Type Private Founder Gilles Benhamou Headquarters France Number of employees 5,700 | Industry EMS Industry Area served Worldwide Founded 1999 | |
 | ||
Predecessor Asteel
Flash Electronics Number of locations 18 plants, 2 R&D centers (2015) Motto Thinking globally, acting locally | ||
Asteelflash Group is a French multinational electronics contract manufacturing company specializing in printed circuit board assembly and also offering design and aftermarket services.
Contents
- History
- Overview
- Development of the service sector
- Local and low cost solutions
- Market segments
- Global footprint
- Americas
- West EMEA
- East EMEA
- APAC
- References
Headquartered in Neuilly-Plaisance, France, it is the second largest electronics manufacturing services(EMS) company in Europe and ranks among top 20 worldwide with manufacturing operations in 18 countries, totaling approximately 2 million square feet and 5,700 employees.
History
In 1999, the company was founded in Paris, France as Asteel by Gilles Benhamou. The EMS company experienced rapid growth through acquisitions. Asteel then extended its operations into North Africa and Europe and acquired new premises in both Tunisia (in Mégrine and Fouchana) and the United Kingdom (in Bedford, England).
In 2008, Asteel acquired Flash Electronics, an American EMS company founded in 1994, and developed it into a multinational company, operating since then under the name Asteelflash. In so doing, the company reinforced its global footprint with new facilities in the USA (in Fremont, California) and in China (in Suzhou, Jiangsu).
In 2012, Asteelflash acquired American Catalyst Manufacturing Services, Inc. with plants in Raleigh, North Carolina and in Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Hoping to establish a permanent foothold in the European market, Asteelflash acquired French TES Electronic Solutions in 2011 and German EN ElectronicNetwork in 2012.
Ranking No. 2 in Europe and among top 20 worldwide, Asteelflash's competitors are industry heavyweights such as: Flextronics (Singapore), Jabil (United States) or Foxconn (Taiwan), Benchmark (United States), Plexus (United States) and European leader Zollner (Germany).
Overview
The EMS industry emerged as electronics manufacturing stopped being handled by in-house assembly and original equipment manufacturers OEMs started to outsource their manufacturing work. As an EMS company, Asteelflash Group manufactures electronic products for customers such as OEMs. Its core competency is the assembly of electronic components and printed circuit boards using both the through-hole technology and the surface-mount methodology.
As technology became more complex, electronics manufacturing required specialized skills, dedicated experts and new, costly to run, high-tech equipment. Specializing in economies of scale, providing state-of-the-art technological expertise, and easing human resource management, EMS companies became business partners that allowed customers to focus on their core business.
By pooling the customers’ needs, and implementing centralized purchasing, EMS companies are able to set up cost- and time-effective supply chain solutions and to provide their customers with the best products at the best price. Being a low-margin business, the EMS industry’s profitability is closely linked to economies of scale and the creation of added value.
With more and more companies going global nowadays, EMS companies with a global footprint are able to address their customers’ needs worldwide in close proximity to their regional markets.
Development of the service sector
By providing customers with design and new product development services, contract manufacturers make for immediately (mass-) manufacturable and testable products, optimizing costs and time frames. It is not uncommon for engineering and design departments to conceive flawed products involving already obsolete parts and thus requiring indispensable but time consuming and costly updates.
Such value added services are key to efficiency-improvements.
Aftermarket services such as warranty, repairs, updates and obsolescence management have also become an essential part of the so-called “full solutions” that EMS companies often offer.
Local and low cost solutions
Asteelflash Group decided on an external growth strategy in order to meet its customers’ needs around the world in close proximity to their regional markets. For high-mix, low-volume customers, moreover, proximity is usually given priority over costs. At the same time, Asteelflash also worked on opening local, low cost facilities meant to absorb mass production items once the running-in period is over.
The geography of manufacturing is evolving very quickly, and today’s low cost facilities will become less competitive. At the same time, their emerging internal market will take over the traditional demand for low cost services and, taking advantage of the proximity, turn it into a conventional one.
Market segments
Global footprint
Asteelflash has manufacturing operations in eight countries on four continents, totaling 18 plants, approximately 2 million square feet manufacturing surface and 5,700 employees.
Asteelflash Group demarcated its global footprint into four geographical divisions, listed below.
Americas
West EMEA
East EMEA
329,000 ft2, 700 employees