The production start (SOP) began last week at Gapwaves' production facility in Gothenburg. The first series delivery to Valeo was made on July 1. The production will then be transferred to Gapwaves' production partner Frencken Group in China for full-scale, automated series production under Gapwaves' management.
 
The production facility in Gothenburg was inaugurated in November 2024. There, Gapwaves' scalable production processes are developed, tested, and validated to then be transferred to production partners worldwide for high-volume production. The facility also represents a crucial step towards becoming a certified supplier of waveguide antennas to the automotive industry according to the IATF 16949 quality management system.
 
Gapwaves CEO Jonas Ehinger comments: "This is a very important milestone for Gapwaves. Our new pilot line in Gothenburg has been crucial for us to maintain such short lead times from the development of the new antenna all the way to production, while maintaining the highest quality, and demonstrating that we meet the requirements according to the high standards of the automotive industry. Over the past year, Gapwaves has taken many important steps in our commercialization journey, and having production up and running for Valeo, a world leader in ADAS systems, is a strong testament to Gapwaves positioning."
 
In 2025, it is estimated that ca. 435,000 antennas based on Gapwaves technology will be produced, and in 2026, that number is expected to reach ca. 4,500,000. This can be compared to a total of 60,000 antennas produced from 2011 to 2023.
 
Gapwaves, together with Valeo, has developed a new antenna based on Gapwaves' patented Multi-Layer Waveguide technology (MLW). The antenna is intended for Valeo's new vehicle radar for applications within ADAS and results in a cost-effective radar with significantly increased performance in functions such as blind spot warning and cross-traffic alert systems in front of and behind the vehicle.