First European branch Odyssey on Novio Tech Campus

Regional network

The regional network and the help of organisations such as Kadans Science Partner, Oost NL and Novio Tech Campus (NTC) from the Arnhem – Nijmegen – Wageningen area were deciding factors for Odyssey to become a part of the Health and High-Tech network in Nijmegen:

"Oost NL informed us about the semiconductor industry in the region, aided us in taking care of our administrative obligations and enlightened us about the possibilities surrounding the SEMICON fair in Munich. Subsequently, we were guided in our establishment on campus from beginning to end by Kadans Science Partner and Novio Tech Campus", says Jim Plourde, CEO of Odyssey.

Odyssey moving to Nijmegen

The semiconductor industry is an incredibly important sector in Nijmegen. Odyssey offers support for all the equipment of the primary semiconductor manufacturers and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) within the RF, DC, and microwave domain. "An important advantage is that Nijmegen, and the Novio Tech Campus more specifically, is a fantastic RF hub which allows us access to a talent pool of skilled engineers. Our first collaboration — with Nijmegen RF company pinkRF — has already taken off."

Odyssey has been an important player in RF technology for a long time, as Klaus Werner — the owner of pinkRF — told the Economic Board in an earlier interview: "For over 20 years, they have been repairing equipment that is used inter alia in the manufacturing of semiconductors. They were looking for a collaborative partner in Europe for some time, and finally found and chose us to be that partner."

The coronavirus crisis has put the collaboration between the two parties on the back burner: "In Europe we are highly dependent on the automotive industry and that sector has come to a near complete standstill. It will need to get back on its feet for our collaboration to gain momentum", said Werner in the June edition of the 'Regionale Monitor' (Regional Monitor).

Ambitions European branch Odyssey

The Odyssey team has many years of experience with European semiconductors but has only now opened its first site in Europe. Plourde believes it was high time: "Odyssey US has been taking care of repairs for European clients for years but logistically a site in Europe only made sense once the business became larger. We are aligning our service locations with our clients all over the world by establishing the new service centre in Nijmegen." The company started off with three staff members on site in Nijmegen but has ambitions to increase that number to 15-25 over the coming years.

Check out this film to learn all about the High Tech story of Novio Tech Campus.