IBS PRECISION ENGINEERING BV

Their core work

IBS Precision Engineering is a Dutch SME based in Eindhoven that designs and supplies precision measurement systems used directly inside manufacturing lines — measuring surface geometry and quality at production speed rather than in offline inspection. Their signature capability is areal surface metrology: capturing full 3D surface profiles in-line, which is critical for yield improvement in high-volume manufacturing. In H2020 they demonstrated this expertise first in micro and nano production (InLineNano) and then in advanced roll-to-roll manufacturing of organic electronics and photovoltaics (SmartLine). Being headquartered in Eindhoven places them at the centre of Europe's high-tech manufacturing ecosystem, alongside companies like ASML and NXP, which shapes both their technical standards and their industry connections.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Their first H2020 project (2015) was a small SME Phase 1 feasibility study on in-line surface measurement for micro and nano production — a tightly scoped, technology-validation exercise with no recorded application-domain keywords. By 2017–2020, in SmartLine, their focus had shifted toward specific and complex manufacturing contexts: roll-to-roll printing, organic vapour phase deposition, and pilot line validation for organic photovoltaics, with automotive also in scope. The trajectory is clear: they started with a general-purpose metrology capability and progressively moved into domain-specific integrations where in-line measurement directly enables new manufacturing processes that cannot function without tight process feedback.

IBS PE is moving from generic precision metrology hardware toward integrated measurement-and-control solutions for emerging thin-film and flexible electronics manufacturing — a direction that positions them well for scale-up of organic solar, printed electronics, and related industries.

How they like to work

IBS PE has taken both a coordinator role (InLineNano, a small feasibility study) and a participant role (SmartLine, a larger Innovation Action). The pattern is consistent with how technology SMEs use H2020: solo Phase 1 to validate commercial readiness, then join a larger consortium as the metrology specialist when full-scale demonstration is needed. Their consortium footprint is small — 7 partners across 3 countries — suggesting they engage selectively and bring a well-defined, non-replicable contribution rather than operating as a broad-capability partner.

IBS PE has worked with 7 unique consortium partners across 3 countries, which is a compact network for two projects. Their collaborations appear to be concentrated in Western Europe, consistent with the advanced manufacturing and electronics ecosystem centred on the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium.

What sets them apart

IBS PE occupies a precise niche: in-line surface metrology for manufacturing processes where you cannot stop the line to measure. This is a harder problem than lab metrology and far more valuable commercially — manufacturers pay for measurement that does not reduce throughput. Their direct location in Eindhoven's high-tech manufacturing cluster, combined with validated experience in both nano production and emerging organic electronics, makes them a credible industrial partner rather than a research spin-out. For a consortium building a manufacturing pilot line, they offer the measurement infrastructure that turns a process demo into a yield-controlled production system.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SmartLine
  Their largest project by far (€519K, 2017–2020) and the one that reveals the full breadth of their application reach — combining in-line metrology with roll-to-roll printing, organic photovoltaics, and automotive in a single Innovation Action.
• InLineNano
  As coordinator of this SME Phase 1 study (2015), IBS PE demonstrated the commercial viability of in-line areal surface measurement for nano production — the foundational proof that underpins their subsequent consortium participation.