Foxconn buys Leuven-based 5G specialist arQana

Foxconn is merging the acquired operations with its U.S. subsidiary AchernarTek and renaming the merged company iCana. Vandevoorde and his management team will continue to lead that new company. The Flemish entrepreneur is not in his prime. He previously founded semiconductor company Future Waves in 2005, which was sold to Toumaz Technology in 2009.

iCana profiles itself as a global supplier of wireless semiconductor components that can be used in 5G infrastructure and in the automotive industry, among others. Vandevoorde calls the acquisition by Foxconn a good thing because it will allow products to get to market faster. He cites connected electric cars as one of the first important new markets that can be addressed with Foxconn's help.

This is the first time Foxconn has made an acquisition in our country. Foxconn is one of the largest electronics companies in the world that became best known as the low-cost manufacturer of Apple's iPhones. The company is headquartered in Taiwan, but has large factories in mainland China.

The Belgian operations of arQana are in full growth. The company has nine employees, but is looking for about fifteen new people. Next month it will move to a larger office in the center of Leuven, with expanded lab space.

Source: De Tijd, translated by Leuven MindGate