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30 I-CONNECT007 MAGAZINE I MARCH 2026 BY N O L A N J O H N S O N , I - C O N N ECT 0 07 F E AT U R E I N T E RV I E W F or more than 30 years, ASTER Technolo- gies has been a leader in PCB assembly test verification and engineering software. Siemens Digital Industries Software and ASTER Technologies' recent merger represents the third strategic acquisition by Siemens in the space be- tween design and manufacture. We spoke with ASTER Technical Director Will Webb, Michael Alam, head of corporate devel- opment for Siemens' Electronic Board Systems Group, and Patrick Hope, Valor marketing special- ist at Siemens, about the strategy and vision that's bringing all these post-layout tools into the design workflow. Nolan Johnson: Michael, why did ASTER catch Siemens' eye as a potential acquisition? Michael Alam: Siemens has a pretty compre- hensive tool chain, from component creation and schematic design, to layout, simulation and analysis, and manufacturing handoff. But there are still gaps in that portfolio. A few years ago, we noticed a gap around component information and the need to left-shift that mindset very early in the design process. We purchased Supplyframe, which helped to fill those gaps. Last year, we had two acquisitions in the manufacturing space: Downstream, which is very complementary to our technology, and ASTER and Siemens: Design for Test Gets 'Real'