High tech talent in Eindhoven crucial for NXP’s success
With just about every modern-day car and smart phone on the planet featuring NXP chips, it’s no wonder that the company, headquartered in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, is contributing to the region’s prominent position as the epicentre for the global high tech industry.
NXP’s origins date back to the 1950s as the semiconductor division of Philips. Spun off in 2006, it later went public on the NASDAQ in 2010 and now provides technological solutions, products and services to stimulate the advancement of the automotive industry, smart mobility and the Internet of Things. With some 33,000 employees worldwide, the company has almost doubled in size with the acquisition of US company Freescale in 2015, and is set to become part of Qualcomm.
With its global headquarters at High Tech Campus Eindhoven, NXP continues to maintain and grow its vastly experienced workforce accumulated in the region over the last years. The Campus has a unique ability to unite technology and thousands of highly qualified people from globally renowned R&D institutes and knowledge centers. This gives NXP access to some of the world’s most talented high tech experts as well as to an extraordinary nesting ground for collaborative innovation.
Maurice Geraets, Managing Director of NXP Netherlands, comments, “There are many other compelling reasons to have our base in Eindhoven. Its central European location and proximity to several airports makes it a perfect landing ground for expats and their families.
Nine out of ten people living here speak English, and with international schools as well as a mature networking infrastructure, our expat community, comprising 65 different nationalities, feels very much at home here.
Maurice Geraets - NXP
Fuelling Automotive’s Growth Engine
Another incentive for NXP‘s existence in Brabant is its focus on the automotive sector. Some 70% of all European OEM production, such as Opel, Volkswagen, Audi, Ford, Renault, PSA, BMW and Daimler, is located within a 500km radius, and so right on NXP’s doorstep! Being part of this highly sophisticated automotive ecosystem, blending decades of experience from giants like DAF along with Tesla’s futuristic vision, is invaluable as NXP looks to the future of car safety and smart mobility applications.
The Brabant Development Agency has been our partner since we set up here in Brabant and provides us with relentless support.
Maurice Geraets - NXP
Highly Automated Driving
“Over 90% of accidents derive from human error and so as we develop new applications in smart mobility, our overarching goal is to sustain safety,” explains Maurice Geraets. “Our ‘highly automated driving’ approach does just that by enabling cars to communicate and synchronize their speed to avoid accidents and traffic jams And our potentially life-saving radar technology – no bigger than a postal stamp – was developed by our technicians here in Brabant and has already won a Dutch automotive innovation award. The radar chip set is now also being tested by several OEMs.”
Lean & Green
NXP aims to cultivate a sustainable working environment by encouraging its workforce to travel outside peak times and converting to driving electric cars. The company received a Dutch Lean & Green Star Award acknowledging its contributions toward a 20% reduction in CO2 emissions.
Maurice Geraets concludes, “We believe the evolution to a sustainable world starts with the commitment of individuals, extending then to their families, friends, companies and government. The Brabant Development Agency has been our partner since we set up here in Brabant and provides us with relentless support. They connect us to local government and key companies based here to facilitate change. This is not only motivating and insightful for everyone involved; it also makes positive transformation easy to implement.”