- Benchmark celebrates the grand reopening of its world-class engineering and manufacturing facility in Almelo, The Netherlands

Benchmark Almelo has experienced rapid growth over the past five years, necessitating the expansion, which has been completed and unveiled today

TEMPE, Ariz., June 23, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Benchmark Electronics, Inc. (NYSE: BHE), a global provider of engineering, design and manufacturing services, today celebrated the grand reopening of its Almelo, The Netherlands facility ), serving customers in the aerospace and defense, industrial, medical, and semiconductor industries. Although the facility was never closed during the renovations, Benchmark calls it a Grand Reopening due to the complete revitalization of the facility, with extensive additions and upgrades. The company celebrated the Grand Reopening of Almelo on Friday, June 23, together with Almelo Mayor Arjen Gerritsen, key customers and a number of partners, suppliers and dignitaries.

"Benchmark's Almelo facility is a critical location in our global network that is home to our two Centers of Excellence - Fluid Management and Electromechanical Systems - as well as a wealth of expertise in other critical technologies for the industries we serve," commented Jeff Benck, president and CEO of Benchmark. This revitalization adds space for more client projects, new capabilities and technologies, improves the carbon footprint of the site, and increases the quality of life for our rapidly growing talent base in the region." Benchmark in full celebrates today with Herman Bartelink, Vice President of European Operations, and John Perik, Vice President of Development Engineering, and their teams."

To facilitate a rapid increase in client projects and production over the past five years, Benchmark Almelo has had to increase its talent by 25% - expanding from 480 employees in 2018, to 650 today. This growth led Benchmark's leadership team to invest in revitalizing the facility to increase and better utilize space. This included creating purpose-built spaces for employee activities, customer collaboration, 3D modeling, new product builds, expanded testing, employee training, and much more.

"It is an honor to welcome our customers, partners, suppliers and the entire Almelo community to our 'new' facility," said Bartelink. "We have built an incredible team, with a broad range of competencies, delivering excellent value to our customers, while the demand for our product realization services has grown exponentially. Today we are delighted to celebrate our grand reopening and introduce the new headquarters of Almelo".

The renovations are highlighted by the 4,000 square meter expansion of the facilities, which includes an increase of 3,000 square meters of the production floor and a new Innovation Design Center to house interactive concept and design projects with clients. Benchmark has also been reorganized to allow for more efficient material flow and production. Technology investments include a new 3D rapid prototyping lab, improvements to the prototyping lab, the installation of a major EMC pre-compliance testing lab, and upgrades to the center's ISO class 6 and 7 cleanrooms. Other improvements and investments are the following:

"We are delighted to be able to facilitate such a wonderful and modern design environment that motivates and inspires our employees to offer the best to our customers," said Perik. "With these renovations, we are taking Benchmark's product realization services to the next level here in Europe, providing a space where engineers and manufacturers can closely collaborate and work with the latest technology available. Our customers will be delighted to have the opportunity to work with us in this new space".

To continue pursuing its goal of sustainability and reduce the company's carbon footprint, the facility has also incorporated various elements to improve energy efficiency. This includes better insulation, triple-glazed windows, more efficient heating, solar cells to power the heat/cool pump, and LED lighting throughout the facility. With these improvements, Almelo managed to reduce energy consumption per square meter by 30%.

"In Almelo, numerous renowned companies make unique international contributions to the development and production of high-tech applications. From sustainable energy concepts to robotics and from efficient healthcare technology to intelligent logistics," Almelo Mayor Arjen Gerritsen said. "Benchmark Almelo has been part of this range of wonderful companies for years. In our city and region we are proud of these companies, who invest in the best talent, high-quality employment and continuous innovation. The renovation and reopening of Benchmark Almelo marks a new milestone of how tech entrepreneurship, global trade and regional employment come together".

To learn more about Benchmark Almelo and the new features of the site, visit the website at https://www.bench.com/almelo-the-netherlands.

About Benchmark Electronics, Inc.

Benchmark offers end-to-end solutions throughout the product lifecycle, leading through innovative technology and engineering design services, leveraging its streamlined global supply chain, and providing world-class manufacturing services in the following industries: commercial aerospace, defense, advanced computing, next-generation communications, complex industrial, medical, and semiconductor capital goods. Benchmark operates in eight countries and its common shares are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BHE.

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