SMIT THERMAL SOLUTIONS BV

Their core work

SMIT Thermal Solutions is an Eindhoven-based industrial company specializing in thermal processing equipment and solutions for advanced manufacturing. Their H2020 portfolio reveals a focus on thin-film deposition, advanced materials processing, and in-line quality monitoring for high-tech manufacturing lines — spanning OLED displays, next-generation batteries, and nano-material coatings. Their contribution to EU consortia centers on providing thermal process expertise and manufacturing know-how for scaling lab-grade materials to production-ready processes.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

With only three projects spanning 2018–2020, the evolution is compressed but shows a clear trajectory. OLEDSOLAR (2018) established their role in OLED and thin-film manufacturing processes, while the later projects Si-DRIVE (2019) and NanoQI (2020) moved toward advanced materials characterization — battery chemistry and multimodal nano-material quality imaging. The shift suggests a broadening from pure thermal process equipment toward integrated quality assurance and metrology for advanced materials production lines.

SMIT is moving from thermal process hardware toward integrated inline metrology and quality control for advanced material production — a valuable capability as manufacturing tolerances tighten in batteries, electronics, and coatings.

How they like to work

SMIT operates exclusively as a consortium participant, never coordinating — consistent with a specialist industrial partner that contributes specific manufacturing or process expertise to research-driven projects. With 37 unique partners across just 3 projects, they join large, diverse consortia (averaging 12+ partners per project). This profile suggests they are sought after for their niche capabilities rather than driving research agendas themselves.

Despite only three projects, SMIT has built a broad network of 37 partners across 14 countries, reflecting participation in large pan-European consortia. No strong geographic clustering — their partnerships span broadly across the EU.

What sets them apart

SMIT sits at the intersection of thermal processing and advanced manufacturing quality control — a niche that few companies occupy. Based in Eindhoven's high-tech ecosystem (home to ASML, Philips, TU/e), they bring industrial-scale thermal solutions expertise to research projects that need to bridge the gap between laboratory materials science and production-ready manufacturing. For consortium builders, they offer a credible industrial endpoint for scaling thin-film and nano-material technologies.

Highlights from their portfolio

• OLEDSOLAR
  Largest project by funding (EUR 626K) combining OLED and thin-film solar manufacturing with in-line monitoring — directly aligned with SMIT's core thermal process business.
• NanoQI
  Combines X-ray diffraction, reflectometry, and hyperspectral imaging into a multimodal quality system for nano-materials — signals SMIT's move into advanced metrology.
• Si-DRIVE
  Entry into battery manufacturing (silicon anodes, lithium-rich cathodes) — shows diversification beyond display and coating technologies into energy storage.