everything RF recently interviewed Alejandro Rodriguez, the R&D Director at ERZIA. He has led ERZIA's R&D efforts and Microwave Integrated Assemblies Department for over a decade. Rodriguez has witnessed firsthand how the Spanish-based RF and microwave manufacturer has expanded its product portfolio and production capabilities, particularly in the New Space market. He completed his master's degree and PhD in telecommunication engineering from the University of Vigo.
Q. It has been some time since we last interviewed ERZIA in 2021. What has changed since then? Can you give us the highlights?
Alejandro Rodriguez: Many things have changed since 2021. Back then, we were all going through a tough period after the pandemic, with all markets, including RF modules, on standby. From 2022 onwards, we've experienced very significant growth, with huge demand for new products alongside new developments from our side. The company's growth has meant increasing our workforce, expanding our facilities, and adding more instrumentation. We've also created new catalog products like filters, equalizers, switches, and mixers.
Q: Can you tell us more about the Integrated Microwave Assemblies that ERZIA has developed? What types of products are you working on?
Alejandro Rodriguez: As mentioned earlier, after the pandemic standby, we've seen a very high demand for new product development. This surge has been driven by several factors, including the unfortunate recent wars (which have led to increased defense budgets in many countries) and growth in the new space market.
Our focus has been developing Integrated Microwave Assemblies based on our customers' specific needs. Most customers require highly customized modules, making it more challenging to develop standardized solutions. We're developing various types of integrated assemblies, including:
- Front-ends
- TRMs
- Switched Filter Banks
- Switching Matrix (complex paths with amplifiers, attenuators, filters, etc.)
- BUCs
- LNBs
Most of these assemblies use SMD or die components to minimize size and weight. They are primarily designed for harsh environments and can be qualified for naval or airborne applications, as ERZIA has followed the same design and manufacturing approach used in previous, proven modules.
Q: What is your development process for these assemblies?
Alejandro Rodriguez: Our development process typically follows these steps: It begins when we receive an RFQ from a potential customer. We study their request and propose either a solution that fully meets their specifications or, if that's not possible, we suggest alternative solutions with potential trade-offs. Often, we complete a first iteration at the proposal stage and provide both technical and economic proposals. If the customer accepts, we proceed with the design, working closely with them to deliver the optimal solution.
We're also continuing to produce designs that were customized and developed for our customers before the pandemic.
Q: What product range and market segment has been growing the most for ERZIA? What is driving this growth?
Alejandro Rodriguez: We've seen growth across all market segments in recent years, but the New Space market has shown the highest increase, largely because it's such a recent development. This growth is driven by two main factors: new companies are emerging, following in the footsteps of well-known space industry leaders, and many traditional space companies are shifting their approach. These established companies are now looking to reduce costs and development time wherever possible, moving away from traditional “old space" methods.
Q: Can you tell us more about your manufacturing facility? Do you manufacture all products in-house?
Alejandro Rodriguez: Yes, we manufacture all products in-house at our Santander facilities, where we handle design, assembly, and testing. We have comprehensive capabilities including soldering, die attach, wire bonding, and measurements. We even have our own mechanical manufacturing department for prototypes and first production batches. The only steps we don't handle directly are PCB manufacturing, mechanical treatments, and RF cable manufacturing.
Q: Who are your customers and where are they located? Can you give a % breakup based on region?
Alejandro Rodriguez: Our customers span the globe, primarily serving the defense, satcom, and new space markets. The regional breakdown is approximately:
- Europe: 50%
- USA: 30%
- Asia: 20%
Q: What is in store for 2025? Do you plan to enter any new product segments?
Alejandro Rodriguez: For 2025, we'll definitely continue developing new modules, especially amplifiers, with state-of-the-art performance for our main markets — focusing on increasing output power levels and bandwidths. We'll also continue developing new customized products, as we're receiving many requests for new designs while maintaining the production of our existing designs.
About ERZIA
ERZIA designs and manufactures microwave and mm-wave amplifiers and integrated assemblies for high-performance and high-reliability applications. With ISO9001 & 9100 certifications, ERZIA products are present in all five continents, airborne platforms and space missions, operating from DC to 100 GHz.
