MEMS Executive Congress Europe 2014
 

Keynote Speakers



Rudi De Winter
Chief Executive Officer, X-FAB Group


Rudi De Winter, CEO of X-FAB Silicon Foundries, is responsible for guiding the company’s Research & Development, Marketing, Sales and Quality efforts worldwide. With 25+ years of experience in the electronics and semiconductor industries, he served as CEO of Melexis N.V. for 15 years. Previously, Mr. De Winter held positions as a development engineer at Mietec Alcatel (Belgium) and as development manager at Elmos GmbH. Since 1990, he also has served as director of Xtrion N.V., the main shareholder of X-FAB Silicon Foundries N.V. Mr. De Winter holds a degree in Electronic Engineering from the University of Gent (Belgium).

Risks & opportunities in Developing MEMS Business

Many innovative MEMS-enabled electronic products such as smart phones, tablets, pico-projectors, vehicle stability systems or medical diagnostic devices introduced in the past few years have made our lives more convenient, safer and sometimes even more fun, opening exciting market opportunities in the MEMS arena. MEMS innovation often originates from small companies, start-ups or universities that outsource the volume manufacturing of their devices to foundries. However, the traditional CMOS foundry model, which relies on standardization for high-volume manufacturing output, simply does not work for MEMS manufacturing. Instead, MEMS manufacturing must support diversification, smaller volumes and the need for dedicated equipment. This keynote speech addresses the commercial, technical, manufacturability, market and investment risks in developing MEMS business, and explores how to overcome them to reap rewards. It looks at opportunities and explains how a MEMS foundry can help foster innovation and drive success for a MEMS-enabled life. 






Klaus Meder
President of Automotive Electronics, Robert Bosch GmbH


Klaus Meder has been President of Automotive Electronics of Robert Bosch GmbH since January 2012. He was born on 24th of January 1962 in Darmstadt, is married and has no children.  He studied telecommunications and electronics at the University of Darmstadt. Klaus Meder was awarded a dregree in telecommunications and electronics in 1987.

Career stages in the Bosch Group:
1987 - Engineer, Automobile Equipment 9, Schwieberdingen
1992 - Manager, Automobile Equipment 1, Schwieberdingen
1996 - Vice President Engineering, Bosch Electronics Corporation, Japan
2001 - Business Unit Manager, Chassis Systems, Abstatt
2004 - Business Unit Manager for Chassis Systems Management worldwide, Chassis Systems, Abstatt
2005 - Executive Vice President Engineering, Chassis Systems Control, Abstatt
2011 - Executive Vice President Engineering, Automotive Electronics Division, Reutlingen
2012 - President, Automotive Electronics Division, Reutlingen


MEMS and Our Connected World

We live in a connected world. From automobiles and smartphones to gaming devices and ‘smart home’ systems, the products on which we depend are connected wirelessly to the Internet, to wireless sensor networks, and to one another. All these products rely on MEMS sensors.

Bosch – as a pioneer of MEMS sensors – has driven their proliferation from the automotive world into the consumer electronics field. Today, cars have up to 50 MEMS sensors, and smartphones up to a dozen different sensors. Now, at the dawn of the Internet of Things and smart wearable devices, MEMS sensors are also becoming critically important to all kinds of connected devices.

CE MEMS sensors from Bosch Sensortec are already enabling the connected world in some intriguing ways not only in smartphones but also in smart, connected fitness devices; white goods; remote controls; gaming consoles and more.

Leveraging its component technology to further pursue this connected world, Bosch founded Bosch Connected Devices and Solutions (BCDS) in 2013. BCDS will provide networked sensors and actuators for the next chapter of the MEMS success story: the Internet of Things and Services and wearable devices. 

Through this combination of sensors and software, many new applications will enhance the quality of our lives by lending greater intelligence to the devices on which we rely.. The target is to create wirelessly connected, multifunctional, smart sensors with extremely low energy consumption, which can be integrated with home intrusion-detection systems, inventory tracking devices, industrial equipment, HVAC systems, and other ‘smart’ applications. 

With Bosch’s strong background in miniaturization, BCDS will also support customers integrating these smart sensors directly into their own products. Here, BCDS can both exploit Bosch’s extensive sensor hardware know-how, and tap the sensor software and application expertise of Bosch Sensortec. 

BCDS has already developed an intrusion-detection application based on a connected door-and-window sensor system. This is just an example of the activities that will bring all the things that people use in their everyday lives online, gradually merging together the real and virtual worlds.

Today the future of our connected world seems limitless. With more than 125 years of making complex systems possible, Bosch will be there every step of the way, to ensure that we gain more than we ever imagined from our connected world.