Siemens has announced the acquisition of Aster Technologies. The privately owned company based in Cesson-Sévigné (France) specializes in test verification and engineering software for printed circuit board assembly (PCBA). The acquisition expands Siemens' software offering for the design and manufacture of electronic systems.

The core of the acquisition is the integration of Aster's so-called "Shift-Left" Design for Test (DFT) functionality into the Siemens software solutions 'Xpedition' and 'Valor', which are part of the Siemens 'Xcelerator' portfolio. The aim is to take test aspects into account at an early stage of PCB design and to integrate design and production processes more closely. In this context, Siemens speaks of an end-to-end digital process from design to production.

By analyzing test coverage at an early stage, errors should be detected more quickly, cost-intensive design re-runs avoided and time-to-market shortened. Product quality and reliability should also increase.

Growing demands on test strategies

The takeover is taking place against a backdrop of increasing complexity in electronic systems, such as automotive electronics, high-performance computers and the integration of 5G technologies. Robust and integrated test strategies are becoming increasingly important in these areas in order to comply with safety requirements and regulatory specifications and to reduce failures in the field.

According to Siemens, companies are increasingly looking for DFT functions that are directly embedded in PCB design solutions and support an end-to-end workflow from design to production.

Founded in 1993, Aster has been developing software for the verification, assembly and testing of printed circuit board assemblies for more than 30 years. The company is best known for its flagship product TestWay, which provides DFT planning, test coverage analysis and test programming capabilities. These solutions are primarily used in demanding applications such as computing/HPC, automotive and networking.

With the integration of TestWay, Siemens is supplementing its Valor portfolio with additional functions for production and assembly and expanding its Design for Manufacturing (DFM) offering.

The companies for the takeover

"The acquisition of Aster Technologies is a game changer for our customers in PCB design and manufacturing. By integrating Aster's market-leading test engineering software, we are empowering our customers to optimize their designs much earlier in the design cycle," said AJ Incorvaia, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Electronic Board Systems at Siemens Digital Industries Software. "This can dramatically reduce costs, shorten time to market and help ensure the highest levels of product quality and reliability. It's about providing our customers with a complete, integrated solution that sets the stage for their success from initial design concept to final manufacturing."

Aster also sees strategic benefits: "Working with Siemens is an incredibly exciting step for our team and our customers. We have always been passionate about helping engineers create defect-free PCB designs using advanced test coverage analysis," says Christophe Lotz, founder and CEO of Aster Technologies. "Now, as part of Siemens, we have an unprecedented opportunity to integrate our expertise into a broader, industry-leading portfolio. This means that our innovative solutions will reach more customers and enable them to achieve even greater efficiency, quality and competitive advantage. We are delighted to be able to help support the Siemens vision of a truly integrated 'digital thread' for electrical engineering design and manufacturing with just the right level of testing."