Elma Electronic
Encyclopedia
Elma Electronic is a publicly traded Swiss electronics company founded in 1960 and based in Wetzikon
, Switzerland
. The company has 5 product divisions: Systems Platforms, Backplanes, Enclosures & Components, Rotary Switches, and Cabinet Enclosures. The largest segment is systems packaging solutions serving the military, aerospace, homeland security, medical and industrial markets. The Elma Bustronic division develops backplane
s, including VME320, which was the world's fastest VME
backplane in 1997. Elma Bustronic also develops backplanes in OpenVPX
, VMEbus
, VME64X, CompactPCI
, MicroTCA, and custom bus structures. Elma is an executive member of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group, VME International Trade Association, and member of the OpenVPX Industry Working Standards Group.
with the foundation of Elma Electronic AG in Munich
. In 1970 the company relocated from Moenchaltorf to Wetzikon
. In 1974 Elma became a wholly owned Subsidiary of Sulzer
. Sulzer divested Elma in 1996 and in the same year Elma held its first Initial public offering
.
Elma’s locations include Wetzikon, Fremont, California
, Lawrenceville, Georgia
, Warminster, Pennsylvania, Pforzheim
, Tel Aviv
, Villemoirieu
, Bedford
, Bucharest
, Singapore
and Shanghai
. In 1985 and 1990 Elma founded American subsidiaries: Elma Electronic Inc. and Elma Bustronic (both based in Fremont, California). Subsidiaries in France, Israel, Romania and England were established in 2000, a subsidiary in China in 2004. In the same 2004 Elma acquired Optima EPS (Lawrenceville, Georgia) and Mektron Systems (England). In 2009 Elma acquired ACT/Technico (Warminster, Pennsylvania).
Elma enclosures are centered around 19” and 23” Eurocard specification, primarily for VME/ VME64x, CompactPCI, VXS/VPX, VXI/PXI, AdvancedTCA/MicroTCA and other architectures. Elma supplies these products either pre-assembled or un-assembled. Elma is currently an Executive Member of the PICMG consortium
Wetzikon
Wetzikon is a municipality in the district of Hinwil in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Wetzikon has an area of . Of this area, 42.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 17.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 27.9% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. The company has 5 product divisions: Systems Platforms, Backplanes, Enclosures & Components, Rotary Switches, and Cabinet Enclosures. The largest segment is systems packaging solutions serving the military, aerospace, homeland security, medical and industrial markets. The Elma Bustronic division develops backplane
Backplane
A backplane is a group of connectors connected in parallel with each other, so that each pin of each connector is linked to the same relative pin of all the other connectors forming a computer bus. It is used as a backbone to connect several printed circuit boards together to make up a complete...
s, including VME320, which was the world's fastest VME
VMEbus
VMEbus is a computer bus standard, originally developed for the Motorola 68000 line of CPUs, but later widely used for many applications and standardized by the IEC as ANSI/IEEE 1014-1987. It is physically based on Eurocard sizes, mechanicals and connectors , but uses its own signalling system,...
backplane in 1997. Elma Bustronic also develops backplanes in OpenVPX
OpenVPX
OpenVPX is an Industry Working Group of 28 defense contractors. OpenVPX was founded by Mercury Computer Systems in January 2009. The OpenVPX Industry Working Group has provided new standards which will replace replace VME and VXS standards in future defense designs.On October 19, 2009, the OpenVPX...
, VMEbus
VMEbus
VMEbus is a computer bus standard, originally developed for the Motorola 68000 line of CPUs, but later widely used for many applications and standardized by the IEC as ANSI/IEEE 1014-1987. It is physically based on Eurocard sizes, mechanicals and connectors , but uses its own signalling system,...
, VME64X, CompactPCI
CompactPCI
A CompactPCI system is a 3U or 6U Eurocard-based industrial computer, where all boards are connected via a passive PCI backplane. The connector pin assignments are standardized by the PICMG US and PICMG Europe organizations. PICMG stands for PCI Industrial Computers Manufacturers Group...
, MicroTCA, and custom bus structures. Elma is an executive member of the PCI Industrial Computer Manufacturers Group, VME International Trade Association, and member of the OpenVPX Industry Working Standards Group.
History
Elma was established in 1960 in Moenchaltorf as a sole proprietorship. In 1965 it expanded operations into GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
with the foundation of Elma Electronic AG in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. In 1970 the company relocated from Moenchaltorf to Wetzikon
Wetzikon
Wetzikon is a municipality in the district of Hinwil in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.-Geography:Wetzikon has an area of . Of this area, 42.4% is used for agricultural purposes, while 17.6% is forested. Of the rest of the land, 27.9% is settled and the remainder is non-productive...
. In 1974 Elma became a wholly owned Subsidiary of Sulzer
Sulzer (manufacturer)
Sulzer Ltd. is a Swiss industrial engineering and manufacturing firm, founded by Salomon Sulzer-Bernet in 1775 and established as Sulzer Brothers Ltd. in 1834 in Winterthur, Switzerland. Today it is a publicly owned company with international subsidiaries...
. Sulzer divested Elma in 1996 and in the same year Elma held its first Initial public offering
Initial public offering
An initial public offering or stock market launch, is the first sale of stock by a private company to the public. It can be used by either small or large companies to raise expansion capital and become publicly traded enterprises...
.
Elma’s locations include Wetzikon, Fremont, California
Fremont, California
Fremont is a city in Alameda County, California. It was incorporated on January 23, 1956, from the merger of five smaller communities: Centerville, Niles, Irvington, Mission San Jose, and Warm Springs...
, Lawrenceville, Georgia
Lawrenceville, Georgia
Lawrenceville is a city in and the county seat of Gwinnett County, Georgia, in the United States. The Census Bureau estimates the 2008 population at 29,258...
, Warminster, Pennsylvania, Pforzheim
Pforzheim
Pforzheim is a town of nearly 119,000 inhabitants in the state of Baden-Württemberg, southwest Germany at the gate to the Black Forest. It is world-famous for its jewelry and watch-making industry. Until 1565 it was the home to the Margraves of Baden. Because of that it gained the nickname...
, Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv
Tel Aviv , officially Tel Aviv-Yafo , is the second most populous city in Israel, with a population of 404,400 on a land area of . The city is located on the Israeli Mediterranean coastline in west-central Israel. It is the largest and most populous city in the metropolitan area of Gush Dan, with...
, Villemoirieu
Villemoirieu
Villemoirieu is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France....
, Bedford
Bedford
Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire, in the East of England. It is a large town and the administrative centre for the wider Borough of Bedford. According to the former Bedfordshire County Council's estimates, the town had a population of 79,190 in mid 2005, with 19,720 in the adjacent town...
, Bucharest
Bucharest
Bucharest is the capital municipality, cultural, industrial, and financial centre of Romania. It is the largest city in Romania, located in the southeast of the country, at , and lies on the banks of the Dâmbovița River....
, Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
and Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
. In 1985 and 1990 Elma founded American subsidiaries: Elma Electronic Inc. and Elma Bustronic (both based in Fremont, California). Subsidiaries in France, Israel, Romania and England were established in 2000, a subsidiary in China in 2004. In the same 2004 Elma acquired Optima EPS (Lawrenceville, Georgia) and Mektron Systems (England). In 2009 Elma acquired ACT/Technico (Warminster, Pennsylvania).
Products
Elma supplies eurocard electronic enclosures since the 1960s. These enclosures are designed for standard 19” rack-mounted applications or for portable or desktop versions. From simple subracks for electronics, the company since expanded to chassis platforms for architectures such as the VMEbus. In 2009, the company acquired ACT/Technico, a provider of storage, board-level, and integration solutions.Elma enclosures are centered around 19” and 23” Eurocard specification, primarily for VME/ VME64x, CompactPCI, VXS/VPX, VXI/PXI, AdvancedTCA/MicroTCA and other architectures. Elma supplies these products either pre-assembled or un-assembled. Elma is currently an Executive Member of the PICMG consortium