APEM SAS, which is part of Japan’s IDEC Group, and Alps Alpine Europe GmbH, a wholly owned subsidiary of Tokyo-headquartered Alps Alpine Co., Ltd., have formed a strategic partnership in Europe to develop advanced industrial human-machine interface (HMI) solutions. Accordingly, the latest alliance is strengthening a cooperation that began in Japan in 2021.

The collaboration brings together the companies’ complementary expertise to support manufacturers facing increasing requirements for connectivity, automation, electrification and improved operator ergonomics.

The initiative will initially target the fast-growing material handling market, where demand is being driven by e-commerce growth, warehouse automation and last-mile logistics. The partners plan to expand their focus to off-highway vehicles, industrial machinery and other sectors where durability, connectivity and ergonomic design are becoming critical competitive factors.

Building on Existing Cooperation

The European partnership extends a relationship that already includes a joint venture in Japan. APEM contributes expertise in rugged industrial HMIs, application knowledge and established customer relationships across demanding industrial markets.

Alps Alpine Europe adds automotive-grade engineering, advanced hardware and software capabilities, automated manufacturing expertise and large-scale industrialization resources.

By combining these strengths, the companies aim to help industrial original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) speed up the development of highly integrated HMI platforms while maintaining the reliability and durability required in industrial environments.

Delivering Integrated HMI Systems

Under the partnership, customers will gain access to integrated HMI solutions including armrests, dashboards, cockpits, tiller heads and modular interface panels designed as complete systems rather than collections of separate components.

The companies said the collaboration will also support greater integration of sensing technologies, connectivity functions and digital services directly into HMI hardware. In addition, Alps Alpine Europe’s manufacturing footprint in Europe is expected to support shorter and more resilient regional supply chains while enabling faster market introduction of complex projects.

“Industrial customers are increasingly looking for HMI solutions that combine reliability, advanced functionality, and scalability,” said Marc Enjalbert, CEO of APEM SAS.

Dedicated Team to Support Growth

To advance the initiative, the partners have established a joint team responsible for customer engagement, identifying new business opportunities and supporting the development of future integrated HMI platforms ahead of commercial launch.

“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,” said Sascha Kunzmann, CEO of Alps Alpine Europe GmbH.

The companies said the partnership will strengthen their ability to help industrial OEMs address future mobility, automation and digitalization challenges.

07 July 2026