FCI Microconnections becomes Linxens and expands its offering in flexible etched circuits
Announcing the launch of the new company at the CARTES & IDentification trade show in Paris, Christophe Duverne, CEO of Linxens, said: “The creation of Linxens represents the start of an exciting new era in our 30-year history. Our roots as a company go back to the early 1980s, when the FEC for smart card was created to meet the challenge of inter-connecting the first commercial IC cards with electronic readers. Since then, we have become a leader in the FEC market around the world, producing over 37 billion FECs for smart cards and introducing a host of innovative products for applications such as SIMs, dual-interface banking cards, electronic ID. By becoming a standalone company, we will further strengthen our focus on customers’ needs, while maintaining our R&D efforts in developing new products.”
Commenting on the choice of the company name, Christophe Duverne said: “The name Linxens highlights the key role we play in linking smartcards with readers, users with applications, and our customers with their markets. Along with our new tagline, ‘access to excellence’, it also highlights our unique know-how and passion for quality and innovation that we put at the service of our customers to deliver reliable and robust flexible circuits.”
The new company will benefit from the extensive manufacturing and R&D facilities established by FCI Microconnections. These include fully integrated, automated reel to reel production plants in France and Singapore, and a newly opened inspection unit in China. With a truly global operation, the company has achieved a turnover of €200 million in 2010, with 61% of sales generated in Asia. Under the terms of a sales agreement signed on October 30 2011, 70% of shares in Linxens will be held by Astorg Partners and 30% by Bain Capital.
This new independence will enable the company to serve new markets with products that were not considered as the main focus of the FCI group, and for which R&D was not seen as a priority.
Visit Linxens at www.linxens.com
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