APEM SAS 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.
The 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.
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 industrialisation 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.
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.
Marc Enjalbert, CEO, APEM SAS said: “Industrial customers are increasingly looking for HMI solutions that combine reliability, advanced functionality, and scalability. 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.”
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 industrialisation capabilities, the collaboration aims to provide industrial OEMs with a stronger and more complete HMI offering, adapted to future mobility and automation challenges.
Founded in 1952 in France, APEM is a globally recognised manufacturer of industrial-grade Human-Machine Interface solutions, offering one of the industry´s widest portfolios of switches, joysticks, keypads, indicators, and custom interface solutions for demanding applications.
Alps Alpine, founded in 1948 in Japan, is one of the world's largest independent manufacturers of electromechanical components and in-vehicle infotainment products. Headquartered in Tokyo, Alps Alpine maintains around 100 group companies across the Americas, Europe, and Asia.
As a subsidiary Alps Alpine Europe GmbH has been serving European customers for more than 40 years. Based in Munich, the company also has manufacturing locations in Ireland, the Czech Republic and Hungary to serve primarily to European customers, Made in Market, with short supply chains.