Experts
in battery cell
manufacturing
and testing

Founded in 1984 in Leuven, Belgium, we began our journey with an automotive project for Alfred Teves Gmbh (ATE – now Continental). In 1984, ATE had just started the development of ABS braking systems for Ford. Unlike their competitor Bosch, ATE planned to make this game-changing technology available as standard for a mid-size car model and the broader public.

The ATE factory in Mechelen was set to produce the ABS sensors and valves for this very advanced product at the time. PEC was chosen to develop and build the test equipment for the ABS sensor part. However, this test equipment was very complicated, and the budget was limited.

1984 was a time when process computers were still very expensive, and PLCs hardly existed. Being creative, we decided to use one of the very first Commodore PET personal computers and could get our hands on an additional I/O board that was developed by SCK Mol for the Nuclear industry. All design work was still very manual, the mechanics were made in small workshops, and everything was assembled in Luc’s garage, where I developed the controls and software – all in low-level assembly language, there simply was nothing else.

Both the Ford Scorpio and the ABS system became massive successes, where PEC did a great job and secured the order for a full-scale automated multimillion (BEF) test line. New employees joined the company and the development of several new innovations, such as a very accurate optical positioning system and a cable shielding tester, were realized. PEC was on its way…

In 1985, the Ford Scorpio was introduced to the European market with a Teves electronic system throughout the range as standard. For this, the model was awarded the coveted European Car of the Year Award in 1986, with very favorable praise from motoring journalists. After this success, Ford began research into Anti-Lock systems for the rest of their range, which encouraged other manufacturers to follow suit… (Wikipedia)

In 1985, one year after our first projects, IBM launched its 7532: the first 19” industrial PC that was not only rugged and 19” rack-mounted, but also had several slots that allowed us to plug in commercially available and self-developed interface cards – a big plus and a perfect upgrade for our control strategy; exactly what we needed.

After a very challenging accreditation process, PEC got approved and became a certified IBM System Integrator. IBM further expanded its manufacturing offerings with control boards, software, and even industrial robots.

Robotics were still mysterious and uncommon when PEC installed the very first flexible and intelligent manufacturing cells at Volvo Car and VYNCKIER (GEC). These innovative projects were covered in the press, garnering full attention for PEC.
The combination of advanced IBM hardware and software, with PEC as an innovative system integrator, was clearly a winning formula. The relationship was upgraded to a point where IBM invested 30% in PEC’s capital.

PEC became a preferred system integrator for IBM Shop Floor applications in EMEA. Many innovative industry projects for the most demanding customers were successfully completed, not only in automotive but also in other industries and companies such as Philips, ASML, BAT, GTE, and many others.

Our references were picked up by the IBM development team in Boca Raton (Florida) and PEC was invited to present its projects during the annual IBM Manufacturing Technology Days in Fort Lauderdale. Around 500 executives from leading global manufacturing companies attended the event.

Covering the latest innovations in battery manufacturing we implemented with Duracell Batteries, we received the desired attention. During a coffee break, I was suddenly surrounded by a team of Koreans who wanted to start producing the first Li-Ion Cells (18650) outside Japan. One month later, we received a large delegation from Samsung in Belgium and started the next chapter in our History.