What’s behind revival of JUMPtec brand?
“JUMPtec is now our brand for Computer-on-Modules”
Kontron is reviving the embedded computing brand JUMPtec. It will represent Computer-on-Modules (CoMs) with connectors to carrier boards, both as standard products and as highly customized ones. Peter Müller, Managing Director of JUMPtec GmbH, explains the background.
Markt&Technik: What strategy is behind Kontron's decision to revive the JUMPtec brand and even establish JUMPtec GmbH at the former JUMPtec site in Deggendorf? There must have been a clear rationale at Kontron ...
Peter Müller: Of course we had a strategy in mind, especially since the transition involves a certain amount of effort on the part of both Kontron and our customers, who now have to add and register JUMPtec as a supplier since we are now delivering the relevant modules exclusively from JUMPtec GmbH. Naturally, we still supply systems and applications that include modules, other products, or custom designs from Kontron. Formally, this is handled through Kontron, while everything that is purely a module is handled through JUMPtec.
The background is that we want to give the business of certain modules a face again and increase awareness in the market. The success and potential of the module business were not very visible within the larger Kontron structure. With Kontron’s marketing and market approach, the commodity hardware - which modules almost belong to nowadays - fell somewhat out of focus. Kontron emphasizes being a solution provider and manufacturer—especially since the merger with Katek, manufacturing has become more central to Kontron—so that original hardware standard products are no longer as prominent. The idea was to create a way to have a separate brand for the module business; we could have called it something like "Kontron Modules," but that would still have made the Kontron brand too dominant. So we decided to use a different name—one with history.
Could you briefly explain the history of JUMPtec again?
JUMPtec was founded in the early 1990s and operated for several years until Kontron acquired it in 2002. JUMPtec was one of the pioneers in the embedded computing industry. Its innovation lay in introducing modular computer solutions with standards like DIMM-PC and ETX. These groundbreaking products standardized the concept of integrating a computer on a small module that could then be customized with a carrier board. This approach quickly gained traction due to its flexibility, scalability, and reliability, laying the foundation for today's CoM standards.
After the acquisition by Kontron, the JUMPtec brand was no longer used in the same way, although there was a separate GmbH until the early 2010s when full integration into Kontron AG was completed. The module business was then managed as a business unit for several years. Now we’ve decided that more awareness is needed again for the module business, which is why we’re spinning it off into its own GmbH.
Currently, the JUMPtec website lists four different Computer-on-Module standards: COM Express, COM-HPC, SMARC, and Qseven. Which product lines by which standards will ultimately carry the JUMPtec name?
As you just said, we offer the COM Express, COM-HPC, SMARC, and Qseven product lines under the JUMPtec brand. We no longer actively promote Qseven products; although they’re still available, we no longer recommend them for new designs. What’s not part of JUMPtec is the OSM module concept; we’ve left that with Kontron because OSM modules, as soldered modules, require deeper integration into the carrier board than plug-on modules like COM Express, COM-HPC, SMARC, and Qseven. In other words, we didn’t consider OSM to be a “typical” module. SBCs and motherboards also remain with Kontron.
What is the roadmap for JUMPtec in the coming years? There are no plans to separate from the Kontron group, right?
JUMPtec modules will continue to be manufactured by Kontron; we have no plans to establish our own production facilities at JUMPtec. The roadmap continues as we previously planned under Kontron. Here at the JUMPtec site in Deggendorf, we still have the same team as before. The idea was simply to have a GmbH to transparently map the module business and introduce a new market-facing brand for modules.
Will sales of JUMPtec modules remain with Kontron’s sales team?
Yes, JUMPtec module sales will initially continue through Kontron's sales team. We are currently building a dedicated sales team for modules here in Deggendorf. The goal is to give the module business a separate sales push. Of course, we don’t want to lose the module sales channel through Kontron, especially since it's not as if it wouldn’t still fit there.
Are you planning to build your own development team in Deggendorf?
We’ve always had a development team in Deggendorf focused on modules. The difference now is that we have full control and are not easily distracted by other projects within the group that our team was previously involved in. This means we can focus our strong technical expertise on modules and, of course, expand it with technical know-how and experienced development engineers.
In the U.S., we had a group that functioned as a subsidiary of Kontron Europe, and we’ve also spun that off into a separate entity called Kontron Modules LLC to handle the module business in accounting terms. However, we will also use the JUMPtec brand there to better position the modules in the U.S. market.
In conclusion: With the momentum of the JUMPtec brand behind us, we’re kicking things off and bringing the module business, with all its potential, back into focus.
The interview was conducted by Andreas Knoll.
