On 1 April 2014 LPKF will open a service and sales subsidiary office in Seoul, Korea, which will be just in time to complement the company’s participation at the SMT/PCB & Nepcon Korea Trade Show that takes place in the city from 2 to 4 April.
LPKF is one of the world’s leading providers of laser systems for the production of electronic components. Around 70 percent of the company’s sales are generated in Asia. South Korea joins China and Taiwan as one of the Garbsen, Germany-based laser specialist’s key markets.
The company is already present in China with seven service and sales locations. South Korea has been managed up until now through distributors. The flourishing business in South Korea has now led to the decision to secure direct access to the market there. “We already have an installed base of more than 300 LPKF systems in South Korea,” explained Dr. Ingo Bretthauer, CEO of LPKF AG. “Starting in 2014, we will be able to serve our customers locally with our own service and sales team.”
Peter Birkner has been appointed to the position of CEO of the new subsidiary. He will develop the business at the Seoul location. Birkner has previously successfully established customer service and sales support for a German solar company. He and his team of currently eight technicians and engineers recently completed training at LPKF’s headquarters in Garbsen, near Hannover, Germany. The goal is to have some 20 qualified service and sales employees on site by next year.
At the important SMT/PCB & Nepcon Korea Trade Show LPKF will present the UV laser MicroLine 2120 Si for depaneling of PCBs. The company will also showcase the LPKF Fusion3D 1500 production system, the prototyping solution composed of an LDS paint (LPKF ProtoPaint LDS), the ProtoLaser 3D prototyping laser, and the ProtoPlate LDS instant metallizer.