, ASICentrum is involved in the EUROPRACTICE Partnership – a programme for the design, manufacture, and testing of integrated circuits. ASICentrum has also participated in other
international projects financed by the EU. Its participation in three Copernicus projects was successful and at present, it is participating in a project entitled 4S (Smart Chips for Smart Surroundings) under the 6th Framework Programme. ASICentrum is also preparing proposals for new projects, which have not been submitted yet.
An Example of an Application Specific Integrated Circuit for Capacity Pressure Sensors Project class: mixed-mode circuit Technical aspects: capacity/frequency converter with consideration for the
photo: BD SENSOR archives
The main activities of ASICentrum are the design of application of specific and standard integrated circuits and the provision of all related services. These digital, analogue, and mixed-signal i n t e g r a t e d c i rc u i t s a re d e s i g n e d especially for very low supply voltages and have an extremely low power. This allows their use in modern products, portable equipment in particular, where low power consumption is the primary re q u i re m e n t . T h e y s e r v e m a n y prominent customers throughout the w o r l d i n d i ff e re n t a re a s o f t h e electronics industry. ASICentrum employs experts experienced in RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, which is b e c o m i n g t r u l y re v o l u t i o n a r y f o r a whole number of areas of human activity. Their expertise comprises also digital signal processing, programmable filters, low-input CMOS image sensors,
CZECH ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND ELECTRONICS
sensor's nonlinearity and temperature compensations. The application specific chip contains built-in RC-oscillators, a voltage divider, and control logic. Maximum working frequency is under 1 MHz, supply voltage +5V, chip area approximately 4.3 sq. mm. Time frame: 1998-1999 Development: Mentor Graphics EDA tools, EUROPRACTICE analogue models and standard cells libraries Prototyping: Alcatel Microelectronics 2 µm CMOS technology/EUROPRACTICE MPW run, 10 pieces in CSOIC16 package Capacity pressure sensor ME 703/704
P ro d u c t i o n t e c h n o l o g y : A l c a t e l M i c ro e l e c t ro n i c s 2 µm C M O S technology /EUROPRACTICE, flip-chip encapsulated directly on the ceramic plates of the pressure sensors Chip testing: in the Delta Test House with an average yield of 93%
Manufacturer of ME 703/704 Pressure Sensors BD SENSORS s.r.o. (www. bdsensors.com) was the author of a project sponsored by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the outcome of which was the ME 703/704
pressure sensor which incorporates a ceramic dividing membrane. The sensor measures pressure-related changes in the capacity of the electrode system, which is formed by a dividing membrane and sensor housing. It was necessary to conduct the change of the pF order capacity on a frequency signal suitable for processing by a signal processor. A reliable solution was designed in ASICentrum – the application specific integrated circuit is mounted directly on the back of the sensor casing. In contrast to the traditional arrangement of standard components, this integrated solution saves space, lowers assembly
costs, allows automated production, and increases reliability and the protection of know-how. The ME 703/704 Sensor is used in BD S E N S O R S p ro d u c t s , i n p re s s u re transmitters as well as in transmitters of the height of liquid levels. Both types are used in the food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industry and in shipbuilding. Moreover, the sensor is supplied separately to manufacturers of similar products. It contributes significantly towards the business success of BD SENSORS. ■
www.asicentrum.com 27 |
photo: ASICentrum archives
Launch of series production: in 2000, following all functionality and reliability tests which verified the faultless design of the circuit
SURVEY
Poll of Successful Firms Operating in Electrical Engineering and Electronics KOSTAL CR, spol. s r.o. Černín 89, 26 751 Zdice, phone: +420 311 653 911, fax: +420 311 653 999, e-mail:
[email protected], www.kostal.cz Turnover: approx CZK 5.2 billion – approx EUR 175 million Number of employees: 1 850 Contact: Ms Klára Matějková, e-mail:
[email protected] Exports: 90%, of which 97% to the EU countries (85% to Germany, 8 % to Italy) KOSTAL is operating in the Czech Republic through its subsidiary KOSTAL CR, spol. s r. o., which was established in 1993. Manufacture commenced in Hořovice and was expanded to the village of Čenkov in 1996. Construction of the new factory, KOSTAL Černín, started in March 2002 and it was opened in a ceremony in 2003. The KOSTAL CR factories manufacture and assemble electronic components for automobile accessories and other industrial applications. Most products go to the EU markets.
Your plant includes a technology centre. What is its focus? KOSTAL CR is building up a technology centre which participates in the development and innovation of products, concurrently with a model centre for the manufacture of prototypes. KOSTAL CR uses the CAD-/CASE instruments (such as CATIA, CATIA Solutions, Mentor Graphics) which allow high quality for the design and development of KOSTAL products.
Could you mention your most important customers and supplies to them? The most important customers include Volkswagen, DC, and Fiat, for which we make control modules under the steering wheel – steering, switching controls, airbag time switches, and electronic memory for seats. Our connectors go, for instance, to Bosch, Saia, and Delphi.
Moeller Elektrotechnika s.r.o. Komárovská 2406, 190 00 Praha 9, phone: +420 267 990 411, fax: +420 267 990 419, e-mail:
[email protected], www.moeller.cz Turnover: CZK 4.4 billion – approx EUR 147.7 million Number of employees: 1 196 Contact: Ms Jitka Pacolová, e-mail:
[email protected] Exports: Europe, Asia, Africa, America The Moeller company was founded in 1899 by Franz Klöckner, an engineer and technical innovator. In 1912, Heinz A. Moeller constructed the first oil circuit breaker in Europe and became the company’s manager and chief engineer. The company was gradually transformed into a firm specialising in low-tension circuit breakers, connectors, and industrial electronics of international significance. This transformation was completed by Gert Moeller in 1963. The 1998 merger with Felten&Guilleaume AG expanded the range of products in the high tension area and building automation. One century after its foundation, in 1999, the company changed its name from Klöckner-Moeller to Moeller.
Moeller ranks among the most important exporters in the Czech Republic. How much, where, and what especially do you export? The Moeller Group has 350 shops in almost 80 countries of the world, 19 factories and 9 500 employees. The Moeller Group is an internationally successful enterprise which manufactures and supplies components and systems for electrical installations in industry and houses.
What did 2005 bring your company? Most important was the record growth in the turnover, by 25.7% to EUR 147.7 million. The major part of the turnover came from exports to countries of the European Union, the former Soviet Union, the former Yugoslavia, and Bulgaria.
AKUMA, a.s. Nádražní 84, 293 62 Mladá Boleslav, phone: +420 326 714 111, fax: +420 326 714 488, e-mail:
[email protected], www.fiamm.cz Turnover: CZK 2.376 billion – EUR 79.7 million (in 2005) Number of employees: 488 Contact: Mr Vladimir Gerasimov, e-mail:
[email protected] Exports: for example East Europe, Asia, USA, and Poland
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AKUMA, a.s. has a more than a century-old tradition and belongs to the multi-national concern FIAMM S.p.A. The company products include starting batteries for cars and trucks, station batteries, bunched cables, and antennas for the automobile industry. AKUMA is the sole supplier of motorcycle and ship
CZECH ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING AND ELECTRONICS
batteries, and horns of the FIAMM mark. The buyers include ŠKODA, TPCA, AUDI, CITRÖEN, ČESKÝ TELECOM, EUROTEL, PEUGEOT, RENAULT, TOYOTA, VOLKSWAGEN, TATRA, ZETOR, and the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic.
the Ukraine in view of the annual supply of 14.5 million batteries and growth of 8% on these markets. AKUMA has a share of 15% on the market and a long tradition in Lithuania. Israel is its new market on which AKUMA wants to follow up the successful sale of ŠKODA-AUTO, a significant buyer of AKUMA batteries.
In which countries are you trading and which territories are most important?
What novelties are you preparing for 2006?
The most important markets are Russia, the Ukraine, Israel, and Lithuania. AKUMA must build up an adequate base in Russia and
This year it is primarily the new series of FIAMM batteries – NEW FAST.
STROM telecom, a. s. BB Centrum Budova Alfa, Vyskočilova 1461/2a, 140 00 Praha 4, phone: + 420 211 029 112, fax: + 420 241 480 870, e-mail:
[email protected], www.strom.cz Turnover: CZK 2.2 billion – approx EUR 80.2 million (in 2004) Number of employees: 1 200-plus Contact: Mr Aziz Jahič, e-mail:
[email protected] Exports: 86 %; more than 50 telecommunication networks in 14 countries, including MTS, MGTS, Callax, Telecom Srpske, Slovanet, ČEZnet, UMC The Czech company STROM telecom develops and manufactures a broad range of telecommunication equipment, information systems, and technologies. Its products are installed in more than 50 telecommunication networks in 14 countries. STROM telecom offers digital exchanges, billing systems, and solutions for Next Generation Networks (NGN).
In 2005, STROM telecom and the Faculty of Electrical Engineering of the Czech Technical University in Prague opened a research centre. What is the objective of co-operation with the Faculty? The knowledge and capabilities of technical school students show a high standard. In combination with the supervision of professionals with practical experience and high-quality research laboratory equipment they can have excellent results in the
development and testing of new telecommunication apparatus and services. We trust that work on projects connected with the internal development of our company will attract some students enough to join its staff after they have graduated.
You rank among the largest exporters in the Czech Republic. How did you attain such position on the market and which orders do you value most? The focus on exports ensues from our business – opportunity to place complex telecommunication systems in the Czech Republic are greatly limited by the size of the market and the number of operators on it. Telecommunications are experiencing a boom in the less traditional areas – in Asia, the Middle East, and the successor countries of the Soviet Union. Naturally, we also trade in the European Union and the Americas. We now regard as most prestigious the supplies of our systems to the largest Russian operators, MTS (the biggest mobile operator in Central and East Europe) and MGTS (the biggest Russian operator of fixed networks based in Moscow). Due to their huge number of clients, they are a significant reference proving the quality and performance of our solutions.
Wendell Electronics, a.s. Tovární 368, 563 01, Lanškroun, phone: +420 775 309 602, fax: +420 465 321 035, e-mail:
[email protected], www.wendell.cz Turnover: approx CZK104 million – approx EUR 3.5 million Number of employees: 70 Contact: Mr Pavel Švec Clients (country of origin): 46% Japan, 12% Germany, 12% Switzerland, 5% Norway, 4% USA Wendell Electronics is a Czech EMS company which supplies electronics for safety systems, industrial and consumer electronics, telecommunications, and the automobile industry. The company provides complete services from PCB design, to PCB Assembly, Testing, Material Procurement, Logistics and PostProduction Service. The main supplier of technologies is Siemens. The results of a poll have shown that the clients of Wendell Electronics highly appreciate effectiveness and reliability.
Could you mention your most important foreign orders?
Wendell is making automobile dashboard connecting modules for US ITT industries Inc. and mobile phones for seniors ordered by the Swiss Mobi-Click AG.
You have been included in the prestigious CzechInvest programme for support to international suppliers. What does this mean for your company? The programme will facilitate the company’s growth and allow it to concentrate on delivering a more effective service to clients. The company strives to be a strong European supplier and expects its annual growth at 40%. Due to its tradition in electrical production, good education, and a sufficient amount of money to purchase new technologies, involvement in this project gives Wendell Electronics a big chance to be an outstanding supplier of electrical equipment.
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I N F O R M AT I O N
Exhibitions and Trade Fairs in the Czech Republic in 2006 INVEX 2006 International trade fair for information and telecommunication technologies 9–13 October 2006, Brno Exhibition Grounds Veletrhy Brno, a.s., e-mail:
[email protected], www.bvv.cz
ELEKTROFEST LIBEREC Trade fair for the industrial electrical engineering, electronics, and power industry 29–30 November 2006 Centrum Babylon – Liberec Omnis Olomouc a.s., e-mail:
[email protected], www.omnis.cz/elektra
ELEKTROFEST PLZEŇ Trade fair for the industrial electrical engineering, electronics, and power industry 8–9 November 2006, Olomouc Omnis Olomouc, a.s., e-mail:
[email protected], www.omnis.cz/elektra
Official participation of the Czech Republic in international trade fairs and exhibitions abroad
ELEKTROTECHNIKA Electrical engineering trade fair 21–23 November 2006, Černá louka exhibition grounds – Ostrava BAEL – Jindřich Babarík, e-mail:
[email protected]
MOSCOW — ELEKTRO International electrical engineering trade fair 6–9 June 2006, Moscow Veletrhy Brno, a.s., e-mail:
[email protected], www.bvv.cz SHANGHAI — CeBIT International trade fair for information and telecommunication equipment 17–20 September 2006, Shanghai New International Expo Centre Deutsche Messe AG
Important Contacts MINISTRIES Ministry of Industry and Trade Ministry of Informatics
www.mpo.cz www.micr.cz
[email protected] [email protected]
www.spcr.cz www.hkcr.cz www.socr.cz www.electroindustry.cz www.apvts.cz www.catel.cz www.medtechnik.cz www.iee.cz
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
ASSOCIATIONS AND UNIONS
UNIVERSITIES Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Electrical Engineering www.feld.cvut.cz Czech Technical University in Prague, Faculty of Transport (intelligent systems of transport management) www.fd.cvut.cz Brno University of Technology, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Communication Technologies www.feec.vutbr.cz West Bohemian University, Plzeň, Faculty of Electrical Engineering www.fel.zcu.cz Palacký University, Olomouc, Faculty of Natural Sciences (OPTICS) www.upol.cz Tomáš Baťa University, Zlín, Faculty of Applied Informatics – Institute of Electrical Engineering www.utb.cz Technical University Ostrava, Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics www.fei.vsb.cz RESEARCH ORGANISATIONS AND INSTITUTES Physical Institute of the Academy of Sciences of the CR (AVČR) www.cas.cz Apparatus Equipment Institute AVČR, Brno www.isibrno.cz Radio Technology and Electronics Institute AVČR www.ure.cas.cz Thermo-mechanics and Electrical Engineering Institute AVČR www.cas.cz TECHNICAL STANDARDISATION, METROLOGY, TESTING Czech Institute of Metrology www.cmi.cz Czech Standardisation Institute www.cni.cz * TESTCOM, Prague www.testcom.cz Electrotechnical Testing Institute, Prague www.ezu.cz ČMOSA, Primary Organisation – Military Technical Institute of Electronics www.vtue.cz OTHERS *Elektrika.cz Elektrotechnika každý den (Electrical Engineering Every Day) www.elektrika.cz Elektrotechnika v praxi (Electrical Engineering in Practice) www.bael.cz ETM *Elektrotechnika on-line (Electrical Engineering on-line) www.etm.cz ELEKTROREVUE Electrical engineering journal www.elektrorevue.cz
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[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] institute isibrno.cz
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
[email protected] [email protected] [email protected] [email protected]
* The sites are only in Czech
Confederation of Industry of the Czech Republic Economic Chamber of the Czech Republic Czech Confederation of Commerce and Tourism Czech and Moravian Electrical and Electronic Association Association of Public Communication Operators Czech Association of Telecommunications Association of Medical Equipment Manufacturers and Suppliers Institution of Electrical Engineers
