Milexia opera nel mercato dell’elettronica da oltre 50 anni e serve 2.300 clienti europei grazie al suo team di ingegneri altamente qualificati e un’ampia rete di principali fornitori e partner tecnologici.

Allo stand dell’azienda ci ha accolto il Sales Director, Giuseppe Bergamaschi, che ci ha ricordato le acquisizioni portate a termine dalla società nell’ultimo periodo: quelle di Whistler Technology, specializzata nell’approvvigionamento e nella gestione di componenti elettronici, e di Cabcongroup, un importante distributore a valore aggiunto di componenti passivi, elettromeccanici e soluzioni di cablaggio per l’industria elettronica.

Dai sistemi di alimentazione alla connettività, ai sensori e ai servizi di approvvigionamento, la gamma di soluzioni di Milexia è stata esposta in otto corner tecnologici all’insegna di un messaggio principale: semplificare l’accesso alla tecnologia.

Leggi qui l’intervista originale su Elettronica AV

In July 2024, Milexia successfully acquired procurement specialists, Whistler Technology in a move to further enhance the services they offer to industries that are reliant on high-reliable electronic components.

The success of this acquisition means that customers have the added value of Milexia’s expertise as a value-added distributor combined with Whistler Technology’s niche capabilities in sourcing hard-to-find and obsolete components, thus providing a comprehensive service that spans the entire product lifecycle.

Who are Milexia and Whistler?

Milexia has a 54-year history and it operates as a global value-added distributor in the high-tech electronics sector. Its speciality lies in working with customers during the early design phases of their projects, offering technical support in partnership with franchised suppliers. With its operations spanning 15 countries, it serves a range of industries such as defence, transportation, and aerospace.

Whistler, on the other hand, has established itself over the last 23 years as a go-to supplier for obsolete and hard-to-find components. While smaller in scale, Whistler has built a loyal customer base through organic growth, relying on personal connections and exceptional service.

The merger: a long-term vision

Speaking to me at electronica 2024, Milexia CEO Xavier Gaillard shared that the acquisition was a long-term goal for the company that came to fruition at the right time:

“Since the beginning, our strategy has been to offer the entire service to the customer. So it became natural, at a given time, to also offer these services to our main clients – not only the broker, but also the hard-to-find components, the obsolescence solutions.”

“We started to discuss this with Whistler a long time ago, but it was not the right moment. But, when you’re in mergers and acquisitions, one day it is the right moment. And that day came last August … we had consolidated everything else, we saw our global presence in Europe and in 15 countries, we had an almost €200 million turnover, and we have a very big customer base, and so we needed to offer our customers something more. We needed to offer this service.”

The integration of this merger brings clear benefits for both companies. For Whistler, having the backing of Milexia provides access to marketing tools, a broader customer base, and operational resources.

Grant Portman, Senior Key Account Manager at Whistler, tells me: “With the backing of Milexia now, it makes it easier for us to do our jobs, it’s a potentially easier sell, especially with people talking about the trade tariffs and things from the UK to Europe. These guys have offices in Germany, France, Italy, Hong Kong. It actually helps us to get out there and tell people, ‘Look, now we’re part of something bigger.’”

For Milexia, the acquisition strengthens its ability to deliver a complete service. Gaillard elaborates: “This is a great combination. On one side, for the traditional Milexia, it’s going to be additional services to the customer. On the other side, it helps Whistler enlarge their customer base.”

Tackling the procurement challenges

The acquisition addresses some of the persistent challenges in procurement, including supply shortages, obsolescence, and the need for long-term support. With manufacturing cycles in sectors like defence and aerospace spanning years, ensuring the availability of components over time of great value.

Gaillard explains the importance of flexibility in responding to customer needs: “The design cycle is very long, the production cycle is even longer. So when the customer arrives at the end of this production cycle, typically, the technology does not exist anymore. They come back and say, ‘I need this component. Where can I find it?’”

Given this, Whistler’s expertise in sourcing these components is a natural fit for Milexia’s established relationships in high-reliability sectors. The merger also allows both companies to better serve their customers looking for fewer, more versatile suppliers to streamline their operations.

Adapting to market changes

Both Milexia and Whistler recognise the need to stay adaptable in a fluctuating market. As Portman notes, Whistler has already begun diversifying its focus: “The market is always fluctuating. We’re very flexible and we can move from one part of the market to another area that’s busier. At the moment medical and defence all seem to be ok, but some other areas of industry are quite quiet. So, we’ve shifted slightly away from just obsolescence and hard-to-find. Not that we want to move away from that, but some of those opportunities are a bit slower to come through, so we’re looking at offering services as solutions providers.”

Gaillard echoes this sentiment: “We are agnostic to the market. We can sell in any markets. So today, defence is big, transportation is down, construction is dead … We cast a wide net.”

This adaptability positions the combined entity to navigate market cycles effectively and enables to them to continue to meet customer needs.

Building for the future

For customers, the merger is an opportunity to access a streamlined and comprehensive service. By covering the entire value chain from design support to lifecycle management, the partnership offers a level of support that neither company could fully provide alone.

Looking ahead, both companies are optimistic about the market’s recovery and their ability to meet increasing demand. As Gaillard summarises: “I think we are unique to offer this value proposition. And, I’m sorry to say, that what we have been through in 2022 is coming back. It’s a matter of time. Now, everybody is emptying stock. The market is cycling. The market will restart. Everybody will want their parts, and no parts will be available … We will be there when it comes back. We are very well-organised and integrated … And it’s going to be fantastic.”

Source: Procurement Pro

This is unquestionably the case when deciding the best option to power a vital medical device. The selection process is, on one level, a simple technical decision. But if device reliability and availability is at stake, it is also about patient safety – literally a matter of life and death.

Electric currents passing through the human body can have lethal consequences. As little as 40mA can be potentially deadly for a healthy person. For those under anaesthetic, or weakened by illness, the danger threshold is even lower. There is a good reason then why power supplies for medical devices and applications have to meet the most stringent requirements concerning leakage and stray currents.

There is a broad choice out there on the market, extending from readily available standard power supplies to semi-custom, user-configurable options. There is even the possibility of creating a unique and innovative power supply from scratch where the occasion demands.

For those involved with such a decision process, here are some considerations and issues to factor in:

Device Size

It is crucial to ensure that the power supply’s physical footprint and mounting options are compatible with the design constraints of the medical device. Connecting and integrating the power supply with the device also means reviewing the connectors needed today and being mindful of possible modular connections for future expansions or modifications.

A comprehensive and dependable maker of power supplies, will offer two categories of medical power supply, external and internal. The external option will be designed to sit on a desktop or be mounted on a wall. The internal alternative can come in a number of forms: an enclosed power supply within a metal case, or an open frame power supply without any case, frame, or housing. There is also the possibility of a configurable power supply with a metal case and modular design to allow for more flexible configurations.

Issues such as adjustability and programmability could be important, with some medical applications needing power supplies that have adjustable output parameters or programmable features so that they can be adapted to different operating modes or patient needs.

Heat dissipation and the patient environment

Thermal management should be top of any agenda, since overheating the area around the patient is clearly undesirable. A power supply’s cooling mechanisms should be evaluated to see if they are fan cooled, convection cooled or conduction cooled, checking also that the device can operate reliably without overheating and affecting the patient environment.

Even when a power supply meets leakage-current and isolation standards, it should still be evaluated for compliance within the patient environment. This is classed in a number of ways. Type B (Body) is where there is no direct physical contact with the patient, for example LED lighting in operating theatres and medical laser units. Classification changes to Type BF (Body Float) when there is physical contact with the patient or risk to the patient from device failure, such as with incubators, ultrasonic devices and diagnostic equipment. Type CF (Cardiac Float) involves direct contact with the patient’s heart, with a high risk of injury or death if the device fails. This would be the cases with defibrillators and heart-lung machines.

Standards and regulations

Checks should be made to ensure power supplies meet certain regulatory standards. The 3rd edition of IEC 60601-1, for example, concerns the safety of both operating personnel and patients and introduces a classification system called MOP (Means of Protection) to evaluate medical electrical equipment.

Devices that do not come into direct contact with patients, and are only used by trained operators, fall into the Means of Operator Protection (MOOP) category. These must comply with IEC 62368-1 standards for Audio/Visual and Information Technology Equipment (ITE).

When devices do have direct physical contact with patients, they fall into the Means of Patient Protection (MOPP) category and need to meet even stricter safety standards, particularly concerning insulation. They must feature two separate insulation barriers to protect against electric shock. The permissible leakage current decreases as the contact with the patient increases, with devices classified based on their contact type with the patient.

Power supplies should meet international medical safety standards and certifications, such as IEC 60601-1, to ensure they are designed to protect both patients and operators. These standards cover crucial aspects like electrical safety, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC), and mechanical safety for life-supporting or lifesaving devices where faults due to electromagnetic or radio interference can be fatal.

The IEC 60601-1-2 standard covers criteria for electromagnetic interference and immunity, essential in risk management and requiring equipment to withstand HF fields up to 2.7GHz. It also sets limits for electrostatic discharge protection, from 6 to 8kV for contact discharge and from 8 to 15kV for air discharge.

Build quality, reliability and efficiency

It is naturally desirable to check a power supply’s build quality. Whether a power supply is well-constructed will significantly impact the overall reliability and lifespan of the device it is powering. Power supplies should be sought that are built with high-quality components and durable designs. They should have standard protection features such as overvoltage protection (OVP), overcurrent protection (OCP), and short-circuit protection (SCP). These will safeguard both medical device and patient in case of a malfunction.

Where high-end medical equipment is involved, requirements will include low-noise variable speed fans, adjustable output voltage, active current sharing and low leakage current. For small to mid-sized devices, concerns are more likely to revolve around compact size, noiseless convection cooling, peak power and derating performance.

Lastly, remember that when you are trying to match the right power supply with the right application, there may not be an off the shelf solution that fits. Depending on the application, it might be the right choice to go for a custom product to meet your unique requirements. In this case, you’ll want to consider the level of technical support the manufacturer can deliver.

By Paul Heath, Account Manager, HMI and Power at the Milexia Group

Source: Electronic Specifier