LONDON, January 19 /PRNewswire/ --

Based on its recent analysis of the European printed circuit board (PCB) automatic test equipment (ATE) markets, Frost Sullivan recognizes REINHARDT System - und Messelectronic GmbH (Reinhardt) with the 2008 European Customer Value Enhancement of the Year Award. Reinhardt stands out in the market for its ability to offer the best solutions and time-to-market, while its engineers efficiently address all key end-user concerns by being in constant touch with them.

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Reinhardt has been one of the few PCB ATE companies to offer off-the-shelf test equipment that eliminates the need for re-work/re-design of the test equipment at customers' premises. It has earned a reputation for invariably getting a new test system to work within an hour of its deployment. It offers a wide range of services starting from testability (includes necessary test points) to fixture generation.

Reinhardt's after-sales service has also come in for praise from customers that are pleased with its responsiveness, as the company ensures that any support or service is provided within 24 hours of fault reporting. This allows the system to be operational in just a day, greatly alleviating customers' concerns.

The company has witnessed consistent growth over the past four years, says Frost Sullivan's research analyst, Sujan Sami. The average number of units sold per year is over 100; in 2007, Reinhardt sold 131 units of test equipment while in 2008, it sold 122 units.

One of Reinhardt's unique selling points is its ability to develop identical test equipment whenever there is a requirement. Despite these obvious advantages, the company does not have immediate plans to expand in the PCB ATE market. Instead, it intends to improve on its existing product lines, thereby enhancing its market position in existing geographic locations.

Reinhardt seems to have hit upon the right combination of testers; therefore, it prudently considers this success when forming an alliance/relationship with a vendor so it does not upset the balance in the combination. Its engineers are alert to any problems that end users may face while using their products and hence, work accordingly to enhance their technology and service.

The company has ensured significant publicity for its products' excellent performance and system improvements by having generated articles about them for the last 28 years. Its user-friendly and easily accessible web page is updated frequently with information about upgrades of various products. The company also conducts five seminars every year, to which it invites customers to update them on its new product offerings. This assists customers in understanding Reinhardt's developments, which, in turn, helps the company obtain feedback.

Such proactive, customer-friendly strategies have enabled Reinhardt to belie its size to become a company with a global footprint. In fact, it is a market leader in Germany, holding more than 50 percent of the country's market revenues.

The company sells almost 70 percent of its products in Germany and 10 percent in Switzerland, while the remaining 20 percent of the revenues are generated from countries such as Russia, China, and Malaysia, notes Sujan Sami. Although the company doesn't have a direct presence in several countries, it offers customer service in all regions of the world through sales representatives.

Each year, Frost Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated the ability to expand its customer base, while maintaining its existing customer base, with more innovative strategies than competing vendors. This Award recognizes the company's successful sales entry, customer acquisition and service strategies, and the degree to which those strategies have met customers' stated needs and requirements. Such strategies are expected to significantly improve customer interaction and contribute to customer satisfaction.

Frost Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About REINHARDT System - und Messelectronic GmbH

Reinhardt System - und Messelectronic GmbH was founded in 1976 and started with representing international companies. Two years later we developed our first own products for counting components on bandoliers and hand-held instruments for measuring temperature, humidity and air pressure which were sold very successfully. In 1979 we developed our first automatic test system for functional test. In 1984 we started developing weather and climate measurement equipment on a very professional basis. In 1988 in-circuit test and power supply (power electronic) testing was added to our functional test system. After 1990, we developed our complete line of fixtures for our test systems. Now we have the fifth generation of our test systems and are now the leading manufacturer in Germany.

Contact: REINHARDT System - und Messelectronic GmbH Mr. Peter Reinhardt P.O. Box 12 41 86908 Diessen P: +49-8196-934100 F: +49-8196-7005 info@reinhardt-testsystem.de www.reinhardt-testsystem.de

About Frost Sullivan

Frost Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, partners with clients to accelerate their growth. The company's TEAM Research, Growth Consulting and Growth Team Membership(TM) empower clients to create a growth-focused culture that generates, evaluates and implements effective growth strategies. Frost Sullivan employs over 45 years of experience in partnering with Global 1000 companies, emerging businesses and the investment community from more than 30 offices on six continents. For more information about Frost Sullivan's Growth Partnership Services, visit http://www.frost.com.

Contact:

Ciara Jamie Connolly, Senior Events Promotions Executive, EMEA | Best Practices, Frost Sullivan, ciara.connolly@frost.com, P: +44-(0)-207-915- 7868, F: +44-(0)-207-730-3343, www.frost.com

Mr. Peter Reinhardt of REINHARDT System- und Messelectronic GmbH, +49-8196-934100, fax, +49-8196-7005, info@reinhardt-testsystem.de; or Ciara Jamie Connolly, Senior Events Promotions Executive, EMEA | Best Practices, Frost Sullivan, +44-(0)-207-915-7868, fax, +44-(0)-207-730-3343, ciara.connolly@frost.com. Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20081117/FSLOGO