How the COVID-19 crisis affects pinkRF
How the COVID-19 crisis affects pinkRF
In the previous interview, at the end of last year, the future looked bright for pinkRF. There were new collaborations, growth did not seem to slow down. The corona crisis is now causing uncertainty, owner Klaus Werner says.Klaus Werner, Director of pinkRF, has been interviewed by The Economic Board.
PinkRF, based in Nijmegen, designs, develops and produces RF energy systems for industrial, medical, pharmaceutical and scientific applications. RF energy or radio waves, is used in microwaves, among other things. PinkRF uses it for multiple applications, including the fight against cancer. With a process called hyperthermia, RF energy can destroy cancer cells.
Delaying growth
The company is struggling across the board due to the corona crisis, says owner Klaus Werner. “The research programme is still ongoing, but two major projects came to a standstill because customers were unable to invest. As a result, we have a lack of cash to continue our growth”.That’s why pinkRF is hoping for COL, control for start-ups and scale-ups. “We’ve filed the application. If it goes through, there’s not much going on. If it doesn’t, we’ll have to postpone our growth and at worst adjust it. It’s an exciting period, in which we’re always looking at how we might be able to reorient ourselves. We have many conversations with companies with whom we are looking for overlap and are constantly looking at how we can possibly use our knowledge and technology in a different way”.
It is an exciting period, in which we are constantly looking at how we might be able to reorient ourselves. We have many conversations with companies with whom we are looking for overlap and are constantly looking at how we can possibly use our knowledge and technology differently.
The promising cooperation with Odyssey Technical Solutions, a huge RF player, yielded little in the initial phase. “Within Europe, we are very dependent on the automotive industry for this, and that sector has come to a complete standstill. That business first has to back down”. RF-energy therapies for cancer patients have also been on the decline in recent months. “Simply because hospitals were busy with corona. We can now see that these processes are slowly getting started again. The collaboration with Erasmus Medical Centre remains very important to us.
Cross-over with food
Fortunately, it’s not just survival. “There are some interesting new pathways that have come our way from the medical world, but they are not for the very short term. In addition, many smaller projects have continued as usual.”The most positive news is that blueTemp, a kind of addition to the myTemp pill, is harvesting a lot of interest. Whereas myTemp is now mainly positioned as a pill for athletes to measure their body temperature, the blueTemp is mainly there for other applications. “It contains a small source of energy that allows you to continuously store data and have it sent. The food industry, among others, is interested, as well as many companies involved in quality assurance. They want to be sure that the temperatures in a certain production process are reached or not exceeded”. With its innovative strength, PinkRF hopes to get through the corona crisis. “Hopefully we will escape with just a black eye and then be able to continue to grow vigorously. As it looks now, I have confidence in that.”
