PARC and Soligie to Commercialize Printed Electronics Technologies By Completing Concept-to-Market Ecosystem

Printed Electronics USA 2010, Santa Clara, California — PARC (Palo Alto Research Center), a premier center for commercial innovation, and Soligie Inc., a leading provider of design and manufacturing services for flexible and printed electronics, today announced an agreement aimed at advancing the commercialization of printed electronics technologies and capabilities. By working together, both companies will help their customers bring a range of novel and custom electronics solutions to market.

Currently, consumer goods, electronics, healthcare, and materials companies who want to take advantage of emerging product opportunities in printed electronics do not have a clear or streamlined path from lab to market. For example, while many universities and research centers contribute important early-stage concepts or even components, these entities are not set up to further integrate these components into full systems or to translate this research for production at high volumes.

PARC and Soligie aim to address this gap in the concept-to-market ecosystem for printed electronics. PARC, which already offers printed electronics services ranging from materials characterization and component device design to full system prototyping, specializes in driving printed electronics at the leading edge and early stages of research and development. Soligie, which already offers capabilities in product development, quality systems, production scale up, and volume production, specializes in driving solutions for manufacturing readiness.

By complementing each other’s unique capabilities, PARC and Soligie together can now integrate services and provide a streamlined path from concept to product launch. Companies and government agencies that want to take advantage of the new opportunities enabled by printed electronics can work with the two companies to deliver end solutions to the market. Example opportunities include sensors and sensor systems for medical device manufacturers, printed electronics for consumer packaged goods companies, and in-transit monitoring systems for companies with high-value shipments.

“We see great synergies between the two organizations, and look forward to the first fruits of this relationship,” said Matt Timm, President of Soligie. “We have already begun a joint effort in the area of temperature sensing and anticipate being able to prototype and supply temperature sensing systems for customers in early 2011.”

Under the agreement, customers can engage either company to work on their printed electronics projects. Soligie and PARC will work together to understand the customer’s requirements and provide the required expertise and resources accordingly. This approach has proven attractive to potential customers and will remove the barriers preventing companies from commercializing printed electronics solutions.

“PARC turned 40 this year,” reflected Tamara St. Claire, Vice President of Global Business Development for PARC. “And while we have had great commercial success spinning out related novel electronics competencies through, for example, our spinoff dpiX, there are now multiple avenues for driving emerging technologies from this domain to the market. So we are excited to work with Soligie to complete the gap in building the evolving printed electronics ecosystem.”

About PARC
A premier center for commercial innovation, PARC, a Xerox company, is in the business of breakthroughs. We work closely with global enterprises, entrepreneurs, government agencies and partners, and other clients to invent, co-develop, and bring to market game-changing innovations by combining imagination, investigation, and return on investment for our clients. For 40 years, we have lived at the leading edge of innovation, merging inquiry and strategy to pioneer technological change. PARC was incorporated in 2002 as a wholly owned independent subsidiary of Xerox Corporation – enabling us to continue pioneering technological change but across a broader set of industries and clients today.

About Soligie
Soligie is the leading company to utilize high speed manufacturing to produce printed electronics with a variety of conductive, resistive and proprietary materials onto flexible substrates such as PET, paper and foil.  The Company is on the cutting edge of a new, emergent industry that will enable production of electronic components using high speed, roll-to-roll printing processes.  Soligie offers a full range of services from concept design, circuit design, design for manufacturing and final volume production, and currently serves the medical device, smart packaging, RFID and flexible interconnect markets.  Soligie is located in Savage, Minnesota and is owned by the Taylor Corporation.

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