Swissbit opens electronics production facility in Berlin

New technology trends, such as growing digitalisation and increased networking of devices in the Internet of Things, are driving the demand for memory and embedded IoT solutions. Secretary of State, Dr Frank Nägele, took part in the reception at the high-tech factory in the CleanTech Business Park in Berlin-Marzahn. Swissbit is set to increase the number of jobs in development and production from 200 to up to 300 by 2023.

Taking just over a year to construct, the factory has been in operation since October 2019 with complex precision manufacturing of the latest memory and security modules for industrial use. The plant boasts almost 2,600m2 of dedicated production floorspace. Swissbit is ideally positioned for growth markets, supplying the latest generation flash memory solutions and innovative security products for embedded IoT applications, including memory modules with integrated chips for authentication and data encryption. 

Digitalisation will increase the demand for industrial memory products for industrial, Netcom, automotive (for example autonomous driving) and medical applications. Furthermore, increased networking of devices in the Internet of Things is seeing a dramatic rise in the requirements for the protection of data and devices and thus the demand for smart security products for embedded IoT solutions. Counterfeit protection for cash registers, which will be mandatory in Germany from 2020, is one of the application areas of the new Swissbit solution.

At the opening event, a tour of the facility offered guests an insight into the latest manufacturing technology and processes. In future, Swissbit will also offer access to its technology and processes to other developers of high-tech products as a service. This includes highly automated production equipment for assembly and connection technology for highly integrated electronics products, with placement capacities of, for example, 80,000 components per hour (cph). 

With continuous 300mm wafer handling and advanced 3D packaging capabilities, Swissbit delivers future-proof technologies that only a few companies globally have mastered in this form. In total, Swissbit invested €20 million into the expansion and construction of the new production facility.

Silvio Muschter, CEO of Swissbit, said: “At our new manufacturing site in Berlin, we are able to showcase our state-of-the-art advanced packaging technologies and demonstrate the precision we achieve for the production of our highly integrated packages and memory modules. Normally, to experience similar facilities in action you would need to fly to Asia. 

“Swissbit products have always been and will remain ‘Made in Germany’. Our plant in Berlin has it all: skilled developers, proven experience and the latest equipment. We’re excited to be close to an important developer and start-up scene and thrive on the cooperation opportunities with local research and educational institutions that the location offers. We have already been actively fostering our involvement in these communities since 2002 and want to continue expanding – and that includes the creation of new high-tech jobs here in Berlin.”