Partnership combines complementary expertise to support industrial OEMs with advanced, fully integrated Human-Machine Interface systems across Europe.
APEM SAS, part of the IDEC group, and Alps Alpine Europe GmbH have announced a strategic partnership in Europe, combining their complementary expertise to deliver advanced industrial HMI solutions to manufacturers facing growing demands for connectivity, automation, electrification, and improved operator ergonomics.
This collaboration will initially focus on the material handling sector — one of the fastest-growing segments in industrial equipment, driven by the explosion in e-commerce, warehouse automation, and last-mile logistics — before extending to off-highway vehicles, industrial machinery, and any segment where the convergence of ergonomics, connectivity, and durability is becoming a competitive differentiator.
Combining complementary expertise
The two companies already share a close relationship through an existing joint venture in Japan. As part of the IDEC group, APEM brings deep expertise in rugged industrial HMIs, customer application knowledge, and strong relationships in demanding industrial markets.
Alps Alpine Europe contributes automotive-grade engineering capabilities, advanced electronics hardware and software expertise, automated production capabilities, and large-volume industrialization resources. Together, the two companies aim to help customers accelerate the development of highly integrated HMI systems while maintaining the robustness, reliability, and quality required in industrial environments.
Concrete benefits for industrial customers
Designed with customer outcomes at its centre, the collaboration will deliver:
• Fully integrated HMI systems — armrests, cockpits, dashboards, tiller heads, and modular interface panels — developed as cohesive solutions rather than assembled collections of parts.
• Automotive-grade engineering rigor applied to industrial robustness requirements, ensuring products survive the harshest operational conditions.
• Greater functional integration: sensing, connectivity, and digital services embedded directly into HMI hardware.
• Faster time-to-market on complex programs, backed by Alps Alpine’s manufacturing locations in Europe — enabling short, resilient European supply chains.
• A single point of contact and collaboration, reducing the complexity customers face when managing multiple suppliers.
“Industrial customers are increasingly looking for HMI solutions that combine reliability, advanced functionality, and scalability.”
— Marc Enjalbert, CEO, APEM SAS
“By working very closely together, APEM and Alps Alpine Europe can align their complementary strengths to support customers more effectively in realising their ambitions for future concepts with a dramatically higher level of functional integration — without sacrificing on robustness and quality.”
— Sascha Kunzmann, CEO, Alps Alpine Europe GmbH
A dedicated joint team
To support the collaboration, APEM and Alps Alpine Europe have established a joint team composed of members from both companies. The team’s mission is to engage with customers, identify new project opportunities, and support the development of future integrated HMI platforms ahead of industrial launch.
By combining APEM’s application expertise and customer proximity with Alps Alpine Europe’s large-scale industrialization capabilities, the collaboration aims to provide industrial OEMs with a stronger and more complete HMI offering, adapted to future mobility and automation challenges.