Facing the Future: The Role of 5G and Beyond in Shaping PCB Demand
It’s Only Common Sense: Stop Pitching, Start Listening
Trouble in Your Tank: Causes of Plating Voids, Pre-electroless Copper
Atotech Acquires J-KEM International
August 5, 2019 | AtotechEstimated reading time: 2 minutes
Atotech has acquired J-KEM International, based in Rosersberg, Sweden. J-KEM is a global supplier of high-quality chemical products and processes for the printed circuit board and general metal finishing industries. J-KEM’s strong technology and customer relationships complement Atotech’s product portfolio and will help expand addressable markets and drive future growth.
All existing services of J-KEM’s have been seamlessly continued by Atotech, effective August 1st. Additionally, J-KEM’s customers now have full access to Atotech’s regional and global product development, production and technical support capabilities, including its world class and accredited material science and analytical services.
Geoff Wild, Atotech’s Chief Executive Officer, commented, “We are thrilled to add J-KEM’s strong products and technologies to Atotech. We see substantial opportunities to further grow our business with this set of new and excellent products. In particular, J-KEM brings to us a graphite process that gives superior performance, an accelerator-free system in collaboration with an EDTA electroless copper process, as well as a palladium-based direct metallization process. These additional capabilities will help expand our reach into exciting growth markets like flex-PCBs and exotic materials. J-KEM’s strong reputation for technical performance fits well with our unique solution-based approach that combines a comprehensive offer of proprietary process chemicals and equipment with best local service.
“This acquisition is representative of our strategy to drive growth and expand the scope of our technology so we can address a greater share of the market. We will continue to look for opportunities that make us a more important partner to our customers.”
Johan Lundqvist, J-KEM’s Chief Executive Officer, added, “We are pleased J-KEM is joining the Atotech family, as it makes sense for both sides. J-KEM will contribute to Atotech’s portfolio, and existing J-KEM customers will benefit from Atotech’s best-in-class service. We look forward to being part of the Atotech team.”
About Atotech
Atotech is a global leader in surface-finishing solutions. Through a comprehensive systems-and-solutions approach, the company delivers chemistry, equipment, and service to support diverse industries such as consumer electronics, especially mobile devices and computers; global automotive; communication infrastructure; and many other industrial end-markets. Atotech’s relentless R&D efforts and global TechCenter presence allows it to deliver pioneering and sustainable products combined with unparalleled on-site customer support—making Atotech a critical partner to over 8,000 customers worldwide. Atotech is a team of 3,800 experts in over 40 countries generating annual revenues of $1.2 billion (2018). Atotech has manufacturing operations across Europe, the Americas, and Asia and its headquarters is in Berlin, Germany.
Share on:
Suggested Items
RF PCB Design Tips and Tricks
05/08/2025 | Cherie Litson, EPTAC MIT CID/CID+There are many great books, videos, and information online about designing PCBs for RF circuits. A few of my favorite RF sources are Hans Rosenberg, Stephen Chavez, and Rick Hartley, but there are many more. These PCB design engineers have a very good perspective on what it takes to take an RF design from schematic concept to PCB layout.
Trouble in Your Tank: Causes of Plating Voids, Pre-electroless Copper
05/09/2025 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankIn the business of printed circuit fabrication, yield-reducing and costly defects can easily catch even the most seasoned engineers and production personnel off guard. In this month’s column, I’ll investigate copper plating voids with their genesis in the pre-plating process steps.
Elephantech: For a Greener Tomorrow
04/16/2025 | Marcy LaRont, PCB007 MagazineNobuhiko Okamoto is the global sales and marketing manager for Elephantech Inc., a Japanese startup with a vision to make electronics more sustainable. The company is developing a metal inkjet technology that can print directly on the substrate and then give it a copper thickness by plating. In this interview, he discusses this novel technology's environmental advantages, as well as its potential benefits for the PCB manufacturing and semiconductor packaging segments.
Trouble in Your Tank: Organic Addition Agents in Electrolytic Copper Plating
04/15/2025 | Michael Carano -- Column: Trouble in Your TankThere are numerous factors at play in the science of electroplating or, as most often called, electrolytic plating. One critical element is the use of organic addition agents and their role in copper plating. The function and use of these chemical compounds will be explored in more detail.
IDTechEx Highlights Recyclable Materials for PCBs
04/10/2025 | IDTechExConventional printed circuit board (PCB) manufacturing is wasteful, harmful to the environment and energy intensive. This can be mitigated by the implementation of new recyclable materials and technologies, which have the potential to revolutionize electronics manufacturing.