Chomutov, Czech Republic: Power-supply company PULS cut the ribbon on a new manufacturing facility in the Czech Republic. Designed by the same architect used for Munich Airport, the new factory is solar heated and conduction cooled by the material of the building itself combined with automatic window venting. Virtually all light is natural sunlight regulated by solar-controlled blinds. The factory, which is 6,200m in size and has plans to employ 350 people, represents an investment in European manufacturing by PULS of 17M Euros. The plant contains two Siemens SMD assembly lines, a partially automated warehouse, three nitrogen solder lines, 22 PCB and functional test systems, two automated optical inspection systems, and a laser-marking system for PCB traceability. Twenty burn-in racks were installed, each incorporating a state-of-the-art energy reclaiming system. Electronic loads are used to recycle output power of all units under test back into mains electricity, rather than be dissipated as heat. This is fed back into the factory’s power supply, achieving an 84% energy saving over conventional burn-in testing. PULS is a European manufacturer of high-efficiency, DIN-rail power supplies.