2021 was a record year for Trymax Semiconductor Equipment B.V.; an all-time high. Despite the problems we encountered due to COVID-19, the order intake was very high. When COVID-19 appeared early in 2020, many companies were forced to look at their internal situation, especially their spare capacity, but also to the worldwide market situation. It was a period to decide on wait-and-watch to make drastic changes.
By the end of Q4 2020, it was clear that there would be a new way of working, i.e., whenever possible work-from-home and limited presence in traditional offices. What many people thought would be impossible, was made possible in only a few months. However, employees working from home required laptops, printers, scanners, and faster communication. All this generated a higher demand for components but in different market segments. Working from home, away from the avalanches in the office, made people also realize that quality of life (the balance between working hours and private time) is important, the environment is important, the climate protection is important e.g., electrical vehicles, this created a surge in market demand.
Trymax benefitted from this changing and increasing demand and we’ve seen a strong increase in IC-analog (RF filters and 5G) and discrete (power electronics) devices. Besides the change in markets, we’ve also gained more recognition in the market and supplied multiple tools to major OSATs, foundry services, and IDMs. In December 2021, to cope with the increase in demand for systems, Trymax moved to a new building that has more than two times the square meters of manufacturing space than its previous location.
At the same time, with multiple orders, it has been very challenging to bring out the creativity and out-of-the-box actions required due to the continuously changing environment. Multiple COVID-19 waves, a cyber-attack at a major supplier, and a shortage of components imposed risk to manage multiple orders at the same time. Hats off to the Trymax manufacturing, logistics, planning and customer support team to have satisfied all our customers.
As the COVID-19 virus is mutating, I’m convinced that 2022 will be another year in which we have to demonstrate our ability to adapt to situations and deliver our targets on time. Finally, I would like to share, on behalf of the whole Trymax team, our sincere sympathy to all who have encountered personal inconvenience caused by the COVID-19 virus. For now, stay safe!
