MUNICH – ASMPT has reorganized its SMT Solutions segment in the Americas (USA, Canada, Mexico and Brazil), adding a new division between the North and South America regions.

The division of the business, which was previously managed centrally from Suwanee, GA, will allow the company to its market focus to better meet the specific needs and requirements of the different markets, ASMPT said in a release.

The company said the markets in Mexico and Brazil differ from those in the USA and Canada, with mainstream solutions for the high-volume production of consumer goods, computers and automotive electronics being the main drivers in Mexico and Brazil, while the Canadian and USA markets focus more on innovative and customer-specific advanced packaging solutions for high-mix production and on the development of special products for medical technology, the aerospace and defense industries, as well as industrial electronics.

"Serving these different market requirements required an operational separation of the Americas organization, which had previously been centrally coordinated from Suwanee, GA," said Josef Ernst, CEO of ASMPT SMT Solutions. "Splitting the areas of responsibility allows ASMPT to focus on the specific needs of the markets in North and South America in a more targeted manner."

Ramon Hernandez is responsible for Mexico and Brazil, and Alexander Hagenfeldt is in charge of the USA and Canada. Backoffice and support operations in the Americas will remain largely unchanged under the leadership of the previous managers. Hernandez has in-depth technical knowledge and 23 years of experience from holding various positions in the electronics industry. As a sales representative, he learned about testing, inspection and AOI systems along with other key technologies. At ASMPT, Hernandez developed successful market strategies as the general manager for Mexico and made the business a key revenue driver within the Americas.

Hagenfeldt has been with ASMPT for 13 years and has held various positions within the Technical Solutions Marketing team and Service EMEA. He is well known in the industry for his extensive experience working with electronics manufacturers around the world and his visionary strategies for customer-focused hardware and software solutions for semiconductor and electronics manufacturing.

"I am convinced that this targeted market alignment with clearly assigned responsibilities will enable us to serve our customers throughout the Americas even more effectively while allowing us to become more competitive and to keep growing successfully," said Ernst.