Antolin, a tier 1 supplier of technology solutions for automotive
interiors; WalterPack, an Antolin partner and global In-Mold-Decoration (IMD)
leader; and e2ip technologies, In-Mold-Electronics technology
innovator and Human Machine Interface partner to the world’s largest medical,
aerospace, industrial, transportation and appliance OEMs, have today announced
the establishment of the In-Mold-Electronics (IME) Alliance, a global
initiative focused on IME technology and manufacturing.
In-Mold Electronics (IME) is a manufacturing process that integrates
printed and component electronics directly into the structural surface of the
product during the automated molding phase, enabling seamless integration of
functionality and design. Another benefit of this technology is its
sustainability: using the product’s existing structure and material (e.g., a
door panel) to incorporate functional electronics within the structural surface
reduces the eco-footprint of the component.
Through this alliance, e2ip, Antolin and WalterPack become
the first fully integrated IME solution providers for the automotive industry
with control of all elements of this technology from intellectual property to
integrated manufacturing (printing, high pressure forming, injection molding),
lighting and advanced electronics. Antolin and WalterPack are leveraging
decades of global high-volume partnerships with the automotive industry’s
largest OEMs to industrialize and directly deliver IME technology, that Antolin
now fully controls through the new alliance.
Antolin has selected e2ip’s foundational Smart Structural
SurfacesTM IME technology and
patent portfolio as its primary platform to deliver In-Mold-Electronics smart
parts to the automotive industry. e2ip has also designated Antolin
as its primary partner for the automotive industry. The companies will offer a
global manufacturing network to make IME available globally from ideation to
fabrication within a single integrated industrial infrastructure. WalterPack
produces in Spain and Mexico, while e2ip has facilities in Morocco
and Canada, and Antolin boasts a worldwide manufacturing network with 130
plants across 25 countries.
“As a Tier-1 partner to the automotive industry, Antolin will fully
leverage the alliance with WalterPack and e2ip to deliver directly
to OEMs transformative smart surfaces with IME solutions, lighting and other
functions that will seamlessly integrate into the most advanced trims”, said Javier
Villacampa, Group VP Innovation and Sustainability at Antolin. “The world’s
leading automotive OEMs have been working with Antolin for decades and they
trust us to deliver cutting-edge and cost-efficient components on the market.
Our customers can now work with a single integrated source for IME, from design
to manufacturing”, said Villacampa.
“WalterPack has chosen e2ip’s technology and partner
eco-system as we believe this company is uniquely positioned to lead the
transition to lower eco footprint, more reliable, user-friendly, and more
affordable control interfaces we will all use in our everyday lives.
WalterPack’s decades of experience in surface forming and structural injection
coupled with e2ip’s printed electronics, lighting, engineering, and
design experience provides a fully integrated highly scalable manufacturing and
technology infrastructure to meet global market demand for IME Smart Structural
SurfacesTM and IME smart parts.
With this alliance, WalterPack will be able to keep on independently offering
to its customers leading innovative technology”, said Miguel Bernar Borda,
Founder and President of WalterPack.
The IME manufacturing methodology has been taught in universities for
years and is the focus of global patents going back decades. e2ip’s
foundational IME patents date back to 2008. “Following years of additional
research performed by e2ip technologies and the National Research
Council of Canada (NRC), it is now time to move into the mainstream of the
finest automotive products through this unique alliance between Antolin and the
IME foundational patent team, the NRC and e2ip technologies”, said
Eric Saint-Jacques, CEO of e2ip technologies.
“Antolin and WalterPack are leading the way towards a safe, trustworthy,
and reliable ecosystem of partners to deliver the IME Smart Structural SurfacesTM
of the future directly to automotive OEMs”, added Saint-Jacques.
In cooperation with its OEM customers, Antolin and WalterPack also aim
to integrate other IME technologies and partners to broaden its solutions
portfolio. Additionally, e2ip technologies is also actively working
on a global automotive licensing model, that greatly reduces IME economic
barriers and facilitate the adoption of this technology by other Tier 1
Automotive providers. Antolin, WalterPack, and e2ip are dedicated to
this strategy because they consider it to be the most effective for automakers,
who serve as the industry’s anchor tenants and require diverse Tier-1
manufacturing partners and technology providers.
