Apple acquires manufacturing process testing company, PlasmaSolve
Apple has developed some unique manufacturing processes, investing vast amounts in materials science and process technologies. Along the way, it’s leaned on companies most Mac users have probably never heard of — like PlasmaSolve. Now it’s acquiring the Czech firm outright.
The plans were confirmed today by the European Commission, where Apple must now publish data on future acquisitions under the hated DMA.
“Apple Inc. (‘Apple’), through a subsidiary, will acquire the entire issued share capital of PlasmaSolve s.r.o. (‘PlasmaSolve’) and offer employment to and hire certain PlasmaSolve employees. PlasmaSolve develops solutions, including a plasma simulation software, to design and optimize plasma-based manufacturing processes,” the notice states.
What is PlasmaSolve?
PlasmaSolve is a ten-year-old Czech materials science firm based in Brno. It builds simulation software that manufacturers use to model and test plasma-based manufacturing processes.
“PlasmaSolve is a team of subject matter experts in plasma-powered technologies and materials science. Our mission is to create reliable and faithful digital twin models for these cutting-edge technologies. We achieve this by synergizing physics simulation, chemistry simulation, machine learning, data mining, and material characterization,” the website, still active at time of writing, states.
Its flagship product, MatSight, models PVD and PECVD deposition processes — the kind of thin-film coating work likely behind things like the anti-scratch film on iPhone casings.
My feeling is that with competitors poaching former Apple designers, it makes sense Apple will want to lock down companies like PlasmaSolve that provide it with unique manufacturing expertise rivals cannot have.
You can follow me on social media! Join me on BlueSky, LinkedIn, Mastodon and subscribe to The Core.
