EMS@C-LEVEL

A rebrand can be cosmetic, or it can be a line in the sand about what you build and how you want to grow. I’m joined by Nick Wasserman, President and CEO of PTG Electronics (formerly Pinnacle Technology Group), to unpack why a 40-year, family-owned EMS company in Southeast Michigan changed its name and what that clarity unlocks with customers who need serious electronics manufacturing services, no...

Buying a company out of insolvency is one of those decisions that sounds bold from the outside and feels very different at 2 a.m. when you are the owner. I sit down with Carsten Ellermeier to unpack his first fourteen months leading Deltec Group as both CEO and owner, including what the automotive downturn revealed about concentration risk and why trust with customers and suppliers becomes your re...

AI is boosting demand and breaking planning models at the same time, and that tension shows up everywhere in electronics manufacturing services right now. From my home to yours, I sit down with Otto Pukk, President and CEO of INCAP, to take stock after Q1 and get specific about what a stronger 2026 actually depends on: execution, supply resilience, and a footprint that can serve customers where th...

Global EMS demand is back in growth mode, yet parts of Europe are still shrinking and the gap is getting harder to ignore. I sat down with Christoph Solka, Director Industry Intelligence at the Global Electronics Association to talk through what the latest data is really signaling and why “Europe vs the world” is too simple to be useful when the market is splitting by region, sector, and exposure...

Carmakers are quietly changing the rules of the automotive supply chain, and it shows up first on the printed circuit board. From my recent visit to ALL Circuits' flagship facility south of Paris, I’m joined by President & CEO Bruno Racault to talk about why some EMS companies are doing better than the doom-and-gloom narrative around European automotive, and what “winning” looks like when...

What if you could move a complex hardware product from dispersed vendors to one accountable partner—and do it in three months? I sit down with Florian Weiss, HANZA's Head of Business Development Region Central Europe to unpack how BMK scaled a Raspberry Pi-based platform beyond PCBA into a complete, end-to-end manufacturing solution that absorbs production and logistics so teams can focus on...

Twelve months after the DBG partnership, we get honest about what actually changes when an acquisition is more than a headline. From my recent visit to ALL Circuits' flagship facility south of Paris, Deputy CEO Stephane Klajzyngier and I break down the real milestones: shared purchasing of high-impact production equipment like SMT machines, AOI, and printers, plus the way joint line design ca...

They didn’t just trim costs. They rewired the business for the next growth cycle. I sat down with Lou Hughes, CEO of IMI, to unpack a pivotal year that includes sharp net debt reduction, major site consolidation, and a clear shift from stabilization to expansion. If you care about EMS strategy, global manufacturing footprint decisions, and where electronics outsourcing is headed next, this convers...

Defense electronics is pulling the EMS industry in a new direction, and the companies that move early will shape the next decade of the supply chain. I’m joined by Johannes Lind-Widestam, CEO of NOTE to unpack what’s really behind their latest moves and why the UK has become such a central piece of the puzzle. We get into the STI acquisition and how it strengthens NOTE’s position in the UK defense...

Defense electronics is moving faster than the supply chain can comfortably handle, and the numbers are forcing a rethink of what “normal” growth looks like. I sat down with Peter Nilsson, President & CEO of Kitron Group to unpack a dramatic jump in defense-related revenue, what’s driving it, and how an EMS provider can scale without getting trapped by over-concentration or runaway complexity....

War has sped up everything—demand signals, lead times, and the tolerance for fragile supply chains. I sit down with Mattia Lindhe, HANZA's Chief Strategy Officer at their recent Capital Markets Day to dig into HANZA's Lynx program’s twofold mission: deliver urgent support for Ukraine while building a stronger, more resilient European defense base that can scale locally and reliably. Alon...

What happens when a manufacturer treats values as part of an operating system, not a slide? I sit down with HANZA CFO Lars Åkerblom at their recent Capital Markets Day to unpack how code of conduct and sustainability guide every decision—from factory floor safety and anti-corruption to transparent relationships with customers, suppliers, and investors—and why that stance fuels both resilience and...

AI is changing the electronics economy faster than most supply chains can adapt. We sit down with Shawn DeBravac, Chief Economist of the Global Electronics Association, to unpack the “memory squeeze” and why AI data centers are pulling scarce resources toward high-margin infrastructure, driving memory price pressure even when outright availability doesn’t look dire on the surface. If you build, bu...

What if scaling production were as simple as one phone call? I sat down with Andres Nordin, HANZA's COO at their recent Capital Markets Day to unpack a customer-led operating model that turns complex supplier webs into a single, responsive partnership—and why the most valuable technology choices start with pain points, not buzzwords. From defining six core capabilities to exploring a seventh...

What if your supply chain felt like one well-run factory instead of a maze of vendors and shifting promises? I sit down with founder and CEO Erik Stenfors at Hanza's Capital Markets Day in Stockholm to unpack a simple but powerful idea: build a manufacturing partner the way a buyer wishes it worked. That means vertical integration where it counts, smart outsourcing where it helps, and a singl...

Energy prices can spike overnight, shipping lanes can become political flashpoints, and suddenly the “normal” electronics supply chain starts to look fragile. I sit down with Alison James, Senior Director for European Government Relations at the Global Electronics Association to talk through what the latest geopolitical tensions could mean for European manufacturing, including the quiet but critic...

The stakes around sustainable electronics have never been higher, and the momentum is real. At Productronica 2025 I sit down with Kelly Scanlon, Global Electronics Association's Lead Sustainability Strategist to unpack what “all in” actually looks like across a complex, global value chain—from executive commitment to the nuts and bolts of data, standards, and training that make greener produc...

What does it take to turn nearshoring from a headline into factory-ready capacity? I sit down with Lorena Villanueva, who leads Mexico for the Global Electronics Association, to unpack a practical blueprint: align government incentives, open university doors, and certify talent where hiring happens. The conversation starts with a clear shift in strategy after a major rebrand—more resources and att...

What if the fastest way to fix electronics supply chains starts with the quote? We dig into how targeting that high-pressure moment—where BOM clarity, sourcing, manufacturability, and price collide—catalyzes a broader shift from scattered spreadsheets to connected, resilient operations. By standardizing part data across millions of SKUs, integrating live pricing and lead times, and introducing cus...

Data is only useful when it changes your next move. During my recent 'on location' session with Global Electronics Associates, I sat down with Chris Mitchell, Vice President of Global Government Relations, to unpack how a new, global industry intelligence program is turning raw numbers into decisions that matter for EMS leaders, OEMs, and policymakers. From Washington to Brussels and bey...

CES signals are loud and clear: AI is no longer a feature, it’s the infrastructure layer crowding out capital, capacity, and attention across the electronics value chain. I sat down in Washington DC with Global Electronics Association Chief Economist Shawn DuBravac to unpack how that surge touches everything from storage and memory to semiconductors and factory planning, and why even companies “no...

In this 'on-location' interview with Global Electronics Association President & CEO John Mitchell, I pull back the curtain on the rebrand, then go deep on the tech, policy, and talent issues reshaping the entire electronics manufacturing ecosystem. The hype around AI is loud, but the signal is this: real gains come from faster decisions on real data and from tools that actually chang...

What happens when design, software, and manufacturing live under one roof? I sat down with Clarity Design President & Founder Tom Lupfer to explore how an engineering-first culture turns a factory into a learning system—one that moves faster, reduces errors, and keeps shipping even when supply chains seize. From early PCB roots to a modern EMS shop floor, Tom lays out a playbook where DFM is e...

The quiet parts make or break high‑reliability programs. EMSNOW's Eric Miscoll sat down on the Productronica 2025 floor with WERAP Group's Chief Sales Officer Marcus Hoffmann to unpack how our Swiss‑based EMS group is building a dedicated aerospace and defense hub by adding a Lake Constance specialist in cabling and box build—and why that matters for schedules, certifications, and missio...

From the bustle of Productronica 2025, I sit down with Eurocircuits’ Managing Partner Dirk Stans to decode what a strong prototype pipeline really means for Europe’s electronics industry and why it’s one of the clearest signals that production will follow. Instead of chasing hype, we dig into the decisions that move the needle: smart digitization, tight production engineering, and using AI where i...