Atem
ATEM is a French RF component manufacturer specializing in high-precision coaxial assemblies and microwave subsystems for defense and aerospace clients. As demand surged to tens of thousands of cable assemblies per year, ATEM faced growing pressure to modernize its testing process, still heavily reliant on paper certificates and manual data capture. Their leadership knew they had valuable raw test data locked in silos, but no efficient way to preserve it, share it with clients, or use it for quality insights. The opportunity to scale required a strategic shift.
Key results
- 2,500+ hours saved per year by eliminating manual VNA header edits, saving 30 seconds per serialized cable
- Reduced the risk of technician turnover by enabling operators to perform measurements with guided workflows.
- Enhanced customer value via digital delivery of raw S2P data, enabling better downstream integration.
- Shortened training cycles accelerate new employee onboarding and increase business resilience
- Compliance-ready traceability without paperwork, aligned with EN9100 standards.
"With Connektica, we’ve gone from technician bottlenecks to flexible, scalable operations. It’s not just about speed, it’s about empowering our team while delivering better data to our clients."
Arnaud Sackda – CEO – Atem
Challenges
ATEM’s measurement certification process was paper-based, dependent on skilled technicians using VNA (Vector Network Analyzer) tools and manually exporting screenshot images as proof of compliance. “We captured images to show that the measurement was good, but the client had no access to the raw data. That limited the value we could deliver,” explains Arnaud Sackda, CEO of ATEM.
In addition, the repetitive nature of testing created operator fatigue and high turnover. Recruits required extensive training to navigate measurement tools, and the lack of real-time data made it hard to integrate results into customer systems or trace issues effectively. Growing order volumes demanded a scalable approach to quality control. “We realized we needed to shift testing closer to production and make it easier for less experienced staff to contribute,” says Arnaud Sackda.
Solution
Solutions Considered
ATEM initially explored building an in-house LabVIEW/TestStand system, but found the approach too time-consuming and rigid. Solutions from larger vendors like Keysight were overly complex or lacked flexibility.
Selecting Connektica
A chance encounter with Connektica’s team in Montreal sparked a new direction. “The platform was immediately aligned with our needs: automated, flexible, and production-friendly,” says Arnaud Sackda. “We decided to test it, and quickly saw the potential, even beyond what we had imagined.”
Implementation
Implementation was fast. The primary challenge was changing habits: moving from traditional VNA tools to Connektica’s unified interface. With support from the Connektica team, ATEM quickly overcame that to achieve smooth execution.
Benefits
Time saved and faster production cycles through automation
“With Connektica, we eliminated manual header edits between serialized parts, saving 30 seconds per cable. Multiply that across hundreds of units per day, and the gains add up fast, especially as we scale production,” says Romain Michel.
Over the course of a year, these efficiencies represent at least 2,500 hours saved or the equivalent of 1.4 full-time employees. This time is reinvested into higher-value tasks, directly improving ATEM’s throughput and responsiveness to customer demand.
Increased business resilience by digitizing know-how
No more memorizing VNA parameters or manual navigation, “calibration and measurement are now guided workflows. Anyone can follow the steps. Even if the lead test technician is absent, the process continues without delay,” explained Arnaud Sackda.
Former production operators, once limited to repetitive assembly tasks, now confidently handle RF control thanks to this shift. “It reduced burnout among our expert technicians and opened new career paths for production staff,” Arnaud Sackda added.
The impact was also felt in training. “With the platform, there’s no need to adjust VNA start and stop frequencies manually; our design office pre-sets everything. That means new operators can be trained faster, and in case of absence, products can still be released quickly,” noted Romain Michel.
Improve customer service with digital data delivery
Instead of printed certificates, clients now receive raw S2P files for seamless integration into their models. “It’s a major value-add and improves our reputation for high-end quality,” says Arnaud Sackda.
By replacing paper certificates with digital datasets, ATEM not only streamlined reporting but also turned test reports into a strategic asset.
Future Plans
“We’re just beginning to explore how far we can go with the data we now collect,” said Arnaud Sackda. “Connektica opens up entirely new possibilities for quality, compliance, and collaboration.”
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