NOTE CEO Johannes Lind-Widestam on Balancing Soft Demand, Smart Acquisitions & Automation To Grow скачать в хорошем качестве

NOTE CEO Johannes Lind-Widestam on Balancing Soft Demand, Smart Acquisitions & Automation To Grow

At Productronica 2025, I sit down with NOTE CEO Johannes Lind-Widestam to unpack a market that talks about an upturn while orders remain flat, and we explore the choices a disciplined manufacturer makes when growth isn’t handed to you. Germany’s automotive-heavy slowdown contrasts with Scandinavia’s steadier footing, thanks in part to defense programs that keep buying through cycles. We get specific about right-sizing and re-investing. Note closed a small, long-struggling UK site and redirected production to stronger facilities, then acquired Caston to build a credible bridge into the UK defense market where big primes and committed budgets shape real demand. At home, the team is doubling its Torsby footprint to 7,000 square meters, elevating a focused hub for harsh-environment electronics—gear built to survive cold, heat, vibration, and g forces, where qualification and reliability create defensible margins and long program lives. The conversation also tackles the AI paradox. While AI dominates show-floor chatter, many EU-bound builds happen elsewhere, and mega-projects rarely land with mid-market EMS players. The candid path forward: consider the U.S. for AI hardware access while using AI inside the factory to do what matters now—improve inspection, tighten process control, and turn data into faster, cheaper, more reliable output. We dig into automation choices, cost-base discipline, and the value of seeing equipment run before you buy it. If you care about where manufacturing profit pools are shifting—and how to prepare for a real upturn—this one is for you. If this conversation resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague who works in ops or strategy, and leave a quick review telling us where you see the next defensible niche. EMS@C-Level is hosted by global inspection leaders Koh Young (https://www.kohyoung.com) and Global Electronics Association (https://www.electronics.org)