Hexagon’s Manufacturing Intelligence division and Altium have entered a strategic partnership which aims to help the design and manufacturing of electronics be more environmentally sustainable.
The partnership aims to combine Hexagon’s expertise in utilising data from design and engineering, manufacturing and metrology with Altium’s competence in PCB design and electronics supply chain intelligence, to help companies understand the impact of product development decisions on the sustainability of electronics and smart products.
Nearly every industry today faces increased pressure to reduce its carbon footprint and energy consumption, improve the recyclability of products, and conform to many additional regulatory requirements.
Every industry today faces pressure to decrease its carbon footprint but, Hexagon and Altrium said, achieving such shifts in the electronics industry is particularly challenging given the complexity of global supply chains and operations, as well as the products themselves.
Hexagon and Altium’s partnership recognises the significant impact that the electronics industry has on the environment and the fact that almost no solutions exist to manage sustainability performance across this ecosystem.
The two companies, therefore, decided to join forces to introduce new tools and solutions which aim to support the industry in becoming more sustainable.
The partnership will integrate Hexagon’s Nexus platform and the Altium 365 platform to address four key areas: manufacturing sustainability, design for sustainability, fostering innovation and enterprise solutions.
Hexagon and Altium said the partnership is wide-ranging, with developments planned throughout 2023 and beyond, with initial solutions focusing on reducing eWaste through carbon dioxide impact tracking and recyclability improvements made available through Hexagon’s Nexus digital reality platform and the Altium 365 platform electronics product design platform that unites PCB design, MCAD, data management, and teamwork.
“IPC congratulates Altium and Hexagon on their partnership enhancing sustainability,” said industry standard IPC group CEO John Mitchell.
“Altium’s expertise in PCB design and supply chain, combined with Hexagon’s metrology and analytics capabilities, strengthens the company’s position as a leading authority for the electronics industry on environmental sustainability and a valued partner in IPC initiatives, including our soon-to-be-announced Sustainability Leadership Council.”
“Sustainability is a key talking point on the executive agendas of nearly every company in our industry,” says Altium chief ecosystem officer Ted Pawela.
“Our partnership with Hexagon will enable real progress in tracking and reporting – and most importantly – an improvement on the key sustainability metrics that our customers need to address. We look forward to ongoing collaboration with IPC and Hexagon to help create a more sustainable future for our industry.”
“Sustainability is a top priority for Hexagon,” says Parth Joshi, chief product and technology officer of Hexagon’s manufacturing intelligence division.
“We are excited to work with Altium and to be leveraging their electronics expertise and software to provide richer solutions to our customers. Together, we have a vision to change the way sustainability is viewed, implemented, and adopted in the electronics industry. We are committed to developing and implementing sustainable manufacturing processes and open digital technologies that will help our customers to address inefficiencies, reduce their carbon footprint, and adopt a circular economy.”
